Moving into an era of broader national security engagement

Vol. 60, No. 4 February 15, 2008Managed by Lockheed Martin for the National Nuclear Security Administration

(Continued on page 5)


Moving into an era of broadernational security engagement

Note: On Feb. 6, Labs Director Tom Hunter con-ducted the first all-hands meeting of 2008. The hour-and-a-half session began with Tom citing a number ofkey accomplishments from FY07 and noting that FY08looks to be an “extremely exciting time” to provideexceptional service in the national interest. Tom’s all-hands included about 65 minutes of prepared remarksand 25 minutes of questions and answers. The follow-ing story highlights just a few of the key subjectsaddressed by Tom. To hear his comments in their fullcontext and complete detail, go to the video of his pre-sentation at http://ln.sandia.gov/Hunter-Feb-2008.

* * *In his first all-hands meeting of 2008, Sandia

President and Labs Director Tom Hunteraddressed critical mission and operational issuesSandia will be dealing with over the next fewyears. The all-hands meeting, held Feb. 6 in theSteve Schiff Auditorium, attracted a full house ofSandians and was viewed via video link at otherSandia sites around the country.

Tom noted that the evolving national securityenvironment poses challenges the Labs’ leader-ship has addressed in the current strategic plan.

“Each of our two strategic management groups— Nuclear Weapons and Integrated Technologiesand Systems — has mapped out a strategic future,which is spelled out in the strategic plan. It basi-cally says we will move the nuclear weapons com-plex into a new posture and that the national lab-oratories will be moving into the broader arena of national security.” In that role, Tomsaid, the national laboratories will not only carry on with their traditional nuclearweapons mission but also will increasingly apply their capabilities to a broad set of

Tom Hunter’s all-hands meeting focuses on future

RECORD BREAKER — A solar dish Stirling system, like the one seen here at Sandia’s Solar Thermal TestFacility, has set a new world record for Sandia and industry partner Stirling Energy Systems. The record,

attained on a perfect New Mexico day last month, establishes a new solar-to-grid conversion efficiency of31.25percent. The old record, which has stood since 1984, was 29.4 percent. (Photo by Randy Montoya)

Sandia, SES set new world recordfor solar-to-grid efficiency

On a perfect New Mexico winter day — with the sky almost 10 percent brighterthan usual — Sandia and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) set a new solar-to-grid systemconversion efficiency record by achiev-ing a 31.25 percent net efficiency rate.The old 1984 record of 29.4 percent wastoppled Jan. 31 on SES’s “Serial #3” solardish Stirling system at Sandia’s NationalSolar Thermal Test Facility.

The conversion efficiency is calcu-lated by measuring the net energy deliv-ered to the grid and dividing it by thesolar energy hitting the dish mirrors.Auxiliary loads, such as water pumps,computers, and tracking motors, are accounted for in the net power measurement.

“Gaining two whole points of conversion efficiency in this type of system is phe-nomenal,” says Bruce Osborn, SES president and CEO. “This is a significant advance-ment that takes our dish engine systems well beyond the capacities of any other solar

31.25 percent efficiency rate topples 1984 recordBy Chris Burroughs

New protection methods keeplabs’ mobile devices mobile

Imagine not being able to take alaptop computer, personal digitalassistant, or even a flash drive con-taining a few documents outside theSandia fences.

Because of broadly publicized inci-dents in which personal informationwas compromised when laptops orother hardware was lost or stolen,DOE was considering a ban on remov-ing any mobile device from DOE sites,says Sandia Chief Information OfficerArt Hale (9600).

Sandia and its sister labs LosAlamos and Lawrence Livermore

“Gaining two wholepoints of conversionefficiency in this type ofsystem is phenomenal.”

— SES President and CEOBruce Osborn

By Charles Shirley


LABS DIRECTOR TOM HUNTER

JASON ORTIZ, a member of Sandia’s CSU team,with a Sandia laptop. New measures are being putin place to make laptops more secure on travel.

(Photo by Randy Montoya)

National Engineers Week is Feb. 17-23In observance of National Engineers Week, celebrated this

year Feb. 17-23, the Lab News asked Executive VP and DeputyLabs Director John Stichman to write about a subject that isvery close to him — that is, the importance of ethics in engi-neering. John’s article is based on his Sandia Technology Sym-posium presentation: An Ethical Imperative — Drawn fromEngineering Mishaps. See John’s story on pages 6-7.


Inside . . . Designer of “bionic contact lens” comes to Sandia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Sandia wins four awards from Federal Laboratory Consortium . . . . . 4Red Storm supercomputer to receive major upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 individuals advance to “distinguished” status at Labs . . . . . . . . . 8Last DSP satellite launch is bittersweet moment for team members . 9“When the world got big” for David Cain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

That’s that

Sandia National Laboratorieshttp://www.sandia.gov/LabNews

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0165Livermore, California 94550-0969Tonopah, Nevada • Nevada Test Site • Amarillo, Texas •Carlsbad, New Mexico • Washington, D.C.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by SandiaCorporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the US Department of Energy’sNational Nuclear Security Administration.

Bill Murphy, Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/845-0845Chris Burroughs, Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-0948Randy Montoya, Photographer . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-5605Mike Janes, California site contact . . . . . . . . . 925/294-2447Michael Lanigan, Production . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-2297

Contributors: John German (844-5199), Neal Singer (845-7078),Stephanie Holinka (284-9227), Iris Aboytes (844-2282), MichaelPadilla (284-5325), Julie Hall (284-7761), Rod Geer (844-6601),Patti Koning (925-294-4911), Michelle Fleming (Ads, Milepostphotos, 844-4902), Darrick Hurst (intern, 844-8009)Dept. 3651 Manager: Chris Miller (844-0587)Lab News fax .....................................................505/844-0645Classified ads .....................................................505/844-4902

Published on alternate Fridays by Media Relations andCommunications Dept. 3651, MS 0165

The other day I went through a routine medical procedure, which in theinterest of delicacy I won’t describe in any detail. Suffice it to say that thisparticular procedure has been called a “rite of passage” for 50-somethings.Those of you who were born before Sputnik was launched probably know what I’mtalking about. For the rest of you, well, you’ll find out soon enough.

The procedure itself is innocuous enough; it really is routine. A bitmore problematic is the prep for the procedure. The instruction sheet I gotfrom my doctor said that starting three days before said procedure I was notto ingest any fruit or vegetables. I was especially cautioned not to eatanything containing seeds. So far, so good.

What grabbed my attention was the next admonition. Do not, under anycircumstances (it said) eat any green chile. And I thought to myself, only inNew Mexico would you see a note like that. Someone from away would read thatwarning and shrug it off as a harmless bit of local eccentricity. No bigdeal. Of course, we New Mexicans know that it’s not as simple as that.

“No green chile” basically means: no breakfast (’cause you’ve gottahave green chile with your scrambled eggs or breakfast burritos); no lunch(because you just can’t bring yourself to eat a hamburger sans chileverde); and — especially in this bleak midwinter — no supper (because whenit’s this cold for this long, all you want to do is eat green chile stew bythe gallon).

But I’m a good soldier, and I sure didn’t want to go through this processtwice, so I followed the prep instructions to the letter. And, per thoseinstructions, I didn’t eat a single thing in the 24 hours leading up to theprocedure. (I won’t talk here about the gunk you have to drink . . . or why.)

The procedure itself? I was out cold and that’s fine with me. When Iwoke up, I was hungry as all get-out. After getting a debrief from thedoctor, my wife was there to drive me home. We got about a mile down the roadwhen I suddenly — and probably rather alarmingly — insisted that she take aquick right. Into one of those familiar red-and-white tiled hamburger stands.I just had to have a green chile and cheese Lotaburger. Best I ever had.

* * *Our next issue of the Lab News will be something special. We won’t be

mailing out the regular newspaper. In its stead, we’re distributing ourannual Labs Accomplishments publication. In my humble and totally unbiasedview, it’s the best single summary of Sandia’s work that you’ll findanywhere. When you look through its 12 colorful pages and see the fullbreadth and depth of the work we do for the nation, I think you’ll agree thatwe are unique in all the world. No place else does everything we do. Or doesit nearly as well. What it comes down to — and what this Labs Accomplishmentsissue demonstrates — is that if it’s related to this nation’s security, andif there’s a technical component to it, you can bet that we’re involved in itone way or another.

* * *A note related to the above: Because we won’t be doing a regular

Lab News for Feb. 29, we won’t be doing a classified ad page. The next issuethat will include ads will be March 14. The ad deadline for that issue is noonon March 7.

See you next time.— Bill Murphy (505-845-0845, MS0165, [email protected])

The Sandia Lab News is distributed in-houseto all Sandia employees and on-site contractorsand mailed to all Sandia retirees. It is also mailedto individuals in industry, government, acade-mia, nonprofit organizations, media, and pri-vate life who request it.

Retirees (only):

To notify of changes in address, contact BenefitsDept. 3332, Customer Service, at 505-844-4237,or Mail Stop 1021, Sandia National Laboratories,Albuquerque, NM 87185-1021.

Others:

To receive the Lab News or to changethe address (except retirees), contact MichelleFleming, Media Relations and Communica-tions Dept. 3651, 505-844-4902, [email protected], or Mail Stop 0165,Sandia National Laboratories,Albuquerque, NM 87185-0165.

Employees:

To change the number of copies of theLab News your mail stop is receiving please callHonario Anaya, Mail Services Team 10268-4, at844-3796. At Sandia/California contact the MailRoom at 294-2427.

Web users:The Lab News is on the external web at

www.sandia.gov/LabNews.On the internal web, go to:

https://www-irn.sandia.gov/newscenter/interactive

Lab News Reader Service

Latest winners namedin EnvironmentalManagement SystemExcellence Awards

The EMS Excellence Awards recognize exemplaryadvancements by individuals or teams that contributeto the vision of Sandia’s Environmental ManagementSystem in the following ways:

• Implementing and maintaining a prevention-based system beyond compliance,

• Providing value-added service to line customers,• Continuously improving Sandia’s environmental

performance, and• Gaining customer, stakeholder, and public recog-

nition of Sandia’s environmental achievements.A ceremony recognizing the latest recipients of the

EMS awards was held in late January. The winners,drawn from 10 nominations in four categories, are:

Water Conservation/Energy Reduction (tie): DustSuppression — the Grounds and Roads Services groupwith help from System Engineering group; and theDistributed Energy Test Laboratory (DETL) Bldg. 833

Risk Mitigation/Environmental Protection:Putting EMS to Work-Lean Manufacturing — Div. 2000,Weapons Engineering and Product Realization

Waste Minimization: Getting the Lead Out, a teammade up of Sandia technologists, a manager, and anindustrial hygienist

Recycling: Recycling at the Airworthiness AssuranceNon-Destructive Inspection Validation Center (AANC)facility — Dept. 6416.

For a detailed listing of all award nominations, visitthe EMS website. The next round of EMS nominationswill kick off on April 1. Nominations are due July 1with awards to be presented at an event in late July.

James R. Meikle (age 85) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 4Santiago Anaya (94) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 13August E. Binder (81) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 13Juan B. Ortiz (90). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 14David L. Bailey (89). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 17Gilbert Atencio (94) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 23Robert W. Freeze (79) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 25Philip E. Eyer (91) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 30William E. Packer (60) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 1William F. Moyle (86) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 3Rosalie F. Crawford (84). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 8Greg A. Abeyta (89) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 8Richard L. Starkey (79). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 11Rubel Romero (86) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan. 14

Retiree deaths

The next regular issue of the Lab News will be March14. Instead of our regular issue of the Lab News, we’ll bedelivering the annual Labs Accomplishments publica-tion, which does not feature a classified ad page. Theclassified ads will return with that first issue in March.The deadline for submitting ads for that issue will beMarch 7 at noon.

Deadline change for classified ads

Note: Patents listed here include the names of activeSandians only; former Sandians and non-Sandia inventorsare not included. Following the listing for each patent is apatent number, which is searchable at the US Patent andTrademark Office website (www.uspto.gov).

Stanley Kravitz (1717) and Nelson Bell (1816):Method of Generating Hydrogen Gas from SodiumBorohydride (Patent No. 7,306,780)

Carl Hayden (8353) and Dave Chandler (8350): FastTime-Correlated Multi-Element Photon Detector andMethod (Patent No. 7,310,142)

Ron Renzi (8125): Capillary Interconnect Device(Patent No. 7,311,882)

On Thursday, Feb. 14, Sandia Daily News will launchits new website and online submission form. Sandianswill receive SDN in their email as usual, but the submis-sion process will change. Sandians are to submit items toSDN using an online form — the URL for that website ishttp://www-irn.sandia.gov/newscenter/sdn.

Submissions will no longer be accepted to the DailyNews email account. These changes are designed toimprove the efficiency of producing SDN, update itsappearance, and improve the searchability of past issues.We ask for your patience during this transition processand welcome your feedback.

— Julie Hall (3651), [email protected], 505-284-7761

Changes in store for SDN

A surgeon is in the middle of a complicated pro-cedure and doesn’t want to take his eyes away fromhis patient. He doesn’t have to — thanks to abionic contact lens that displays the patient’s vitalsin his field of vision.

Or, imagine a driver who doesn’t need to lookaway from the road to see critical informationbecause it’s projected onto his windshield.Another scenario is a diabetic who sees an LEDflash in the corner of his eye when his glucose lev-els begin to drop.

That might sound like the stuff of science fic-tion, but not to Harvey Ho, who was hired inSeptember to the Surety Design EngineeringDept. 8226 at Sandia/California. Last year Harveycompleted his MS in electrical engineering at theUniversity of Washington (UW) under BabakParviz, an assistantprofessor of electri-cal engineering.

For his master’sthesis, Harveydesigned the cir-cuitry that wouldgo around displayelements, such asLEDs for what isbeing referred to asthe “bionic contactlens.” He presentedthe results at theInstitute of Electri-cal and ElectronicsEngineers’ interna-tional conferenceon microelectro-mechanical sys-tems last month.

Building the contact lenses posed a technicalchallenge because materials that are safe for use inthe body, such as the flexible organic materialsused in contact lenses, are delicate. Manufacturingelectrical circuits, however, involves inorganic mate-rials, scorching temperatures, and toxic chemicals.

Harvey and other researchers built the circuitsfrom layers of metal only a few nanometers thick,about one-thousandth the width of a human hair,and constructed light-emitting diodes one-third ofa millimeter across. They then sprinkled the gray-ish powder of electrical components onto a sheetof flexible plastic. The shape of each tiny compo-nent dictates which piece it can attach to, a micro-fabrication technique known as self-assembly. Cap-illary forces — like those that that make watermove up a plant’s roots and that cause the edge of

a glass of water to curve upward — pull the piecesinto position.

Harvey began working with Parviz as an under-graduate at UW. Math and science interested himfrom a young age.

Always interested in how things work“I grew up surrounded by technology, always

very interested in how things work,” he says. “Inhigh school I had some great physics and mathteachers who put me on the scientific track.”

The project, now in prototype stage, recently gar-nered media attention from the likes of NationalGeographic News, The Economist, CNBC columnistBryn Nelson, Science Daily, CNET, Seattle Post-Intelli-gencer, EEtimes, Fox News, and technology bloggersworldwide.

At just 24 years old, Harvey has attained the type

of high-profile accomplishment many researchersdream about. “I did feel I was working in somethingcutting edge, something that kept me going when Iworked in the lab late into the night,” he says. “Ifeel like I have contributed something meaningfulto the field of electrical engineering.”

Parviz describes Harvey as a solid engineer whocan make things happen.

“He is completely self-motivated and alwaysready to explore new things,” Parviz says. “Harveyis an asset to any company or organization that isfortunate enough to have him onboard.”

Coming to Sandia represents the next step in hiscareer. He was attracted by the variety of researchand top-notch facilities such as MESA. “It’s notquite academia, but not quite industry,” he says.“You can draw upon a lot of different people frommany different disciplines.”

SANDIA LAB NEWS • February 15, 2008 •

EYE MASTER — Harvey Ho, a recent hire, designed the electric circuits on the “bionic” contact lens (shown here) for his master’s thesis.(Photo by Harvey Ho)

By Patti Koning

Sandia/California named winner of EnvironmentalSpirit Award by Livermore Chamber of Commerce

Sandia/California has been selected by the Liver-more Chamber of Commerce as recipient of its inau-gural Environmental Spirit Award. The award was pre-sented to Sandia for its environmental programs andongoing commitment to protecting the environmentand wildlife on the laboratory’s 400-acre site, says DaleKaye, chamber president and CEO.

“Sandia has not only shown tremendous sensitivityto the land it occupies, but also a dedicated commit-ment to its community,” says Kaye. “This is an organi-zation that helps to protect our world and we aredelighted to be able to present them with this award.”

Gary Shamber (8516), manager of the site’s envi-ronmental management department, considers envi-ronmental stewardship to be a fundamental obligationshared by all Sandia employees and staff.

“Many of our program objectives have been specifi-cally designed to not only minimize our environmen-tal impacts in the local community but also to pre-serve the natural environment and resources that weshare,” he says.

Sandia was presented with the award during the

By Mike Janes Livermore Chamber of Commerce annual Installationand Community Awards Gala Feb. 2. In his acceptancespeech on behalf of Sandia, Gary emphasized thegrowing importance of environmental stewardship byindividuals, companies, and communities.

“When one considers the state of our planet it isevident that we all have much work to do to correctthe ills of the past and the undesirable trends of thepresent,” he says. “As a Native American proverb says,‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, weborrow it from our children.’”

Last spring Sandia/California won a DOE PollutionPrevention (P2) Star Award for the implementation ofthe site’s Environmental Management System (EMS).The site’s EMS has been ISO 14001-certified sinceSeptember 2006.

The International Standards Organization (ISO)specifies the requirements for state-of-the-art prod-ucts, services, and managerial and organizationalpractice. ISO 14001 is a system that requires an envi-ronmental policy; objectives and targets; programsfor implementation, monitoring, and measurement;preventive and corrective actions; involvement at alllevels; and continuous improvement.

WELL DONE — Jim Ott, president and CEO of UNCLE CreditUnion and a board member of the Livermore Chamber ofCommerce, presents Gary Shamber (8516) with the Cham-ber’s Environmental Spirit Award. (Photo by Randy Wong)

HARVEY HO(Photo by Dino Vournas)

Fresh off innovative ‘bionic contact lens’ project,Harvey Ho brings growing reputation to Sandia


Solar record(Continued from page 1)

dish collectors and one step closer to commercializingan affordable system.”

Serial #3 was erected in May 2005 as part of a proto-type six-dish Model Power Plant at the Solar ThermalTest Facility that produces up to 150 kilowatts (kW) ofgrid-ready electrical power during the day. Each dishunit consists of 82 mirrors formed in a parabolic dishshape to focus the light to an intense beam.

The solar dish generates electricity by focusing thesun’s rays onto a receiver, which transmits the heatenergy to a Stirling engine. The engine is a sealed sys-tem filled with hydrogen. As the gas heats and cools,its pressure rises and falls. The change in pressure dri-ves the pistons inside the engine, producing mechani-cal power, which in turn drives a generator and makeselectricity.

Lead Sandia project engineer Chuck Andraka (6337)says that several technical advancements to the systemsmade jointly by SES and Sandia led to the record-break-ing solar-to-grid conversion efficiency. SES owns thedishes and all the hardware. Sandia provides technicaland analytical support to SES in a relationship thatdates back more than 10 years.

Chuck says the first and probably most importantadvancement was improved optics. The Stirling dishesare made with a low iron glass with a silver backing thatmake them highly reflective — focusing as much as 94

percent of the sunlight to the engine package, whereprior efforts reflected about 91 percent. The mirrorfacets, patented by Sandia and Paneltec Corp. ofLafayette, Colo., are highly accurate and have minimalimperfections in shape.

Both improvements allow for the loss-control aper-ture to be reduced to seven inches in diameter —meaning light is highly concentrated as it enters thereceiver.

A ‘perfect storm’ of sortsOther advancements to the solar dish-engine system

that helped Sandia and SES beat the energy conversionrecord were a new, more effective radiator that alsocosts less to build and a new high-efficiency generator.

While all the enhancements led to a better system,one aspect made it happen on a beautiful New Mexicowinter day — the weather.

“It was a ‘perfect storm’ of sorts,” Chuck says. “Weset the record on Jan. 31, a very cold and extremelybright day, a day eight percent brighter than normal.”

The temperature, which hovered around freezing,allowed the cold portion of the engine to operate atabout 23 degrees C, and the brightness meant moreenergy was produced while most parasitic loads andlosses are constant.

The test ran for two and a half hours, and a 60-minute running average was used to evaluate the powerand efficiency data, in order to eliminate transienteffects. During the testing phase, the system produced26.75 kW net electrical power.

Osborn says that SES is working to commercializethe record-performing system and has signed powerpurchase agreements with two major Southern Califor-nia utilities (Southern California Edison and San DiegoGas & Electric) for up to 1,750 megawatts (MW) ofpower, representing the world’s two largest solar powercontracts ever granted. Collectively, these contractsrequire up to 70,000 solar dish engine units.

“This exciting record shows that using thesedishes will be a cost-effective and environmentallyfriendly way of producing power,” Osborn says.“SES is actively engaged in the commercializationof a system, called the ‘SunCatcher,’ includingcontinuing to prepare it for mass production, com-pleting project site development and preconstruc-tion activities, and establishing partnerships withsubstantial manufacturing and industrial organiza-tions to develop a cost-effective manufacturingprocess and supply chain. The demonstrated highefficiency means more energy is generated for thegiven investment, lowering the cost of the energydelivered.”

About SESStirling Energy Systems (SES) was formed in 1996

to develop and commercialize advanced concentrat-ing solar technology. The company maintains itscorporate headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., project andtechnical development offices in Tustin, Calif., andengineering and test site operations at Sandia.

emailed instructions for installing Credant MobileGuardian (CMG) Shield last month. “We’re starting thedeployment gradually and will get to everyone beforelong,” says Scott Rogers (9343), a CSU project managerand chair of the CSU Deployment Team that tests pro-posed Labs-wide software. “The gradual approach buildsup our experience with supporting CMG Shield on lap-tops in a wide variety of user situations.”

Once installed, the software automatically encryptsthe data on a computer’s hard drive and also protectsremovable storage devices such as USB flash drives andexternal hard drives.

“CMG Shield fills gaps left by our current tool,Entrust,” says Barry Hess (9610), Deputy CIO for Infor-mation Systems. “Its biggest advantage is that once it’sinstalled, you don’t have to take additional action toencrypt data on your hard drive. We will still needEntrust to encrypt email messages and attachments.”

Formal policy changes are in process that will clarifywhat protection is required for all Sandia mobile com-puting and storage devices.

Further information is available athttp://csu.sandia.gov/Credant.

Laptop certification coming soonEmployees whose work requires a laptop will use an

online tool to enter their justification for having a lap-top and, if applicable, for taking the laptop off-site.Their immediate managers will approve or disapprovewith the same tool.

This requirement will be phased in, with some lap-top owners beginning to receive notifications later thismonth.

LOFT already in full swingFor several years, Sandia has had a project called Lap-

tops on Foreign Travel. LOFT’s hardware and access pro-cedures protect Sandia from threats introduced by usingcomputers and related devices abroad. In addition tolaptops, LOFT offers foreign travelers BlackBerrys andflash or external drives, as well as safe access to email,timecard, and similar corporate tools.

About LOFT, Div. 4000 VP Mike Hazen, Sandia’sChief Protection Officer, says, “I very much appreciatethe support of LOFT, an important information protec-tion initiative and enhancement. The CIO and his staffhave done a fantastic job meeting the needs of ourtravelers while improving the security of our criticalinformation.”

Mike issued a memo in December directing all for-eign travelers to use LOFT. (The LOFT website is athttp://loft.sandia.gov/.)

“Because of all these capabilities,” says Art, “theSandia workforce will continue to have tools to do theirjobs both on and off Sandia premises. We may some-times perceive security as a requirement that restrainsour freedom. The new approaches to protection clearlyensure our freedom to continue doing many things thatincrease Sandia’s productivity and, often, make ourindividual jobs easier.”

came up with an alternative.The labs will certify that laptop computers serve an

official business need; encrypt sensitive information;justify the need to take a laptop off-site; and, during for-eign travel or extended assignment outside the US, uselaptops from a special pool.

New software protects automaticallyNew encryption software, which will render sensi-

tive information useless even if hardware is lost, is com-ing first to Sandia’s Windows laptops. Other laptop anddesktop computers will be included in later phases, saysArt. Although the lab directors’ letter explicitlyaddresses only laptop computers, the same principleswill apply to mobile devices such as personal digitalassistants and USB flash drives.

The first Windows laptop users began receiving

Laptop policy(Continued from page 1)

Laptop policy team membersRobbie Evanoff, Sam Jones, Matt Snitchler, Tony Valencia(all 9342), Charles Cote, Susan Sackinger (both 9343), JimChapek (6750), John Lewis (9312), Kevin Nauer (9317),David White (9510), and Jonathan Mandeville (9343)

Sandians demonstrate verve in transferringLabs technology to private sectorFour awards from Federal Laboratory Consortium exceed in number every other federal lab

Three Sandia research teams and one Sandia execu-tive have won national awards for their skills in makingtechnology transfer happen.

Team trophies and individual leather-bound certifi-cates will be provided to 2007 winners on May 8 inPortland, Ore., by the Federal Laboratory Consortium(FLC), the nationwide network that helps link federallaboratory technologies with the marketplace.

The four awards (one was joint) were the most wonby any national lab. Pacific Northwest National Labwon three.

David Goldheim, director of Sandia’s Strategic Rela-tionships Center from 1999 to 2007, received the Out-standing Technology Transfer Professional award.

Sandia’s “ElectroNeedle Biomedical Sensor Array”and the “Secure Sensor and Seal Technologies forGlobal Nuclear Non-proliferation” won Excellence inTechnology Transfer awards.

Also winning an Excellence in Technology Transferaward, in a joint submission with the Naval ResearchLaboratory, was the “Helical Fiber Amplifier.”

Nominations are judged by a panel of experts from

industry, state and local government, academia, andthe federal laboratory system.

The FLC, organized in 1974, according to its owndescription “develops and tests transfer methods,addresses barriers to the process, provides training,highlights grass-roots transfer efforts, and emphasizesnational initiatives where technology transfer has arole.”

Says David, “They also publicize the value of tech-nology commercialization in national and regionalforums.”

All entrants either win an award or are presented an“Honorable Mention.”

Applications for the awards were coordinated byMargaret Lovell (0304) and Jackie Kirby Moore (1033).

FLC: THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE• Secure Sensor — Barry Schoeneman (6722), Brent

Burdick (1031), Steve Blankenau (5356)Sandia was able to transfer technology for the T-1A

optical seal, an active radio frequency (RF)-baseddevice used to monitor high-value assets, and its tech-nological successor, the Secure Sensor Platform (SSP).

The T-1A seal makes it highly difficult to removematerial or containers without breaking the seal onthe fiber optic loop. These seals are intended for long-term use without main-tenance for up to fiveyears on one battery.

Sandia initiated anindustrial partnership byproposing that CanberraAlbuquerque commer-cialize the T-1A and col-laborate on the develop-ment of the SSP. Theinnovative transfer com-bined a license agree-ment for the currentT-1A sensor with a CRADAto jointly develop the next generation SSP sensor. Notonly was the current T-1A product brought to marketsuccessfully through the licensing of Sandia intellectualproperty, but the CRADA will provide a streamlinedcommercial launch of the SSP sensor. The transfer forthe SSP has been funded entirely by Canberra. The pro-

By Neal Singer

(Continued on next page)


All-hands meeting(Continued from page 1)

national security customers.“Joan and Al and Les and Paul and Jerry McDowell all

are spending time each day meeting these strategic objec-tives,” Tom said, referring, respectively, to Deputy LabsDirector for Nuclear Weapons Joan Woodard; DeputyLabs Director for Integrated Technologies and Systems AlRomig; Energy, Resources, and Nonproliferation SMU VPLes Shephard; Homeland Security and Defense SMU VPPaul Hommert; and Defense Systems and AssessmentsSMU VP Jerry McDowell.

Regarding the broader role of the national labs, Tomsaid he and the other lab directors are working with DOEto ensure that partnering with other national security cus-tomers is “not just tolerated but encouraged.”

“This is very much the mantra that Sandia has takenup over the past several years,” and amounts to the for-malization of a trend that is already apparent, Tom said.

In another area, Tom reported that Sandia’s workforcerestructuring process has been proceeding over the pastseveral months according to plan.

Tom noted that local media coverage of the federalbudget process has suggested that Sandia’s workforce siz-ing decisions were being driven — at least to some extent— by the widely reported ups and downs of the budgetprocess in Washington. That was not the case, Tomemphasized.

“In August of last year we laid out the Laboratoryplan, we committed to it, we staffed and sized the Labo-ratory and laid out the hiring program according to it —and that plan has not changed at all,” Tom said. “Wenever assumed we’d have the budget that was proposedby the Senate or by the president. We made an assess-ment about where it [the budget] would be.” That assess-

ment has proven to be very close to the budget as ulti-mately approved by Congress.

The intent of Labs leadership, said Tom, is to reducecosts by reducing the size of the Laboratory — mostnotably, the indirect workforce — through attrition.

But why reduce the costs at all? Tom said a number oflooming cost increases stand poised to impact Sandia’scost of doing business. Those costs must be addressed.For example, Tom said that in 2011 the Labs will proba-bly be required to start paying into the pension fund.“We haven’t paid into the fund since 1986. That [newcost] alone could increase the cost of doing business byabout 10 percent. . . . No one gives us more money topay for that pension. No one says, ‘Here’s more moneybecause you have more costs.’ They say, ‘Here’s the samemoney you expected; you figure out how to deal with

the costs.’ Simply put, we don’t want to wait until 2011and say, ‘Oh, we have to reduce the workforce by 10 per-cent so that we can pay the pension for the 90 percentwho are still here.’ Our plan is, over time, to evolve downto where we get the annual cost savings to where weneed them. We’re on that path, and that is exactly thereason for all the discussion we’ve had about workforcerestructuring this year.”

Cost control is the keyTom cited other increasing costs: Medical costs are

increasing (although Tom lauded Sandia’s Benefits teamfor keeping Sandia medical cost increases below thenational average through smart management) andinvestment funds will be needed for infrastructureimprovements that in the past might have been paid forby NNSA.

These are future cost drivers that Sandia must to beprepared to deal with by starting to reduce indirect coststoday, Tom said.

“It won’t be painless; everyone is seeing it . . . Hope-fully the workforce impacts will be such that we can dothis almost entirely by attrition because this is almost anattrition-based model out to 2011. So, with forethoughtwe’re doing this; this is the sole contributor to any work-force impact we had in fiscal ‘08.”

Since 2006, he said, the hiring program (in the 300per year range) has been below the attrition rate. Theresult is a laboratory that is getting smaller incrementallyand by design.

In another area, Tom noted that changes in Washing-ton will have a bearing on the work the Labs is asked todo over the next few years. Broad changes at the execu-tive and legislative levels — there will be a new adminis-tration, with new cabinet officers, and an almost entirelynew New Mexico congressional delegation (a year fromnow only Sen. Jeff Bingaman will be in the same post henow holds) — mean that new relationships, new priori-ties, and new expectations will be the order of the day.

Through all of these changes, Tom said, our chargewill be to “render our service to the country in a consis-tent manner.”

duction of the T-1A units is funded primarily by Can-berra with some minimal funding provided by DOE’sSavannah River Site (SRS) as the domestic customer forthe seal. All technology transfer efforts and the associ-ated costs of negotiating and executing the CRADA andlicense agreement were assumed by the Strategic Rela-tionships Center at Sandia.

• ElectroNeedle — Paul Smith (1031), Chris Apblett(1815), Carrie Schmidt (1717), Kerry Kampschmidt

(11700), Brent Burdick (1031),Steve Casalnuovo (1714), KentSchubert (1717), David Ingersoll(2546), Stan Kravitz (retired), JebFlemming (former Sandian), andCollin Buckley (former Sandian)

The ElectroNeedle™ Bio-medical Sensor Array is a devicethat, when pressed against theskin, will provide rapid, on-demand, multiplexed, point-of-care biomedical assays for med-ical diagnosis in emergency,battlefield, and remote settings

where time constraints or distance make it impracticalto send the patient’s samples to a conventional labora-tory for analysis. It will also eliminate delays experi-enced by many patients and physicians in waiting fordiagnostic test results.

Two new biotechnology companies — New MexicoBiotech Inc. and Life BioScience Inc. — have beenformed in Albuquerque explicitly for ElectroNeedlecommercialization. One company has already licensedthe IP portfolio that became available during 2006 andnegotiations are underway with the second. Sandia willprovide ongoing research into the technology and tech-nical guidance to the licensing organizations. Thelicensee(s) are expected to develop the commercialproduct, to pursue FDA approval for the product, andto provide funding to Sandia for continued R&D.

• Helical Fiber Amp — Jeffrey Koplow (8368), DahvKliner (8368)

Researchers affiliated with the Naval Research Labo-ratory and Sandia developed a method that uses bendloss (coiling) to selectively suppress undesirable modesin a fiber amplifier, thereby making high-power fiberlasers possible. The solution resolved power limitationsof fiber lasers that had stymied the industry since fiberlasers were first developed in 1963, while preservinghigh beam-quality output. The groundbreaking discov-

ery now allows production of high-power fiber lasersthat are more efficient, cost-effective, rugged, and com-

pact than other types oflasers.

Following patentapproval in 2002, thenominees initiated transferof their helical fiber ampli-fier (also called mode-fil-tered fiber amplifier) toseveral commercial lasermanufacturers: Nufern ofEast Granby, Conn.; LiekkiCorporation of Lohja, Fin-land; and IMRA AmericaInc. of Ann Arbor, Mich.

By 2006, all three companies had received patentlicenses allowing use of the innovative technology intheir laser-based product lines, and two subsequentlicenses have since been issued.

• David Goldheim was praisedfor his “leadership, inventiveness,and tenacity in developing andshepherding innovative programsthat support Sandia’s businessdevelopment and strategic intel-lectual property (IP) managementefforts.” Examples of innovativemechanisms attributed to David’sinitiative or support include theBusiness Intelligence/MarketResearch team’s use of powerful software to identifypotential relationships based on common technologyinterests, corporate strategies, and business models;Equity Sharing Program, which accepts equity insteadof cash royalties from companies that license Sandiaintellectual property; Royalty Sharing Program, whichdistributed $3.4 million to Sandians in 2006; Technol-ogy Maturation Fund, which uses funds from the Roy-alty Sharing Program to help prepare nearly readytechnologies for marketing; Mission Centric Ventur-ing, aiding maturation of technologies seen as crucialto Sandia; Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Tech-nology, which provides a safe return for Sandians whoventure out into the business world to commercializetheir technologies; Entrepreneur-in-Residence; SandiaScience & Technology Park, the 200+ acre develop-ment east of Kirtland; New Mexico Small BusinessAssistance Program, which took over for DOE’s now-defunct Technology Partnerships Program and offersan avenue for the Labs to help small businesses; andthe Shared Vision program (a collaborative technologydevelopment and maturation program with LockheedMartin).

During his Feb. 6 all-hands meeting Labs DirectorTom Hunter addressed a number of issues on Sandians’minds. The 9/80 issue, for example, has been the sub-ject of watercooler talk around the Labs. The initialissue of 9/80 was raised due to some technicalities inthe way hours are recorded for nonexempt employeeson the Fridays that they work. Tom said Sandia isworking with the US Department of Labor to addressthat specific issue. “We’re going to try and keep the9/80 work schedule; this is just something we have towork through with the Department of Labor.”

On the broader issue of 9/80 as it applies to allemployees, Tom assured the audience that manage-ment recognizes and values 9/80 as an importantwork/life benefit. However, the Labs has a responsibil-ity to ensure that employees actually work the hoursthey claim.

“We must ensure that abuses of the scheduledon’t occur,” he said, “and we must ensure that allthe functions of the Labs work five days a week. . . .It’s a matter of integrity that we do it right.”

9/80 here to stay . . . ifSandians respect the rules

FLC awards(Continued from preceding page)

DAVID GOLDHEIM

Red Storm to be upgradedfrom 124 to 284 teraflops

Sandia’s Red Storm supercomputer is expected to beupgraded this summer from 124 teraflops to 284 ter-

aflops. A teraflop equals one trillion arithmetic operations persecond.

The computational restructuring is made possible bynew technology that allows a quad-core — that is, four

processors — to be inserted ona surface that currently housesa dual processor.

The performance boost willincrease the resolution ofSandia computer simulations.

Sandia researchers origi-nally designed Red Storm withCray Inc. as part of a contractunder NNSA’s Office ofAdvanced Simulation andComputing (ASC).

The design is the basis forthe highly scalable and widely

successful line of massively parallel processor supercomput-ers that have been installed at 21 sites around the world.“More than 35 systems have been sold based on the RedStorm design,” says Sandia computer architect JamesTomkins (1420).

The upgrade, scheduled to take place this summer, willinclude integrating Quad Core AMD OpteronTM processorsinto a substantial portion of the system as well as increasingthe available memory to 2 gigabytes per processor core forall of the compute nodes. (A gigabyte is a billion bytes.)

Observes James Peery, director of Sandia Computations,Computers, and Math Center (1400), “Red Storm continuesto be heavily utilized by all three NNSA labs. Demand forthe machine greatly exceeds the available cycles. We’vebeen able to prioritize and solve several critical nationalsecurity problems that required the use of the entiremachine. However, there still remains a backlog of almost ayear of simulation.”

Parallel processing in the early 1990s referred to a then-new method that allowed relatively slow computer proces-sors to work together to solve problems faster than could asingle very fast processor. Sandia was an early pioneer in thedevelopment and application of massively parallel comput-ing technology and partnered with Intel to create theworld’s first teraflop supercomputer, ASCI Red.

“We need more computing capability because we’reputting more physics in our computer codes, and we needgreater capacity to run large numbers of simulations foruncertainty quantification,” says Sudip Dosanjh (1420),who heads Sandia’s computer science research efforts. “Thisupgrade will also help us prepare for the future because weexpect the number of microprocessor cores to grow expo-nentially in the future.”

“We’re pleased to continue our successful partnershipwith Cray,” says Robert Meisner, deputy director of ASC atthe NNSA. “The more than twofold increase in computingpower provided by this upgrade will provide importantcapacity for tackling national security problems.”

By Neal Singer

Mode-filteredfiber amplifier

SANDIA LAB NEWS • February 15, 2008

An ethical imperative for engineersAn ethical imperative for engineers

1. Demonstrate utter integrity with respect to theengineered object

Consider the Swedish warship, the Vasa. In 1628, Sweden was a majorEuropean power, and King Gustavus Adolphus had commissioned a warship toshowcase this power for all to see.

During construction, the developers feared the ship would be prone to capsiz-ing, so they ran a test, having soldiers run back and forth across the deck. The ship

rocked so much that the test wasstopped. But the king really wanted theship, so the developers ignored the testand finished the ship. It sank after sail-ing only a nautical mile, with great lossof life.

The saga of the Vasa offers us anexample of “ballistic thinking” ratherthan “critical thinking.” When wethink ballistically, we are essentiallybound on a fixed trajectory, ignoringinformation that would correct ourpath to our “target.”

When we run a test, we are asking aquestion of our product, and itbehooves us to listen to its answer. Wemust be extraordinarily evenhanded indoing so, because there are often greatforces, as in the case of the Vasa, that

would have us do otherwise. In any case, we must not let the desirability of asuccessful outcome cloud our engineering judgment. Surely, we can think ofmore modern situations, like the space shuttle Challenger, in which such ballisticthinking has played a part.

2. Communication is an ethical endeavorOur management, our customers,

and the public rely on our specialknowledge as professionals. And clearly,our advice and our insights must becommunicated to have an effect. To beeffective, though, we must go beyondsharing information to sharing meaning,or interpretation. Recall, again, the caseof the Challenger.

The spacecraft’s engineers desper-ately needed to get across the serious-ness of the effect of low temperature onthe booster O-rings. Their plea was fac-tual and passionate, but the tempera-ture data was obscured by other data,making the relationship between tem-perature and O-ring failure unclear, andso the fateful launch decision was made.

Consider what might have happened if the following equally factual butclearer graph had been shown. The link between O-ring degradation and tempera-ture is clear and compelling.

3. Consider the human factor The burgeoning of automated systems has brought great benefits to quality of life

of people everywhere, but it also has made more serious a longstanding conflictbetween human autonomy (self-governance) and machine automation (self-acting).

Case in point: The AirbusA320 was only indirectlycontrolled by the pilot, withsoftware supplying the com-mands to the flight controlelements. The A320 in thephoto here crashed during a1988 air show at Habsheim,France. Subsequent analysisdetermined that the air-craft’s flight control soft-ware prevented the A320from climbing out during alow-altitude maneuver. Hadthe human/machine inter-face been more effectivelyimplemented, allowing thepilot to more readily assumecontrol when necessary, theaircraft almost certainlywouldn’t have been lost. As it happens, three of the 136 passengers on board theaircraft were killed.

4. Plan: It’s the essence of engineeringA plan is more than a project schedule; it is a product of deliberation in which

the structure of the work, interdependencies, resources, and risks are defined, con-sidered, and turned into a disciplined process for managing the work. Someoneonce said, “If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail.”

This deliberative character of planning is of crucial importance. This is the pro-ject phase, according to James Reason, author of Human Error, during which oneruns the risk of making mistakes in judgment about the content and importanceof necessary steps in completing aproject. A tragic example is theplanning and construction of theQuebec Bridge over the SaintLawrence River. It was to be thelongest (1,800 feet) cantileveredspan ever attempted, yet thedesigner was so sure of his designapproach, and the contractor wasso short of funds, that critical cal-culations of the “dead load”(weight of the bridge itself) wereleft out of the plan. Furthermore,the project plan did not maintainclear responsibilities and authori-ties for work to proceed or to behalted, especially in view of thefact that the design engineerwould not be on-site due tohealth problems. As the spancontinued to be built, the beamsbegan to bend, but there was nodefinitive authority for stopping work. Then on Aug. 29, 1907, only minutesbefore quitting time, the bridge came crashing down, with 86 workers on site.Only 11 survived.

5. Obtain thorough, objective, and authoritativereviews of the work

The concept is simple: It is just too easy to overlook one’s own mistakes.Reviews are not to be a box-checking exercise, but rather a value-added means tocheck our work. The Ariane V launch of June 4, 1996, was to be a glorious demon-stration of the European Space Agency’s capability in satellite deployment.

Instead, 36.7 seconds into the flight, one guidance software routine handed offcontrol to another, incompatible one, and the result was a $500 million, highlyembarrassing disaster for the ESA.

The official findingof the ESA boardreviewing the accidentwent right to the point:

“The failure of theAriane 501 was causedby the complete loss ofguidance and attitudeinformation 37 secondsafter start of the mainengine ignition sequence(30 seconds after lift-off). This loss of infor-mation was due tospecification and designerrors in the software ofthe inertial referencesystem.

The extensive reviewsand tests carried out dur-ing the Ariane 5Development Programmedid not include adequateanalysis and testing ofthe [software based] iner-tial reference system or ofthe complete flight con-trol system, which couldhave detected the poten-tial failure.”

The software incom-patibility encounteredduring the Ariane Vlaunch was the typethat could have been— and obviouslyshould have been —caught in an appropri-ately planned set ofreviews.

Those reviewsshould have been con-ducted by objectiveexperts who them-selves were not tooclose to or personallyinvested in the actualmission.

6. Know thy product (with apologies to Socrates) The more we can do to establish an in-depth understanding of what we’re engi-

neering, the more we can gain insight into how the product functions, what’sgoing on inside it, etc., the more we can discover and correct problems before theycause catastrophe.

As engineers, wegain insight throughthe models that westudy, and here Imean models in abroad sense: theoreti-cal, computational,and physical (test-ing). When invokedin a robust, balancedway, we can gaingreat insight. Todaywe have unprece-dented capabilities incomputational mod-eling that can maketransparent what haspreviously been hid-den behaviors of oursystems, and there-fore we have extraor-dinary new depths ofinsight available to us.

Sandia’s computa-tional and physical modeling expertise contributed greatly to the understandingof the shuttle Columbia’s problems during its fateful flight. Unfortunately, thatinsight and expertise were only sought out after the fact. We can now ask “What ifthis had been done earlier in the program?”

7. Work with discipline and prudenceEngineering is a disciplined approach to the creation of things. Still, it is very

tempting to take a shortcut because the rewards for doing this are pervasive,immediate, and tem-porary. Time andagain we can trace adisastrous mishap tosome deviation fromaccepted practice oran official procedure.

We would be wiseto heed the advice ofa former DOE qual-ity official who toldus to “beware ofsuperstitious learn-ing,” which hedefined to be thosesituations where wedid somethingwrong, but every-thing turned outright, so we con-cluded that this isthe way to do it.

Note: In observance of National Engineers Week, celebrated this year Feb. 17-23, the Lab News asked Executive VP and DeputyLabs Director John Stichman to write about a subject that is very close to him — that is, the importance of ethics in engineering.John’s article here is based on his Sandia Technology Symposium presentation: An Ethical Imperative — Drawn from EngineeringMishaps. You can see the presentation at http://ln.sandia.gov/engineering-ethics.

To “engineer” is to create and to create according to a professional discipline. In fact, the term “engineer” goes all theway back to the Latin ingeniarius and the -gen- part of the word traces to the Greek term for “create.” Yes, “engineer”

has roots that relate to terms we recognize, like “genesis” and “ingenious.”We engineers would do well, then, to be mindful that what we create — our products, hardware or software, large or

small, are new additions to our world. They are things that have not existed before, at least not in their particular form orplacement or usage. And human experience teaches us this: That which is new will also have unforeseen consequences.

Mary Shelley’s classic book Frankenstein offers us an allegory on the unintended consequences of a creative endeavor. Inthe book, Victor Frankenstein experiences exhilaration and triumph as his creation stirs to life. Very soon, however, thingsbegin to go terribly wrong. As the behavior of the Creature goes awry, Victor is consumed with trying to find a solution towhat he has done. A particularly telling point in the story occurs when Victor and the Creature come face to face, and the

Creature says, “You are my creator, but I am your master.”As professionals, we engineers are expected to have and use special knowledge in serving a beneficial societal need. In

doing so, we are expected to obey the moral minimum — “first of all, do no harm.” Each major discipline within engi-neering has a code of ethics to help us to govern our actions, and these can be viewed and studied by going to their respec-tive websites or other materials.

Still, there is one very basic ethical imperative that is not typically discussed, yet is at the very foundation of good,sound engineering: Take positive steps to avoid avoidable errors.

Norman Augustine, the former CEO of Lockheed Martin and former chair of the National Academy ofEngineering Council, has said “Engineers who make bad decisions often don’t realize that they are confronting ethi-cal issues.” Yet, it is all too true that an engineering error can pose risk to life and limb, jeopardize a critical mission,or wreak economic havoc.

The above imperative is easy to say, even obvious in concept, but what does it mean in the day-to-day practice of ourprofession?

Like many other engineers, I have tried to learn lessons from the misadventures of others. Humbly, I offer some max-ims for achieving the imperative and some discussion of the incidents that inspired these maxims.

Executive VP and Deputy Labs Director JohnStichman came to Sandia in 1972. Before assuminghis present position, John was VP of Sandia’s WeaponsSystems division, where he was responsible for allaspects of Sandia’s nuclear weapon engineering. Johnis a senior member of the Institute for Electrical andElectronics Engineers and is a recipient of the “Awardfor Exemplary Civilian Service” from the US Air Force.

John’s published papers and conference presenta-tions cover instrumentation and control, implantablemedical electronics, and real-time optical computing.He holds two US patents.

John received a BS, MS, and PhD in electricalengineering from the University of Wisconsin.

John plans to retire from Sandia in March.

By John Stichman

KING GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS wanted hiswarship, Vasa, to join the Swedish fleet.Engineers allowed the king’s wishes to trumptheir own best judgment. Disaster ensued.

LIVES RIDE on the decisions made by engi-neers. Here, members of the space shuttleChallenger crew stand in the white room atPad 39B following the end of the preflightTerminal Countdown Demonstration Test.From left to right they are: Christa McAuliffe,Gregory Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Dick Scobee,Ronald McNair, Michael Smith, and EllisonOnizuka. (NASA photo)

THE AIRBUS A320 in 1988 was a new state-of-the-art air-craft that was a showcase for the integration of flight con-trol software with pilot control. Three passengers werekilled when the software didn’t yield control of the air-craft to the pilot in a specific situation.

THE QUEBEC BRIDGE lies in a tangled heap after itscollapse, which may well have been prevented withproper planning.

THE HOPES AND AMBITIONS of the European Space Agencyrode with the Ariane 5 in this 1996 launch. The rocket wasintended to move the agency to the forefront of the satellitelaunch business.

THE ARIANE 5 disintegrated less than a minute into its flight.The $500 million loss very likely could have been avertedwith a rigorous and objective outside review process. TheAriane’s early problems were resolved and the rocket hasbecome an ESA workhorse.

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN the fate of the space shuttle Columbia ifSandia’s modeling and simulation capabilities had been appliedearlier in the shuttle program? (Photo by Randy Montoya)

CHERNOBYL, the Soviet-era nuclear power plant that suffered adisastrous failure in 1986, stands as a stark reminder of the conse-quences of not doing things the right way from the start.

Final thoughts

Having opened this essay with a statement bya prominent person, let me close with another.“Concern for Man [sic] himself and his fate mustalways form the chief interest for all technicalendeavors in order that the creations of ourmind shall be a blessing and not a curse tomankind. Never forget this in the midst of yourdiagrams and equations.” — Albert Einstein

THE QUEBEC BRIDGE over the Saint Lawrence River was to have been the longest cantilevered spanever attempted. Critical considerations were omitted from the engineering plan. When the bridge

collapsed in August 1907 — it was nearly completed at the time — 75 workers were killed. A sec-ond attempt several years later to build the bridge also failed. A third bridge now spans the river.

About the author

Thomas AshwillDMTS 6333

Viola BacaDTNG 9542

Lydia BoyeDMTS 5928

Bill BreilandDMTS 5713

Teresa BrownDMTS 6322

Pauline BruskasDASA 10224

Raymond ByrneDMTS 6473

Julia CalderonDASA 10513

Greg ChristensenDMTS 5765

John DyeDMTS 5354

Paul GalbaldonDTNG 12332

Ernest GarciaDMTS 2614

Doug GhormleyDMTS 5623

Loretta HumbleDASA 6051

Joe JonesDMTS 6772

Patsy JonesDMLS 12820

Wendell JonesSr. Sci/Eng 0500

Denise KrupkaSr. Admin. 5765

Tim LuceroDMLS 4221

David MarksDMTS 5416

Patrick OrtizDTNG 4856

Cory OttesenDMTS 5356

Dave OutkaDMTS 5416

Paul PickardSr. Sci/Eng 6771

Mahesh RajanDMTS 9326

Skip ReederSr. Admin. 10200

Duane SchneiderDTNG 2453

Scott SlezakDMTS 2132

Colin SmithpeterDMTS 2137

Jeff Spooner DMTS 5338

Dorothy StermerDMTS 0330

Bill SudermanDTNG 4139

Rebecca UllrichDMLS 9532

David WickDMTS 6345

Steve YearoutDMTS 5733

SANDIA LAB NEWS • February 15, 2008 • Page 8

39 Sandians move into Distinguished, Senior ranksSandia’s special appointments represent employees from all areas of the

Labs’ operations: Senior Scientist/Engineers, Distinguished Members of Techni-cal Staff, Distinguished Members of Laboratory Staff, Distinguished Technolo-gists, and Distinguished Administrative Staff Associates. Thirty-nine Sandianswere honored with special appointments in 2007.

According to Corporate Process Requirement documents, “Placement in the Dis-tinguished Level signifies a promotion to the highest level of the Technical Staff,Laboratory Staff, Technologist, or Administrative Staff Associate Ladder. This level isdifferent from the other levels in that it is subject to a 10 percent population limita-tion to preserve the distinction of the level.”

Traditionally, one of the Labs’ key “total rewards” incentives has been the qual-ity of the folks who work here. Being able to offer prospective employees the oppor-tunity to work with the most highly regarded people in their fields is a powerfulrecruiting tool. The individuals pictured here represent the world-class quality ofthe Labs workforce at its best.

Employees selected for the new levels have been recognized with a special plaqueand a nonbase salary award, in addition to this special mention in the Lab News.

The Distinguished and Senior levels are part and parcel of the IntegratedJob Structure (IJS) goal of providing multiple career paths for employees. TheIJS’s dual-track structure — management and staff — makes it possible for

employees to advance in salary, prestige, and recognition without following amanagement track.

As has been its tradition for many years, the Lab News presents photographsof Sandians who have received special appointments this year. Not picturedhere are: Mark Ackerman (5928), DMTS; Don Jelinek (5354), DMTS; JerryStofleth (5434), DMTS.

Divisions announce DMTS, DMLS, DTNG, DASA, Sr. Scientist/Engineer, Senior Administrator appointments

Dennis AndersonDMTS 6342

DMTS — Distinguished Member of Technical StaffDMLS — Distinguished Member of Laboratory StaffDASA — Distinguished Administrative Staff AssociateDTNG — Distinguished TechnologistSr. Sci/Eng — Senior Scientist/EngineerSr. Admin — Senior Administrator


Legendary facility comes down after decades of distinguished service

No one interceded when a number of Sandianswith gold-painted, long-handled, six-poundsledgehammers attacked the white-painted

cinderblock walls of one of the closest things to anational historic site at Sandia: the CSRL (CompoundSemiconductor Research Laboratory) building.

At least one of the vandals expressed qualifiedremorse.

“There’s always sadness seeing something that rep-resented a big part of your technical life at Sandiagoing down. But look at the new MicroFab and Micro-Lab [of the MESA Center] taking its place,” says seniormanager Tom Zipperian (1740). “It was definitely afair trade.”

The building, first conceived as a storage buildingand completed in 1957, metamorphosed into the LaserPhysics Lab in 1970, and — with Tom leading the wayas staff project lead — into the CSRL in 1987.

“Zipperian was the visionary who turned the build-ing into what it became for the next 20 years,” sayssenior manager Bill Jenkins (8420).

Tom credits then-VP John Galt as the man responsi-ble for the installation of “clean rooms” in the building;then-manager Paul Peercy for pushing the CSRLthrough to completion; and Roger Chaffin as anothervisionary on the project.

Though conceived as an interim facility expected tolast only five years, the building and its innovativeoccupants persisted when an attempt in the early ’90sto line-item a microtechnologies laboratory was killedfor lack of program justification, says Tom.

The CSRL-based researchers used their borrowedtime well. Workers at the lab were credited with discov-ering the unique electrical and optical properties ofstrained-layer superlattices and creating the first epitaxi-ally grown monolithic vertical-cavity surface-emittinglaser (VCSEL). It would be hard to overstate the impor-tance of just these two discoveries to modern technol-ogy, and there were others.

The complex grew to include 6,500 square feet ofclass 100 clean rooms, nine epitaxial growth systems,electron-beam lithography, ion beam etching, andhigh-density plasma reactive ion etching.

In the divisions between research, development,

and application, CSRL was heavily weighted towardsdevelopment.

But as the facility aged, it could no longer keep up withthe increasing demands of modern research. The struggleto find funds to replace it, led by Senior VP Al Romig,President Tom Hunter, and others, got an odd but effec-tive boost when Sen. Pete Domenici — a supporter ofSandia and the replacement MESA project — reportedthat a toilet had crashed through the rotted floor of oneof the trailers housing research offices surrounding thebuilding.

While it may (as one politician puts it) “take a vil-lage to raise a child,” it will take the gleaming modernmultistory MESA buildings to replace that cramped butcreative place.

Others participating in the token demolition effort,led by Executive VP Joan Woodard (0002), includedMESA Director Mike Cieslak (8400), DOE Sandia SiteOffice Manager Patty Wagner, Director Gil Herrera(1700), and federal project director Jeannette Norte.SSO Assistant Manager Mike McFadden participated, asdid Ron Jones (1741), Tim Frock (17412), and membersof the MESA Project team.

DEMOLITION DAY — Sandia and NNSA/Sandia Site Office officials wieldgolden sledgehammers to officially begin the demolition of Sandia’s storiedCompound Semiconductor Research Laboratory. Many of the functions of theCSRL have been incorporated into the new MESA facility. (Photo by Bill Doty)

By Neal Singer

security groups to detect both endoatmospheric andexoatmospheric nuclear detonation events.

DSP’s “moment of glory” came during the PersianGulf War during Operation Desert Storm. US SpaceCommand (USSPACECOM) in Colorado Springs,

Colo., used data from aconstellation of DSPsatellites to detectincoming Scud missiles,providing timely warn-ing to civilians andcoalition forces. Thewarnings allowedPatriot missile batterycommanders in SaudiArabia and Israel tostage timely responses.Older RADEC systemsused visible light detec-tors to look for eventsand provided analogdata. “RADEC 1 was apretty crafty device,”

says Rick Pepping (5715).The Advanced Atmosphere Burst Locator (AABL)

provided event locations. Other RADEC sensors pro-vided time and waveform information. One innovationin the system tester on the ground introduced a mod-ern hard drive for the system software, replacing a bas-ketball-size platter that held just 5 megabytes, but wassufficient to hold the entire operating system.

RADEC systems include a variety of environmentaldetectors whose reliability and sensitivity have pro-vided voluminous data to scientists in a variety of disci-plines. Environmental data were provided to the US AirForce Weather Service for dissemination to interestedgroups.

This last launch was the most stressful for everyone,says Dennis Lierz (5715). Except for a single deploy-ment from the space shuttle Atlantis in 1991, the DSPsatellites have been deployed using Titan-series boost-ers. For this last DSP, the program had run out of

Last November, the Defense Support Programlaunched the 23rd DSP satellite into orbit. DSP-23 is thelast DSP satellite — the last of a long line of radiationdetection (RADEC) and Advanced RADEC payloads thathave provided more valuable data for US national secu-rity than its designers could have ever anticipated.

Every system provided for DSP by Sandia has oper-ated without failure and far beyond the originally esti-mated life of three years. Some satellites have livedmore than 17 years, continuously relaying useful infor-mation to users on the ground. All of the DSP satellites

are still in orbitalthough manyare nonopera-tional. Paul Beck,retired Sandianand unofficialDSP historian,says, “The lifespanof these satelliteshas far out-weighed theiroriginal require-ments.”

DSP was part ofthe space-basedearly warning sys-tem (SBEWS) andreplaced the olderVELA system. DSPwas intended toprovide earlywarning forincoming inter-continental ballis-tic missiles andsea-launched bal-listic missiles. Thesatellites alsoallowed national

Defense Support Program launches 23rd and final satelliteDSP-23 will send back mission and ‘space weather’ data for years to come

Titans. That meant a delay as the team waited for a newbooster to deploy the final satellite. The designatedbooster was the newDelta IV–Heavy, builtby United LaunchAlliance. DSP was thefirst mission-capablepayload to be deliveredby the new booster,which meant the satel-lite launch would besubject to any scheduledelays as the new sys-tem was qualified. Ademo launch of thenew booster identified multiple technical issues, lead-ing many to wonder if this last satellite would ever getoff the ground.

Dennis spent most of the last two and a half years atCape Canaveral as the technical liaison between Sandia/Los Alamos National Laboratory, the other satellite con-tractors, the launch vehicle contractor, and the AirForce customer. The satellite finally arrived in CapeCanaveral in May 2005 after its long journey fromNorthrop Grumman Space Technologies in LosAngeles. It was with great relief that he saw the lastsuccessful launch, Dennis says.

Paul Beck says he has the names of more than 400Sandians who have worked on the DSP project sinceits inception in the early 1970s. “Many scientists andengineers spent the majority of their Sandia careers onthe project,” Paul says. Though a few people are stillworking to close down the remote sites, most of theremaining Sandians have been reassigned. Manyothers are retired.

This last launch does not mean that the projectends. DSP’s work has been going on for nearly 40 yearsand will continue for years to come. Ground crews atSandia and other locations will monitor the satellitesfor the remainder of their mission lives. Rick says thatSandia’s responsibility for these systems is “cradle tograve,” and the most recent DSP is still an infant.

By Stephanie Holinka

PRESIDENT KENNEDY being briefedon the VELA satellite’s capabilitiesduring a visit to Sandia in 1963.

A NEW RIDE — DSP-23, mounted atopa Delta IV-Heavy booster at CapeCanaveral, is the last in a long line ofDefense Support Program satellites.

SANDIA’S DSP-23 TEAM

Tamara Orth30 4220

Martha Trujillo20 11100

Gregory Vawter20 1742

Alfred Foster51 5431

Marjorie Kirkel15 5253

Dwayne Knirk15 12341

David Renninger41 1735

Jeff Tingley37 2452

Dennis Berry30 6800


Ernest Padilla30 2995

Michael Swanson25 5339

Carol Amedeo25 5255

Kathy Silva15 2020

New Mexico photos by Michelle FlemingCalifornia photos by Randy Wong

Karen Dunaway15 5821

50 years ago . . . Sandia Corporation’s 1,700 engi-neers and scientists were among thousands of techni-cal people across the nation being honored duringNational Engineers Week, proclaimed by PresidentEisenhower for Feb. 16 to Feb. 22.

40 years ago . . . A new “bubble-top” recoverysystem for Sandia rocket test vehicles impacting onwater has been developed. The heart of the new systemis a spherical ram-air bag that isstitched around ahole cut in thecenter of an eight-foot-diameterparachute canopy.As the parachuteis pulled earth-ward by theweight of the pay-load, air caughtunder the chute’scanopy is forcedthrough the holeto inflate the neo-prene coated bal-loon-like bag.After impact onthe water, the holebetween the bagand the chute is sealed so the bag remains afloat.

Sandia used the Sandia Peak Tramway for a spe-cial terrain measurement project of Advanced RadarDevelopment. The study was undertaken to determinecharacteristics of radio frequency return signals fromuneven terrain. Strength of return signals varies withsurface characteristics.

30 years ago . . . Final exams on SandiaLivermore’s Variable Displacement Engine (VDE)indicated that its design and concept were indeed feasi-ble. The engine, invented by Harvey Pouliot, reducedfuel consumption at low power levels by reducingthrottling and friction losses. Its unique feature is amechanical linkage that enables the driver to change at

will the length of the piston stroke and thus adjust thehorsepower of the engine to meet the varying demandsof the driving situation.

An experiment to test a special technique of prepar-ing an oil shale bed for in situ retorting — under-ground combustion thattransforms solid hydro-carbon into liquid oil —was conducted near RockSprings, Wyoming. Bothhydro-fracture techniques andexplosive slurry wereused to rubblize anunderground oil shaleformation.

20 years ago . . . Forthe first time, Sandiaoriginated a live tele-conference and trans-mitted it, via satellite, touniversities and indus-tries across the country.Several members of Con-tinuing Technical Educa-tion and Training Divi-sion, Motion Picture-Video Services Division,and KOB-TV made theconference possible.KOB’s “NewsStar 4”remote broadcast unittook the TV signal, via cable, from the TechnologyTransfer Center control room and uplinked it to satel-lite G-Star I in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 milesabove the Earth. From there, the signal was retransmit-ted over the entire US and could be picked up by orga-nizations that had subscribed to the conferencethrough the NTU/AMCEE network.

10 years ago . . . Researchers at Sandia’s Z haveincreased the machine’s X-ray power output bynearly 10 times in the past two years. The most recentadvance resulted in an output X-ray power of about290 trillion watts — for billionths of a second, about 80times the entire world’s output of electricity.

Archimedes 3.0 is the latest and most advancedversion of a Sandia-developed planning and visual-ization software tool that generates, optimizes, veri-fies, and examines sequences of mechanical assembly

by directly exploiting three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) models.

Sandia scientists developed the first repro-ducible quantumtransistorthrough a processcalled “tunnel-ing.” Electrons“tunnel” frompath to paththrough a barrierthat, in classicalphysics, is impen-etrable. The device,dubbed DELTT(Double ElectronLayer TunnelingTransistor), offerspromise of signifi-cant improve-ments in thespeed of comput-ers and in theaccuracy ofsensors.

HOLDING THE BAG that houses the newrecovery system on rocket flights, DonJohnson explains packing procedures.

A SAMPLE OF ARCHIMEDES 3.0 SEQUENCE for the B61 tailassembly appears on the screen, while an actual tail assembly isin the foreground. (Photo by Randy Montoya)

UP, UP, AND AWAY — The Sandia Peak Tramway was used by Sandiafor a special terrain measurement project.

GASES VENT through two wellbores as nearly 7,000 kg of slurryexplosive rubblize an oil shaleformation during an experimentnear Rock Springs, Wyoming.

ASSEMBLING THE CRANKCASE of the Pouliot Variable Displace-ment Engine prototype.

QUANTUM MECHANIC — Jerry Sim-mons inspects the end of a cryogenicsample holder for performing electri-cal measurements on the DELTTquantum mechanical transistor.



When David Cain (1733) accepted a summerinternship through Sandia’s Science and TechnologyOutreach program, the first thing he did was find amap. He wanted to see if New Mexico was really inthe United States. “Myfriends cautioned menot to drink thewater,” he says.

David says beingrecruited by Sandiawas the real turningpoint in his life. “Thatis when the world gotbig,” he says. Heworked at Sandiaevery summer until heearned his BS in indus-trial technology fromNorth Carolina Agri-cultural and TechnicalState University (NCA&T SU) in 1991,when he became aSandian.

Over the past 17years David has workedin both weapon sys-tems and component groups, and is currently the leaderof a product realization team in Dept. 1733.

David grew up in a single-parent household inWeeksville, N.C., a small rural community in thenortheastern part of the state. By the time David was12 years old, he and his sisters worked on large pro-duce farms during the summers and on weekends.“Though just 27 years ago, the scene was somethingout of the 1800s, complete with white-columnedfarm houses surrounded by tall oak and whisperingpine trees,” says David. “Trust me. It was not ascharming as it sounds.”

A cramped smoke-filled Volkswagen minivancruised the neighborhoods seeking willing workers.David packed corn, grated potatoes, and cut andpacked cabbage.

“My mother, Martha, was a beautiful woman who

was truly the heart of our family,” he says. “Shewanted to be remembered as a strong woman of greatfaith who raised her family on good Christian values.She was proud to have raised three children whonever did drugs, never spent a night in jail, and allembrace her legacy of faith. This she did while suffer-

ing from debilitat-ing disabilities andwhile on a fixedincome.

“Winters werecold and summerswere hot,” saysDavid. “As a kid, Iremember thinkingconditions wereunbearable, I wasdetermined to leavethe fields behindfor a better life.Even the older peo-ple in the van had‘go to school’ astheir mantra.”

When Davidwas a senior inhigh school, acousin casuallyasked what he was

going to do after graduation. David told him of hisplan to escape the fields and small-town life by learn-ing a trade, like some of his other relatives. “Mycousin asked why I wasn’t planning to go to a four-year university and get a bachelor’s or maybe even amaster’s degree,” says David. “My cousin insistedthat universities were not just for the rich or elite. Itwas as if a light bulb came on. That is all it took.”

After graduating from high school, David leftWeeksville and drove the highways for the first timein his life — alone. He found his way to Greensboro,N.C., and attended NC A&T SU. “I did not think Iwas smart,” says David. “I was definitely not rich. Idid not come from the big city. How could this possi-bly work? Many students at the university came fromlarge cities like Baltimore, Washington, D.C., andNew York. They laughed at me for asking, ‘Are y’all

going to the cafeteria’? They wondered what y’all’meant. I quickly stopped saying that.”

It was not long before David was competing withthese kids. When one of the star basketball playersasked David to help him with his studies, Davidfinally realized he had something to offer. He knewhe had “arrived.”

Everything changed for him after a professortalked to him about a national laboratory that wasoffering summer internships in New Mexico.

“It’s hard to believe,” he says. “I have traveledto Europe for Sandia, and I have visited and workedin facilities all over this country. I have gone fromnot flying on an airplane to seeing the F-117stealth fighter test flights before it was declassifiedto the public. I am proud I have contributed toSandia’s mission to ensure the safety and securityof this nation.”

‘Go to school’ mantra from coworkers bringsDavid Cain to Sandia, where the world got big

Four units of blood were needed in surgery recentlyas doctors repaired head injuries to a 4-year-old after acar accident. Six to 20 units of platelets are used eachweek by an 18-year-old girl with lung cancer. Ten-year-old Juliann receives six to 20 units of platelets a week tobattle a rare form of cancer. Two women, 24 and 42,each require 20 units of blood each day.

United Blood Services (UBS) furnishes blood to allarea hospitals. During January, USB had to import 100to 150 units of blood each week from Arizona. “The fluseason, coupled with our inability to reach blooddonors in the northern part of the state because of theweather, have contributed to our shortage,” says EvelynBryan, the donor recruit manager for UBS. “During thesummer months vacations are a primary focus andblood donations come down. Shortages do not usuallyoccur at this time of year.”

Make an appointmentThe days of long lines and long waits to give blood

are gone. Appointments can now be made online, mak-ing waits minimal. UBS has been given the green lightby the US Food and Drug Administration to begin usinga simplified health history interview that will cut inter-view time by 30 percent. That process will begin inMarch.

In addition to donors being checked for blood pres-sure and anemia, cholesterol analysis is now being doneand results can be accessed online. Testing is also donefor hepatitis B, HIV, and several other diseases.

The requirements for donating blood are fairly sim-ple. Do you weigh 110 pounds? Have you had a healthybreakfast? Are you healthy today? If your answers are

“yes,” then you qualify.Rewards can be instantaneous and music to your

ears. Make your next meal a hearty one, says the phle-botomist, and no high-impact exercise for 24 hours.The real reward comes from knowing you have made adifference in a needy stranger’s life.

Appointments are available for Sandia’s weeklyblood drives at different locations. For more informa-tion on UBS and Sandia’s schedule, go tohttps://www.bloodhero.com/index.cfm. Sandia’s codesare SNL, SSTP, and IPOC.

The two women requiring 20 units of blood eachday? Doctors have not been able to discover why theirbodies do not produce enough red blood cells. Withoutthe daily transfusions, they would not survive. Maybethat is why UBS calls blood donors heroes.

Blood donations at Sandia• 2005 – 1,600 units• 2006 – 1,200 units• 2007 – 1,000 units

Blood components• Red blood cells are used for loss during surgeries,

to treat anemia, etc.• Platelets help control bleeding and are used in

cancer patients.

Blood types• O positive/negative (45 percent) Universal Donor,

most needed• A positive/negative (40 percent) • B positive/negative (11 percent)• AB positive/negative (4 percent) Universal

Receiver

Donating blood: Unselfish giving just takesa little time and a little effort

Black History Month has been celebrated annu-ally since 1926, first as Negro History Week andlater as Black History Month.

Carter G. Woodson, born to parents who wereformer slaves, spent his childhood working in theKentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school atage 20. He graduated within two years and laterwent on to earn a PhD from Harvard.

Woodson decided to take up the challenge ofwriting black Americans into the nation’s history. Heestablished the Association for the Study of NegroLife and History (now called the Association for theStudy of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915,and a year later founded the widely respectedJournal of Negro History. In 1926, he launchedNegro History Week as an initiative to bring nationalattention to the contributions of black peoplethroughout American history.

Woodson chose the second week of Februaryfor Negro History Week because it marks thebirthdays of two men who greatly influenced theblack American population, Frederick Douglassand Abraham Lincoln.

February recognizedas Black History Month

Q: In Tom Hunter’s all-hands meeting, he mentioned apotential rise in operating costs due to pension liabilities of$100 million in 2011. What was not clear was the plan forcovering this cost. It would be helpful to employees, for theirown planning purposes, to understand what this plan isand if it will require any monetary obligations on their part.I’ve heard that each employee will have to begin to pay intothe pension. What percentage of his/her salary will theemployee be required to pay into the pension under thisplan? If you don’t have a specific percentage planned, doyou have a range? What will the company pay? What arethe estimated pension operating costs for 2012 and beyond?

A: Although Sandia’s pension plans requiredmandatory employee contributions before July 1975,the company has been solely responsible for anyrequired pension contributions since that time. Thepension plans don’t currently require or allowemployee contributions, and Sandia is not activelyconsidering at this time a change in that policy.

The contributions due for any year are based on avaluation of the pension plans’ assets and liabilitiesperformed by Sandia’s independent actuary. Our mostrecent projection indicates that Sandia will be requiredto make new contributions to the Retirement IncomePlan beginning in FY11. By FY12, we estimate that inthe most likely case Sandia could be required to make$113 million in pension contributions. However, anyof these projections can change during the interveningyears due to the inherent volatility in the capital mar-kets. The actual contribution due for any given yearwon’t be known until that year when the actuary com-pletes the valuation of the plans’ assets and benefitobligations. — Mark Biggs (10520)

By Iris Aboytes

By Iris Aboytes

DAVID CAIN’S journey from rural North Carolina to Sandia has pro-vided him an opportunity to render exceptional service in the nation’sinterest. (Photo by Bill Doty)

How much will employees becontributing to the pension plans?

Moving into an era of broader national security engagement

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