california site celebrates 50 years and rededicates · california site celebrates 50 years and...

California site celebrates 50 years and rededicatesTom Hunter, Mim John, John Foster join former site VPs in three days of ceremonies to hailSandia/California’s contributions to the national interest over the past half century

Sandia/California’s 50 years of accomplish-ments were feted in three days of celebration lastweek, including a rededication ceremony inwhich Mim John, VP of the CaliforniaLaboratory, looked to the past andfuture and welcomed back pio-neering employees and four for-mer vice presidents of the site.

“Our work has beenshaped by our engineeringand science missions andthe events of the world,”Mim noted, saying she feltboth proud and humbled.The site was officially estab-lished March 8, 1956, toprovide engineering over-sight for nuclear weaponswhose explosive “physics pack-ages” were being developedacross the street at what is nowLawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory (LLNL).

From a couple of dozen employees who ini-tially worked in a former Navy barracks, the sitegrew by the 1960s to a workforce that has stayedat about 1,100. Programs branched from strictlydefense to include energy, bioscience, andmicrofluidics. Sponsors expanded to include the

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), andinteractions spread to involve industry, academia,and the state and region.

Labs President and Director Tom Hunter,himself a former California site VP, was the first

to speak at Wednesday’s rededication cere-mony. He said the world has changed

remarkably in the last five decadesbut he is convinced “the nuclear

deterrent will capture andmaintain an enduring peacethat can contribute to a moreconfident and secure world. .. . I think we can set thestage for looking at securityin a whole new way.”

Mel Bernstein, who hadjust been named the previ-

ous week as acting director ofthe DHS Office of Research

and Development (and wasonce offered work at Sandia/Cali-

fornia), acknowledged that transfor-mation and promise by observing the

California laboratory has “an incrediblegift — the ability to adapt and to be flexible.”

At the close of the event, retired Sandia Exec-utive VP John Crawford, who also was a vice pres-ident of the California site, noted that the site’stalented staff enjoys access to well-equipped facil-

(Continued on page 5)


Vol. 58, No. 6 March 17, 2006


Managed by Lockheed Martin for the National Nuclear Security Administration

Inside . . .

Pulitzer Prize win-ner Richard Rhodeslauds site’s role inpreserving worldpeace . . . page 6

•Sandia/Californiathrough thedecades: A posterseries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pages 7-10

•Barry Schrader recalls moments bigand small . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11

•Lab News announces launch of Califor-nia lab (March 8, 1956) . . . . . . page 11

To many citizens, the announcement of anuclear energy partnership in President Bush’sFebruary State of the Union addresswas news. For Sandians involvedin helping to shape andachieve the vision of anenvironmentally and politi-cally safe future fueled bynuclear power, it wasanother step in a decade-long journey.

The start of the journeycame in the winter of 1996,when then-VP Tom Hunter made apresentation, embracing a vision he and col-

leagues Roger Hagengruber and Joan Woodardhad developed, to the DOE’s Bruce Twining. Thiswas followed by some earnest discussions withSen. Pete Domenici after what Tom Sanders

(6020) describes as “the zeroing of thenuclear energy R&D budget” in

Congress in 1997.Sandia has continued to

participate, often quietly inthe background, in dozens ofstudies, meeting, briefings,and collaborations to further

the cause of nuclear energy.Tom Sanders, manager of San-

dia’s Global Nuclear Futures initia-tive, stacks dozens of documents and

presentations on his desk as he thinks backover the years.

“Basically, if you run through the chronol-ogy, we have been urging some of the things thatcame out of GNEP (Global Nuclear Energy Part-nership) since 1996,” he says. “Our concern as a

Cell phone lockboxes atkey entry points to techareas should reduce Labs’security infraction rate.Story on page 2.

Watching out for eachother: Behavior-basedsafety has a proventrack record of success.Story on page 13.

Question: What was Sandia’s role in the president’s announcementof a Global Nuclear Energy Partnership?

Answer: Persistence, consensus-building, and staying on messagein a low-key way

Global Nuclear Energy Partnership:Another step on a long and winding road

By Nancy Garcia

By Will Keener

By Chris Burroughs

Report: Addressglobal water scarcity,water quality issuesaround the world now

The time is now to address the devastatingeffects of increasing water scarcity and decliningwater quality around the world. This is accordingto a recently released white paper written jointlyby Sandia andthe Center forStrategic andInternationalStudies (CSIS), aWashington,D.C., think tank.

The paper,“Addressing OurGlobal WaterFuture,” cameabout followingtwo conferenceslast year in Wash-ington. There,representatives ofhigh-profile influential companies, governmentofficials, and technical experts discussed US policiesin regions of the world where the US has strategicinterests. Discussions centered on countries withdwindling fresh water supplies and the technolo-gies needed to help resolve the water problems.

The primary white paper authors are HowardPassell (6115) of Sandia and Laura Keating ofCSIS. Numerous others from both Sandia andCSIS contributed to the document.

Why does Sandia care if there is adequatepotable drinking water in places other thanthe US?

The reason, says Ray Finley, manager of Geo-

Sandia/CSIS whitepaper discusses howlack of potablewater can destabi-lize regions andcause security prob-lems for the US.

Kilimanjaro climb is experienceof a lifetime for Sandiacolleagues. Story on page 16.

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 bySandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the US Departmentof Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Ken Frazier, Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-6210Bill Murphy, Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/845-0845Chris Burroughs, Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-0948Randy Montoya, Photographer . . . . . . . . 505/844-5605Nancy Garcia, California site contact. . . . . 925/294-2932Contributors: Janet Carpenter (844-7841), John German(844-5199), Neal Singer (845-7078), Larry Perrine (845-8511),Howard Kercheval (columnist, 844-7842), Will Keener (844-1690),Iris Aboytes (844-2282), Michael Padilla (284-5325), Julie Hall(284-7761), Rod Geer (844-6601), Michael Lanigan (844-2297),and Michelle Fleming (Ads, Milepost photos, 844-4902). ErinGardner (intern, 284-8432), 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 Relationsand Communications Dept. 3651, MS 0165

It’s March Madness time, which made me think after getting ane-mail from Mark Jaska (8353) that if Sandia was in the market for afight song, maybe Jerry Reed’s hit from a few years back — When You’reHot, You’re Hot — would work.

Mark e-mailed that he Googled “millikelvin” recently and wassurprised to find that work at Sandia was at the very top of the liston the cold end of the temperature spectrum.

“I thought that was kind of ‘cool’ at the time, with absolutelyno pun intended. Really!” (Right, Mark. . . really!)

“Today, when I saw the Sandia Lab News on the web, I noticed thetemperatures generated by the Z machine being hotter than anything elsearound, so I did a quick Google search on two keywords — this time“Kelvin” + “billion” — and Sandia again came up at the top of thelist. It looks like Sandia has both ends of the temperature spectrumcovered.”

It seems so, Mark, so like Jerry Reed sang in that hit tune,“When you’re hot, you’re hot. . . when you’re not, you’re not!”

Okay, no groaning, now. Maybe just an unofficial fight song.* * *

A little more rummaging in the mailbag turned up an interestingnote from Steve Walcott (10322) about Albuquerque’s official altitude,given in this space in the Jan. 6 issue of Lab News as 5,314 feet.

“Given the hilliness (is that a word?) of the Albuquerqueterrain,” he wrote, “how did you pick 5,314 for its altitude?

“FYI, the photovoltaic site (where G meets F by the Eubank Gate)lists Sandia’s ‘official’ altitude as 5,436 feet. Meanwhile, the FAAlists the threshold of runway 26 (point closest to us) as 5,355 feet(the official airport altitude). But they list the thresholds ofrunways 30 and 35 as your 5,314 feet and the thresholds of runways 8and 12 as 5,312 feet, of runway 17 (along Gibson) as 5,319 feet, andrunway 3 as 5,305 feet.

“Then, there is the base of the Tram, and the Rio Grande down byLos Lunas, etc., etc. I'd hate to have to give an elevation forAlbuquerque. We ain't flat Texas!”

* * *Our phone system uses numbers, not letters, but businesses

sometimes select telephone numbers whose corresponding keypad keysspell out a special service. Like a travel agency whose phone number is244-8747, but advertises as BIG TRIP. Or a tire store with the number227-8473, or CAR TIRE. With enough time and exposure, such gimmicks —called mnemonics — can be helpful and useful.

But they have to resonate. If they don’t resonate, they don’t work.At Sandia, the Corporate Computing Help Desk mnemonic phone number

845-CCHD works (if you can remember the prefix), because sooner orlater, we all have to call CCHD. Some others are a stretch, making senseto their insider creators, but leaving outsiders scratching their heads.

So, from a communications point of view, if you’re going topromote your services with a mnemonic phone address, be sure it worksin the wider world — not just in your group.

— Howard Kercheval (844-7842, MS 0165, [email protected])

What’s what

Lab News Reader ServiceThe Sandia Lab News is distributed in-

house to all Sandia employees and on-sitecontractors and mailed to all Sandia retirees.It is also mailed to individuals in industry,government, academia, nonprofit organiza-tions, media, and private life who request it.

Retirees (only):

To notify of changes in address, contactCarol Wade, Benefits Dept. 3332, at 505-845-9705, e-mail [email protected], orMail Stop 1021, Sandia National Laboratories,Albuquerque, NM 87185-1021.

Others:

To receive the Lab News or to changethe address (except retirees), contactMichelle Fleming, Media Relations andCommunications Dept. 3651, 505-844-4902, e-mail [email protected], orMail Stop 0165, Sandia National Laboratories,Albuquerque, NM 87185-0165.

Employees:

To change the number of copies of theLab News your mail stop is receiving pleasecall Honario Anaya, Mail Services Team10268-4, at 844-3796. At Sandia/Californiacontact the Mail Room at 294-2427.

Web Users:

The Lab News is on the Web atwww.sandia.gov/LabNews.

Accounts have been established at the SandiaLaboratory Federal Credit Union for Dave Stoke-brand (5416) and Diana Helgesen (5419). Bothrecently suffered severe injuries in an automobileaccident while on Sandia travel in Kodiak, Alaska(Lab News, March 3), resulting in their hospital-ization at Anchorage Providence Medical Center.

Donations to the accounts will help the fami-lies of Dave and Diana as they deal with theissues and expenses related to the accident. Any-one wishing to make a donation can do so usingSLFCU account number 210670 and stipulatingeither the David Stokebrand or Diana Helgesensubaccount.

For more information, contact Earl Creel(5416) at 844-8355 or [email protected].

Donation accountsset up at SLFCU forDavid Stokebrand,Diana Helgesen

You may have noticed boxes like the one inthis photograph located outside the limited areaentrance into MO308. They are the result of ajoint Safeguards & Security and Facilities initiativeto help reduce cell phone infractions. Reminder:These lockers are not for everyday use; they are tobe used when people forget to leave their cellphones in their vehi-cle or when visitorsare accessing the site.

Sandia’s Facilitiespeople expect tocomplete installationby mid-April. Due tothe expense of instal-lation, the plan is toprovide lockers atjust those locationslisted below.

Tech Area 1Gate 2/Bldg. 801 —

20 lockable slots. Interiorvertical installation, westof Gate 2.

Gate 6/Bldg. 861 —20 lockable slots. Exterior vertical fence installation, east ofGate 6.

Gate 10 — Exterior horizontal fence installation, westside of gate.

Gate 15/Bldg. 822 — 10 lockable slots. Interior hori-zontal installation onto existing wood phone booth.

Gate 823 — 20 lockable slots. Exterior horizontalinstallation onto existing Plexiglass enclosure.

Tech Area 2Bldg. MO308 — 10 lockable slots. Interior vertical

wall installation on north wall in lobby. Bldg. 956 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior horizontal

installation. Attached to wall on east side of vestibule.

Tech Area 3Bldg. 6505/MO300 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior ver-

tical installation onto MO300.Bldg. 6539 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior horizontal

fence installation, east side.Bldg. 6584 — 10 lockable slots. Interior vertical instal-

lation, outside of VTR door.Bldg. 6610 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior vertical fence

installation, southwest side of fence, right side mounted.Bldg. 6620 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior vertical fence

installation, northeast side of fence, right side mounted.

Tech Area 4Bldg. 960 — 10 lockable slots. Exterior horizontal

fence installation, Limited Area gate southeast of Building960 (placed on the PPA side) Tech Area 5.

Bldg. 6577 — 10 lockable slots. Interior vertical instal-lation, next to existing phone booth in lobby.

Bldg. 6585 — 10 lockable slots. Interior vertical instal-lation, 1st Floor, next to existing phone booths, nearrestrooms.

If you have questions or concerns about thesestorage lockers, the Facilities point of contact isMatthew Brito, 844-7636.

Cell phone lockersbeing installed atsome gates

SANDIA LAB NEWS • March 17 , 2006 •

Nuclear power(Continued from page 1)

national security lab has always been that youcan’t influence nuclear safety, security, and prolif-eration risks at the global level if you’re not in thenuclear business. By that I mean we, as a country,have to be on the leading edge of research in boththe universities and the labs and have an Ameri-can-based nuclear supply industry that is capableof being a leading supplier across the globe.”

Invisible leadershipWith Tom as chief strategist and with help

from dozens of Sandians from across the labs,Sandia set in motion a plan to work with non-governmental organizations, other labs, DOE,Congress, and other decision-makers. “Our rolehas been invisible leadership,” says Tom, “orga-nizing and articulating the arguments for US lead-ership from the perspective of the national secu-rity implications of what might happen,domestically and globally, if we don’t go forwardwith nuclear energy.”

By 2001, Sandia had established a relation-ship with the Kurchatov Institute in Russia to

develop and articulate an argument for the origi-nal nuclear powers providing global nuclear ser-vices together. This effort was later expanded at aVienna, Austria, meeting, chaired by Sandia’sthen-Director C. Paul Robinson, to involve sevenUS and nine Russian federation laboratories (LabNews, Aug. 20, 2004).

More recently, the effort took on newmomentum with growing support of the WhiteHouse and other leaders. A “kitchen cabinet”made up of high-level private advisors helpedpress the ideas forward. President Bush’s Augustsigning of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 at Sandia(Lab News, Aug. 19, 2005) further propelled thenuclear power agenda.

IMPROVING THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE, first with recycling and then reprocessing, can dramati-cally minimize the tonnage of nuclear wastes destined for repository disposal.

“For years, there was this sense that we couldtolerate tyranny for the sake of energy. . . . My mainobligation is now to protect the American people,and to confront an ideology of hate. . . . The bestway to diversify . . . away from dependence on for-eign sources of energy is for us to take advantage ofnew technologies and expand safe nuclear power inthe United States.”

President George W. BushMainz, Germany Feb. 23, 2005

As part of President Bush’s AdvancedEnergy Initiative, the Global Nuclear EnergyPartnership (GNEP) seeks to develop world-wide consensus on expanded use of nuclearenergy to meet growing electricity demand.This will require a nuclear fuel cycle thatenhances energy security, while promotingnonproliferation.

The new initiative, which calls for a $250million investment in FY07, is a comprehensivestrategy to expand emissions-free nuclearenergy worldwide by demonstrating anddeploying new technologies to recycle nuclear

fuel, minimize waste, and improve our ability tokeep nuclear technologies and materials out ofthe hands of terrorists.

The concept is to have nations with secure,advanced nuclear capabilities provide fuel ser-vices — fresh fuel and recovery of used fuel —to other nations, which agree to employnuclear energy for power generationpurposes only.

The closed fuel-cycle model envisioned bythe partnership is tied to development anddeployment of technologies to enable recy-cling and consumption of long-lived radioac-tive materials.

The partnership will demonstrate the tech-nologies needed to change the way usednuclear fuel is managed — to build recyclingtechnologies that enhance energy security in asafe and environmentally responsible manner,while simultaneously promotingnonproliferation.

“If we can make GNEP a reality, we canmake the world a better, cleaner, safer place tolive,” said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman inhis February announcement.

GNEP: A better, cleaner, safer world

“Our concern as a national securitylab has always been that you can’tinfluence nuclear safety, security,and proliferation risks at the globallevel if you’re not in the nuclearbusiness.”

Tom Sanders

TOM SANDERS

Uniquely positionedGNEP will provide opportunities for Sandia to

continue its efforts in a number of areas, says VPfor Energy, Security, and Defense Technology LesShephard (6000). “We are uniquely positioned tolead the efforts in nuclear facility safety, securityand reliability, nonproliferation, current andfuture safeguard practices, and the myriad ofissues associated with the disposal of radioactivewaste.” In addition, Les expects Sandia to beactively engaged with various laboratory, univer-sity, and industry partners in modeling and simu-lation using high-performance computing capa-bilities, advanced manufacturing, a center fortransuranic fuel, and the development of smalltransportable reactors.

“This is a time for the multilab complex toreally come together,” says Les.

In fact, a seven-laboratory action plan — pro-duced as a Sandia report in 2003 — set a tone ofcooperation among DOE’s laboratories andstrongly advocated for measures that are includedin the partnership proposal. (Los Alamos,Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Idaho NationalLaboratory, Argonne, Pacific Northwest NationalLaboratory, and Sandia comprise the group.)

One conclusion of that report was that theUS needs “a technology leap to the 21st century”to reestablish global influence. Such aleap involves a new generation of largereactors with twice the efficiency ofthe current generation, with smartmanufacturing to:

• reduce wastes by90 percent,

• provide renewable fuel suppliesfor several centuries, and

• enable export of long-lived right-sized reactors todevelopingworldmarkets. (Continued on

next page)

Mt=metric tons Illustration by Michael Vittitow

Phot

o by

Ran

dy M

onto

ya

SANDIA LAB NEWS • March 17, 2006 •

Water(Continued from page 1)

hydrology Dept. 6115, is that Sandia, as anational security laboratory, has the responsibil-ity to help provide for the security of the US. Thatincludes regions of the world that are of strategicimportance to the US and can impact this coun-try’s national security.

“The lack of clean water can create conditionsthat lead to destabilization in regions of the worldthat are already poor and having problems,” hesays. “Lack of potable water can result in famine,conflict over resources, and poor governance.This threatens the security of those countries andultimately the security of the US.”

Examples can be seen in the instability in theMiddle East and Africa — both places where freshwater is in short supply for both consumptionand sanitation.

The report expands this theme, saying that“global trends of increasing population, increasingresource consumption, and decreasing natural

resource availability — including fresh water —have pushed many human social, economic, andpolitical systems to an important tipping point. . . .We face large-scale future dislocations and crisesunless significant action is taken now by leaders inboth developed and developing countries.”

The white paper made several other findings.They include:

• Water is a foundation for human prosper-ity. Adequate, high-quality water supplies providea basis for the growth and development ofhuman social, economic, cultural, and politicalsystems. Conversely, economic stagnation andpolitical instability will persist or worsen in thoseregions where the quality and reliability of watersupplies remain uncertain.

• Water problems are geopolitically destabi-lizing. Water scarcity and poor water have thepotential to destabilize isolated regions withincountries or regions sharing limited sources ofwater. There is an increasing likelihood of socialstrife and armed conflict resulting from pressuresof water scarcity and mismanagement.

• Poor governance and poor economies inregions around the world where water is scarceimpair the application of innovative technologyand innovative policies.

• Solutions must be innovative, revolution-ary, and self-sustaining. Traditional technologiesfor improvement of freshwater availability andquality are inadequate to meet global needs in atimely way.

• Effective water planning and managementat local and regional levels require collaborationfrom a variety of people, including farmers, urbandevelopers, environmentalists, industrialists, pol-icy makers, citizens, and others.

• No single government agency, nongovern-mental organization, corporation, internationalorganization, or academic institution can provideall the expertise required to meet the challengesof solving the water challenges. Partnerships arerequired.

• New ways of funding water projects inter-nationally need to be developed.

• Solutions must be tailored to the socio-economic, political, and geographic conditions

of a region.• Water can be a powerful and effective for-

eign policy tool. Finding solutions to water prob-lems can significantly support many US strategicobjectives.

To help resolve many of the world’s waterissues, the white paper recommends the US gov-ernment develop a long-range strategy for how itengages internationally in water resources.

The paper also says the US should carry outan inventory of existing international water-related policies and projects, identify a leadagency to coordinate the development of an inte-grated strategy, undertake a region-by-regionreview of resources, and engage regional experts,third-party groups, and the community to comeup with solutions.

“Ultimately what the report says is that wemust acknowledge that US international waterpolicy has implications that transcend traditionalhumanitarian and foreign assistance interests,”Finley says.

White paper: 2.6 billionpeople don’t have access tobasic sanitation

More than one billion people on Earth— about one-sixth of the global popula-tion — rely on water sources that areunsafe, unreliable, or difficult to access fortheir daily washing, drinking, cleaning,and cooking.

More than one-third of the world’spopulation, or about 2.6 billion people,does not have access to basic sanitation. Asa result, millions of people, most of themchildren, are suffering and dying annuallyfrom diseases related to poor water quality.Experts believe the scale of this challengecould double in the next two decades.

Region-by-region waterreview to begin

As recommended in the white paper“Addressing Our Global Water Future,”Sandia and the Center for Strategic andInternational Studies (CSIS) will be con-ducting a region-by-region study of waterneeds and issues in China, the Middle East,and Africa over the next two years. Theseare all places considered important to USsecurity.

Starting with the Middle East, theywill meet with people from the region toidentify region-specific water problems.They will then have workshops with gov-ernment officials, technical experts, andrepresentatives of financial institutions tosee how US policies can be revised to helpwith a region’s water issues and ultimatelylead to enhanced security for the US.

Many roles to play

Some possible roles forSandia include:

• Demonstrating new,smaller reactor systems for asubstantial international mar-ket. By teaming with LosAlamos, Argonne, and others,Sandia can leverage its small-reactor design experience tosupport development of anew US nuclear supplyindustry.

• Using Sandia’s PowerTower to study processes forhydrogen generation, Sandiacan create a fast-track large-scale demonstration of thefeasibility of hydrogen pro-duction in a nuclear reactor.

• Developing, testing, and qualifying newmaterials and electronics for the extreme radia-tion and thermal environments of next-genera-tion nuclear reactors.

• Contributing to the management and inte-gration of repository sciencesupporting Yucca Mountain,and in security, safety, andlicensing efforts.

• Using science-based engi-neering to model and simulatethe fuel cycle to improve theprocess of moving from rawmaterials to fuel to reprocessingand provide technology forprocess controls and transpar-ent operations.

• Using Sandia’s materialsknow-how to develop new fab-rication techniques for specialtyreactor components, providinga competitive advantage to USindustry.

• Finding new approachesto physical security systems andnew technologies needed toensure control of materials in

all phases of the nuclear energy process.

Far to go, but future is brightWhile there is far to go along the road, Tom

Sanders is optimistic that the vision of a nuclear-powered world is achievable, even inevitable.“There’s no way that there’s a future withoutglobal nuclear energy. You can’t ignore theenergy achievable from fission and fusionresources. It is renewable and sufficient to supplymankind for thousands of years,” he says. In theshort term, he plans to continue what he’s beendoing — staying on message, building anexpanding constituency, leading from behind thescenes. “Leadership is earned not delegated,” saysTom, “and we must keep moving forward, lead-ing by doing.”

Huge Sandia cast supports GNEP

Several overlapping groups at Sandia have helped fur-ther the original Global Nuclear Futures concept overthe past 10 years. Among the list of Sandia executiveswho have helped further the Global Nuclear Futuresprogram are: Tom Hunter, Joan Woodard, Roger Hagen-gruber, Bob Eagan, Paul Robinson, Les Shephard, and AlRomig. In addition, a “directors guild” was formed,involving over time, Margaret Chu, Tommy Sellers, DoriEllis, Tom Blejwas, Peter Davies, Duane Dimos, DennisBerry, and Nestor Ortiz, who helped integrate theseideas into the strategic plan. A third “brain trust” groupprovided technical advice and has included Paul Pickard,Nancy Hayden, John Kelly, Gary Rochau, Larry Shipers,Mary Lou Garcia, Pat Eicker, Steve Wright, BobHuelskamp, Terry Olascoaga, and many others.

Nuclear power(Continued from preceding page)

The Integrated Enabling Services (IES)SMU is having its second IES Mercado, a ser-vice information fair, on Wednesday, March22, in front of the Thunderbird Cafeteria from11 a.m. to 1 p.m. IES is the Labs support teamfor all things operational — from the simplestto the most complicated of issues.

“NNSA has told Sandia we have long-standing operational issues and our executiveoffice has repeated that message,” notes DougWeaver, IES deputy director. “We in IES wantto reach out to the Labs, to our customers,and offer our support in tackling some ofthese issues once and for all. And we want tohave a little fun while we are at it.”

What are the issues that concern NNSA?Sandia’s operational issues are outlined in thePerformance Evaluation Assessment Report(PEAR) in areas of ES&H such as rad work per-mits, fire safety compliance, and electrical self-assessment as well as in the security andfinancial reporting areas.

“Working these issues takes time awayfrom mission work,” Doug acknowledges,“but they simply must be done and doneright. IES has expertise in all these operationalareas. Our tent will have 25 tables all staffedwith IES experts in the areas where Sandiansneed the most help.”

Besides friendly, knowledgeable IES folks,the Mercado also features IES cream bars andgiveaways. Look for the tent and the IES folkswith brightly colored clipboards to ask yourthorniest operational questions. IES guaran-tees you will make a personal connection withan IES expert to put you and your project onthe road to resolving those longstanding oper-ational issues. Information: Jane Zingelman,845-0433, IES SMU 10710.

Help for you, and fun:IES Mercado, a serviceinfo fair, is March 22


California site(Continued from page 1)

ities and responds with agility to opportunities,expertly melding science and engineering.

‘Pound for pound you’re the best’Keynote speaker Johnny Foster, retired direc-

tor of LLNL, also lauded that uniqueness, saying,“Pound for pound, you’ve outperformed theother labs.”

He recalled the question posed to him bythe director of Los Alamos National Laboratoryin 1962: whether LLNL should concentrate onnuclear work and LANL should focus on sci-ence? He responded after a moment that hebelieved both should continue competing andcooperating.

Foster said he still believes competition is crit-ical for technological leadership in the face ofnew potential adversaries.

As nuclear weapons age and are retired from

the stockpile, he said, the deterrent threat muststill be viewed as credible. There are less thanone-tenth the number of active warheadsand warhead types in the currentstockpile than during the ColdWar. With approval of the Reli-able Replacement Warhead(RRW) program, new compo-nents and features may beintroduced, but the possibilitythat unknown failure modeswould be introduced requires ahigher standard of reliability,Foster said.

He offered foursuggestions:

• Create an improved process forlearning from past failure modes andcompetitively develop a new learning process.

• Apply the new process to the design andproduction of refurbished weapons and the RRW.

• Provide additional assurance of reachingtargets by using two different warhead types foreach weapon system.

• Introduce anincentive reward sys-tem for Red and Blueteams during theannual certification ofthe stockpile.

He said ensuringthe stockpile is safe,secure, reliable, andcredible is so impor-tant that Sandia’s Cal-ifornia and New Mex-ico laboratoriesshould compete inaddition to LANL andLLNL and directors ofall four laboratoriesshould be called uponwhen certifying thestockpile.

“This is a first-class lab in a beautifulsetting,” Foster con-cluded. “I give greatcredit, particularly toall the folks who haveworked here over theyears.”

Gayle Cain, one

of the 82 Sandians who worked at the Californiasite in 1956, marveled at the tremendous

growth. He said the city had 6,000 resi-dents and he had to wait two months

for a house to go on the market,buying one of the two that wentup for sale. Also present at theceremony were Sandia pioneersFrank Murar and Pat Gildea, aswell as about 900 employees orretirees and guests.

The audience heard remarksfrom LLNL’s Bruce Goodwin,

associate director for Defense andNuclear Technologies; Jerry Paul,

principal deputy administrator ofthe National Nuclear Security Adminis-

tration; Jim Decker, principal deputydirector of the DOE Office of Science; and Garry

George, head of the Engineering and Systems Divi-sion of the United Kingdom’s Atomic WeaponsEstablishment.

Forming a vision for the futureFormer California Laboratory VP Tom

Cook commented that he was particularly proudthe slate of speakers made so much mention ofthe role of science. His successor to head thesite, retiree Dick Claassen, said he was gratifiedby the interaction with all the outside groups(for instance, the Alameda County Board ofSupervisors had a proclamation presented atthe event).

“It was a time to look back at both the peopleand the challenges that frame this laboratory,”commented Tom Hunter, who was vice presidentof the site just prior to Mim. “Now it’s reallyimportant to take those and form the vision forthe future. We see Sandia/California as an impor-tant part of that. The strong relationship withLawrence Livermore was recognized by all thespeakers. It’s deeper than the mission in how peo-ple engage each other; there is camaraderie asthey collaborate and compete.”

Added John Crawford, “So many organizationsrecognized the value of this laboratory over a longperiod of years, it confirms they are adding a lot ofvalue. Hopefully these kinds of comments willmake people understand their work is appreciated.”

Mim summed up factors in that success:exceptionally committed staff, leadership, out-standing partners, and a very supportive set ofsponsors.

AT THE CALIFORNIA SITE REDEDICATION ceremony are, from left: Frank Murar (a pio-neering 1956 employee), retired California Laboratory VP Dick Claassen and his wife Ruth,Sandia President and Director Tom Hunter, 1956 pioneer Mickey Rindone, retired Califor-nia Laboratory VP Tom Cook, (partially hidden) former California Laboratory VP John

Crawford (who later retired as Sandia executive vice president), California Laboratory VPMim John, Linda Barncord (representing her father, 1956 pioneer C.R. Barncord), 1956pioneer Pat Gildea, and 1956 pioneer Gayle Cain. (Also attending was 1956 pioneer R. L.Siglock’s wife Eleanor.) (Photo by Randy Wong)

REMEMBRANCES — California Laboratory VP Mim John talks with retired Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratory Director Johnny Foster, who was keynote speaker at the Sandia/California rededication ceremony. She is holding a vintage W56 safety device, a mementopresented by LLNL Associate Director Bruce Goodwin. (Photo by Randy Wong)


Author Richard Rhodes, commemoratingSandia/California’s 50th anniversary in a talktitled “Sixty Years of Living with the Bomb,”noted Sandia’s historically low profile and offeredcongratulations for “a hell of a story.”

His book The Making of the Atomic Bombreceived a Pulitzer Prize. He went on to write DarkSun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, and isworking on a book about the end of the ColdWar. Trained as a historian, he is currently anaffiliate at Stanford’s Center for InternationalSecurity and Cooperation.

“People talk casually about the remarkablesafety and security of America’s nuclearweapons down through the decades,” Rhodessaid, “without realizing the enormous amountof creative work that went into making themsafe. I know you’ve done and are doing muchmore than that.”

He segued into reflecting upon 20th centuryadvances, particularly two he termed maturetechnological revolutions — nuclear energy andpublic health.

“Public health,” Rhodes said, “saved morelives in the United States alone than were lostthroughout the world in all the terrible wars ofthe 20th century — losses of combatants andcivilians estimated to total approximately 120million lives.”

Saying the world needs “more energy, notless,” he said he believes opposition to nuclearpower is immoral because it offers essentiallyunlimited energy that could help level the quality

of life that follows from disparities in distributionof material resources.

He believes that public health and nuclearenergy have already saved and improved billionsof lives and that one cause of premature death iswar, so it could be viewed as another problem inpublic health.

He lauded the nuclear deterrent, saying theknowledge of how to release nuclear energy putan end to world-scale war, so that, since 1945, thenumber of deaths from wars annually has rangedfrom 1 to 2 million, fewer than the World HealthOrganization’s estimate of 3 million deaths a yearfrom tobacco.

He also lauded an increased emphasis onpublic health since 9/11, saying, “the way to dealwith a potential bioterror problem is to have abetter public health system.”

Recalling the Acheson-LilienthalReport

He suggested that it may be nuclear knowl-edge, not arsenals, that could guard the peace,recalling the 1946 recommendations of the Ache-son-Lilienthal Report that envisioned a distrib-uted network of nuclear knowledge, enablingcountries to build weapons within months ifneeded. “With sufficient transparency,” Rhodessaid, “it would havepoliced itself.”

The UnitedNations rejected therecommendations,but the world hasvoluntarily movedcloser to that direc-tion, for instancewith the establish-ment of a WorldNuclear Universityunder ChancellorHans Blix in 2003 toencourage safeadvancement ofnuclear technology for economic developmentand civilian uses.

“When, in the years ahead, the declarednuclear powers come to trust that deterrence willwork even better with three months’ deliverytime from factory to target than it worked with 30minutes delivery time from submarines and mis-sile silos,” Rhodes said, “then the vision of distrib-uted virtual deterrence that the Acheson-Lilien-thal Report described in 1946 will be fulfilled.”

About the end of the Cold War, he observed,“I have the sense that we’re still sort of celebrat-ing victory and haven’t begun to think throughthe new world now.” He said that Hans Blix hadcommented about the nuclear arms race that itlooked as though the US were racing with itself.“The question is, in fact, what do we need andwhy?” Rhodes opined.

While acknowledging the concern of havingtwo or three new nuclear powers after the ColdWar concluded, he said the marvel is that thereare not 30 or 40 and added that he would like tosee the administration reduce the nuclear arsenal.

Rhodes concluded on an optimistic note. “Ihope you’ll pause occasionally to recall the valueand the virtue of your work. I hope you’ll remindyourselves that the wholly honorable purpose ofyour enterprise is nothing less than the allevia-tion of human suffering. Your work helps holdthe world together, and certainly helps prevent itsbeing blown apart.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian honors Sandia’s contributionsto global peace, says ‘your work helps hold world together’By Nancy Garcia

RHODES REFLECTS — Looking back on 50 years andmore of innovation, author Richard Rhodes drew parallelsbetween nuclear know-how and public health advances.His talk kicked off the observance of Sandia/California’s50th anniversary. (Photo by Randy Wong)

“I have the sensethat we’re stillsort of celebratingvictory andhaven’t begun tothink through thenew world now.”

“People talk casually about theremarkable safety and security ofAmerica’s nuclear weapons downthrough the decades,” Rhodes said,“without realizing the enormousamount of creative work that wentinto making them safe.”

Richard Rhodes

California Site historical postersshowcase 50 yearsIn commemorating Sandia/California’s 50th anniver-sary, graphic artist Ken Ball (8528), with research andwriting from Lab News Cali-fornia reporter NancyGarcia, produced a dis-play featuring the pre-vious decades withpictures, text, and atimeline. On theensuing pages theLab News publishesfive of those six posters(we’ll try to publish thesixth in a later issue).The display is currentlymounted in the lobby of the Com-bustion Research Facility auditorium (Bldg. 904).Much of the research built upon a collection of recol-lections that has been prepared for future publication.Ken and Nancy would also like to thank all their col-leagues, members of the event planning committee,and the retirees who assisted in gathering and win-nowing down the historical information.

WHEN DOE SECRETARY SAMUEL BODMAN made his first visit to Sandia, he was briefed on the Labs’ break-through research on the Z machine. He was impressed with the work — and with the Z machine photographby Randy Montoya, which has probably been published more often than any other image in Sandia history.Bodman asked Randy to provide a large print of the photo for display in his Washington offices. The secretarypromised to send us a photo commemorating the display. Here it is.

Secretary Bodman showcases Z machine —and famous Z photo — in his D.C. office

SANDIA LAB NEWS • March 17, 2006 • Page 9SANDIA LAB NEWS • March 17, 2006 •

Across the decades, ‘exceptional service’ is a constant

1986-1

996

SANDIA LAB NEWS • March 17, 2006 • Page 10

Editor’s note: This column by retired longtimeSandia/California public affairs head Barry Schrader,a historian of the Livermore area, appeared in lastThursday’s The Tri-Valley Herald and is printedhere by permission.

March 8 marked the 50th anniversary of thearrival of a small contingent of engineers and sup-port personnel in Livermore, mostly from SandiaCorp.’s laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M.

The two dozenstaffers were first housedin the pink barracksacross East Avenue atwhat was then known asthe University of Califor-nia Radiation Laboratory(now Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory) sothey could provideincreasing support for thedesign and testing of thenew nuclear weaponsbeing developed by the UC lab since 1952.

The reason there were two separate organiza-tions working on the same weapons goes back tothe days of the Manhattan Project. After the endof World War II, the University of California wasgiven the contract by the new Atomic EnergyCommission to operate the nuclear weapons pro-gram that had started at Los Alamos.

But when asked to take over the engineeringarm that was called Sandia (created out of LosAlamos’ Z Division), UC management balked,saying it preferred to stick to the pure science partof the project.

So in 1949 President Truman wrote a letter toAT&T asking its president to assume oversight ofSandia “to render an exceptional service in thenational interest.” AT&T accepted with the pro-viso it would operate the engineering organiza-tion for $1 a year and take no profit from it.

So Sandia has remained independent fromLos Alamos and Lawrence Livermore nationallabs to this day. And Sandia management wassmart in making the early decision to tear downthe old Navy WAVE barracks on their new site,thus constructing all new facilities, whileLawrence Livermore has had to contend with theold Naval Air Station buildings to this day.

First collaborations were B27, W27Talking with Clif Selvage, a retired Sandian

who actually arrived in town six months aheadof the formal startup date along with anotherSandian, Grover Hughes, I learned that the firstproject the two organizations collaborated on wasthe B27 bomb and its counterpart for the Regulusguided missile, the W27.

He even produced a photo showing him andLLNL colleagues on a barge at Eniwetok workingon Project Redwing in the Pacific. He thinks thosein the photo were Alan Work, Joe Livingston, BudLoveland, Roy Higgen, Harry Perl, Dean Chris-tensen, Fred Warren, Bill Lavigne, Hank Otsuki,and Roy Tidwell. He wonders if any of them arestill around here today.

Clif was then asked by Sandia management tobe a part of the startup operation in 1956, but dueto the loud protest of his wife at the time, sinceshe was a New Mexico native and thought Liver-more must be at the end of the world, he declined.

But by 1967, circumstances had changed andhe accepted a later offer to transfer to Livermoreand, except for some overseas InternationalEnergy Agency assignments, has stayed ever since.

Another early arrival from Albuquerque thatfirst year was Lorena Schneider, who was broughtout with another secretary to provide support formanagers. The two spent their first five monthsliving at the Town House Motel on First Street.

When she finally decided to accept a perma-nent assignment, she worked for Jack Howard,the first manager of the fledgling engineeringdepartment. She recalls the hot summers on thesecond floor of the barracks when there was noair conditioning. After 37 years at Livermore andfive prior to that at Sandia Albuquerque, Lorena

retired and now lives in Florida. Sandia’s Livermore Branch grew to 1,000 peo-

ple in just a few years, but never grew beyond1,100 because growth control was exercised bythe headquarters in New Mexico.

Sandia Anthology, Remember WhenOver the years there were some lighter

moments, as reported in a 1996 book calledSandia Anthology, Remember When, assembled byCindy English and her boss Cliff Yokomizo.Inside those 125 pages are great stories, remem-brances, old memos, cartoons, and humorousphotos collected from desk drawers, filing cabi-nets, and walls from across the site.

The book includes some instances of frivolity Istill recall: One day in 1986 the directors decided tosmuggle a horse on site after then-Vice PresidentDick Claassen threatened to rid the site ofunsightly and illegally parked bikes. They offeredthis hoofed alternative to the VP and he surprisedthem by mounting the steed and riding it. Theydidn’t know he was an amateur equestrian!

In 1992, then-VP John Crawford was holdinga Teamwork Celebration Day. We found out it

was also his birthday, so colleagues hired the EastAvenue Middle School Band, led by Bernie Berke,to be bused to the lab and hidden until the appro-priate moment when we could surprise John.

Then therewas the farewellfor VP TomHunter, whenwe bought hima fancy beltbuckle, even bigger than the one worn at theparty by Lawrence Livermore Lab’s Bob Kuckuck,who had beaten Tom in the Rodeo Week green-horn calf-penning event. We didn’t want Tom toleave town feeling second-rate. It must haveboosted his ego, because now he ispresident/director of Sandia.

There will be a lot of reminiscing like thiswhen retirees and longtime employees gather tocelebrate the Livermore Branch’s 50th anniver-sary [which occurred the week of March 6]. Butdon’t let anyone dig up the time capsule that wasburied there in 1999 when Sandia Corp. observedits 50th. The plaque clearly states it is not to beunearthed until 2024.


Livermore’s favorite historian (and Sandia retiree) Barry Schraderrecalls some choice Sandia/California moments, big and small

THE SANDIA LAB NEWS, by 1956 already in its eighth year, splashed the launch of the California site onthe front page of that year’s March 23 issue. The article discussed the special design/engineering rela-tionship the Labs’ West Coast home would have with what is now Lawrence Livermore National Labora-tory. A center spread of photos in the issue showcased the California location as a desirable place to live.

BARRY SCHRADER

Barry Schrader can be reached viae-mail at [email protected] at Box 446, Livermore, CA94551. His website ishttp://www.historydetectives.info


New MexicoJim Aubert, from PMTS, Organic Materials

Dept. 1821, to Manager of that same department.Jim has been at Sandia since 1982. His work

with Sandia has encompassed foams, coatings,adhesives, rheologicalmeasurements, supercrit-ical fluids, and materialsfor high-energy physicstargets.

He has received theDOE Award of Excel-lence for materials devel-opment a number oftimes, including one in2002 for work with ateam that developedremovable encapsulants.

Jim holds six patents and is the author ofnumerous publications. He was previously thedivision supervisor of the target fabrication divi-sion and the manager of the organic materialsdepartment.

Jim has a BS in chemical engineering fromthe University of Michigan and an MS and PhDin chemical engineering from the University ofMinnesota.

* * *Shack Burns, from DMTS, Information Sys-

tems Development Dept. 5522, to Manager,ICADS/GNT Project Management Dept. 5746.

Prior to joining Sandia, Shack was an AirForce pilot for eight years, flying F-4s and T-38s.Then he developed cock-pit display software forthe F-15E at McDonnellDouglas. He moved toHoneywell in Albu-querque where he ledsoftware teams develop-ing avionics software.

Shack joined Sandiain 1995 on the Inte-grated Correlation andDisplay System (ICADS)project. He has workedfor the last nine years as the lead of the architec-ture team, defining the high-level design of thenext generation of ICADS ground station. ICADSsuccessfully completed system verification test-ing in December 2005 and is scheduled to beaccepted by the Air Force in November 2006.

Shack has a BS in computer science from theUnited States Air Force Academy.

* * *Bill Cook, from Manager, Knowledge Dis-

covery and Extraction Dept. 5631, to SeniorManager, Advanced Concepts and SystemsAnalysis Dept. 5630.

Bill first joined Sandia in 1981 to work inthe central computing organization as an MTSdeveloping network andsecurity software sys-tems. He then becameinvolved in work forothers programs wherehe developed softwareand led software devel-opment teams in theareas of facility manage-ment, telecommunica-tions, command andcontrol, networking,network management,information security, database, and operatingsystems.

He worked as an assistant to the director ofthe Monitoring Systems and Technologies Cen-ter and International Security Programs. Bill wasthe IT and program operations deputy for theremote sensing and verification program withprimary involvement in international safe-guards, proliferation detection, IAEA, DOE/NN,and DNA.

Bill also managed a group doing softwareand physics-based modeling and analysis ofnuclear detonation and transmission phenome-nology for the Air Force and DOE.

He executed the information technology/

computer science-retraining program, a corporate-level retraining program to provide people trainedin computer science and system administration.

He managed several departments concernedwith knowledge discovery and management anddeveloped software systems for a variety of cus-tomers to apply advanced technology to theprocess of making decisions.

Bill has a BA and an MA in mathematicsfrom the University of Missouri and an MS inelectrical and computer engineering, an MS inchemistry, and a PhD in chemistry from theUniversity of New Mexico.

* * *Roy Fitzgerald, from Business Service Man-

ager, Homeland Security SMU Business OfficeDept. 10542, to SeniorManager and DeputyChief Financial Officer inDept. 10030.

Roy has been withSandia since 1989, serv-ing in a variety of staffpositions including thatof contract auditor, priceand cost analyst, andSandia ContractingRepresentative.

As an internationalcontracting representative, Roy was responsiblefor coordinating technical and cost estimates,reviewing and analyzing proposed costs on theseproposals, and negotiating contracts on Sandia’sbehalf.

In 2001 he was promoted to DMLS and in2002 was promoted to manager of InternationalContracting and Import/Export Control Dept.10245. He worked with customers, externalstakeholders, and outside counsel to identify andcodify the best guidelines for use in internationalcontracting at Sandia.

Roy implemented the internationally recog-nized principle of the ISO 9001:2000 standard forQuality Management Systems in 2003. Sandia’sInternational Procurement Team (10245) was thefirst procurement organization within the DOEcomplex to be registered to this standard.

In 2004, he became business manager of ateam selected to create a new Homeland SecurityInitiative and management unit at Sandia. Hedeveloped and implemented operational andstrategic business models, systems, and processesfor the unit.

Before coming to Sandia, he worked with sev-eral public accounting firms.

He graduated from New Mexico State Univer-sity and in 1987 was licensed as a Certified PublicAccountant by the New Mexico State Board ofPublic Accountancy.

* * *Steve Kleban, from PMTS, Critical Infrastruc-

tures Modeling and Simulation II Dept. 6222, toManager, National Systems Modeling and Simula-tion Dept. 6226.

Steve began workingfor Sandia in 1993. Heinitially worked on envi-ronmental impact analy-sis systems for manufac-tured goods. Hedeveloped the reasoningcomponent ofSmartWeld, a design toanalysis environment forwelding. He also workedon several expert advisorsystems for manufacturing including a materialsselector and joining advisor.

Steve also developed a general web-basedapproach to knowledge management and mostrecently has worked on distributed simulation,data management, and knowledge managementfor efforts on DHS projects.

He specializes in knowledge management,distributed architectures, collaborative systems,knowledge-based reasoning systems, and super-computer performance analysis.

Steve has a BA in computer science from theUniversity of California, San Diego, and an MSin computer science from the University ofNew Mexico.

* * *

California

Art Pontau, from Manager, MicrofluidicsDept. 8324, to Senior Manager, Materials andEnergy Sciences Group 8750.

Art joined Sandia in1978 and spent his first17 years in Dept. 8347,first as a staff member,then as manager of thePhysical Research Divi-sion. He undertook mul-tiyear research programsof hydrogen and heliumin materials, plasma-materials interactions,and accelerator-basedanalysis of materials. Sponsors for his workincluded Defense Programs, the Magnetic FusionEnergy program, the Strategic Defense Initiative,and DOE Non-Proliferation. Partnerships were alarge part of the department’s efforts and led Art towork on Sandia’s behalf in Germany for morethan a year in the mid-1980s.

In the late 1990s, Art worked in four differentjobs, directly supporting Sandia VPs. Followingthat era, he went on to manage the MicrofluidicsDepartment, where basic microfluidics research isconducted, the liquid-phase MicroChemLab bio-agent detection system was developed, and insu-lator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) was createdfor bio-sample processing.

He has participated in several teams that havecreated leadership development programs for theLabs.

Art has a BA in physics and mathematics fromthe University of California, San Diego, and a mas-ter’s and PhD in physics from the University ofIllinois at Urbana/Champaign.

Manager promotions

JIM AUBERT

SHACK BURNS

BILL COOK

ROY FITZGERALD

STEVE KLEBAN

ART PONTAU

Kevin Ewsuk (1815) and Jose Arguello Jr. (1525):Method for Die Design and Powder Pressing.

Joseph Cesarano III (1815), John Stuecker(American Staff Augmentation), JenniferDellinger (1815), and Russell Jamison (Universityof Illinois): Method for Making a Bio-CompatibleScaffold.

Clifford Ho (6115) and Paul Reynolds (TeamSpecialty Products, Inc.): Methods for Characteriz-ing Subsurface Volatile Contaminants Using In-SituSensors.

Ron Renzi (8214): Modular Optical DetectorSystem.

Tim Shepodd (8762): Polymer Formulationfor Removing Hydrogen and Liquid Water froman Enclosed Space.

Murat Okandan (1749), Paul Galambos (1769),Gilbert Benavides (2616), and Dale Hetherington(1746): Micro-Fluidic Interconnect.

Jackie Kerby Moore elected president ofAssociation of University Research Parks

Jackie Kerby Moore (10105), executive direc-tor of the Sandia Science & Technology Park, hasbeen elected president of the board of directors ofthe Association of University Research Parks(AURP). The move came at the recent annualAURP conference in Raleigh, N.C. Jackie hasserved on the board since 2002. Currently 108operating research parks and 35 planned researchparks in the US are members of AURP.

Edward W. Roche (age 69) . . . . . . . . . . February 1Gloria R. Toland (74) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 1Everett R. Gourley (89) . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 9William W. Rowe (83) . . . . . . . . . . . . February 10Roscoe T. Williams (78) . . . . . . . . . . . February 12Mary D. Walker (81) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 13Gordon E. Cheek (90) . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 15Charles Henry Maak (88) . . . . . . . . . . February 16Onofre Candelaria (75) . . . . . . . . . . . February 17Doris L. Pouard (81) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 20Richard A. Miller (86) . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 28

Retiree deaths

Three words — Behavior Based Safety, or BBS— may hold the key to a safer Sandia population,say Labs executives. What is Behavior BasedSafety? It is a systematicway to identify behaviorsthat prevent accidents;remind, reinforce, and refo-cus workers on thesebehaviors; and measureand manage these behav-iors proactively as leadingindicators of accidents.

You’re going to behearing a lot more aboutBehavior Based Safety fromnow on. Sandia has con-tracted with ProAct Safety,a Woodlands, Texas, firm,to help implement BBS.“Sandia can expect a 60 to85 percent reduction ininjuries over a three-yearperiod after implementingBBS,” says Terry Mathis,president of ProAct Safety,“based on our experiencein helping to implementBBS in more than 800 organizations during thepast 15 years.”

Piloted in Division 10000 in 2005, earlyresults indicate a trend toward fewer accidents.BBS supplements, but does not replace,traditional safety programs and efforts. Prerequi-sites such as no punishment for at-risk behav-iors, fast removal of barriers to doing worksafely, workers managing/running the process,and anonymous observations are mandatory tomaking BBS a success.

To launch the BBS pilot, Division 10000 cre-ated a Strategic Planning Team, with three mem-bers of management, three union officers, andone BBS advisor. They have trainer facilitators inconstruction, maintenance, logistics, and officework. Three steering committees designed andmanaged the BBS for the three types of work donein the division — construction, facilities opera-tions, and office work. More than 120 Sandians inthe division have been trained to be observers.

“Behavior is simply an observable act,” saysES&H Assurance, Planning, & Behavior BasedSafety Manager Al Bendure (10312). “Percep-tions, habits, and barriers all create behaviors.” InBBS, employees actually manage and run the BBS

process. Peer observers identify concerns and askwhy. “BBS fixes the problems, not the blame,”says Al. “We hope to introduce all Sandians toBBS by the end of September.”

Observers watch their peers perform theirwork. They look for a critical few precautions thatwould prevent the majority of the injuries experi-enced by members of their group. Observers rein-force safe performance and offer suggestions forkeeping out of harm’s way. They coach colleagueson perceptions or habits and identify barriers. Datafrom observations are anonymous and are enteredinto a database and analyzed by the steering com-mittee. The committee brings concerns to manage-ment’s attention for addressing identified barriers.

Traditional safety data are looked upon asreactive. BBS is proactive. Traditional safety hasrules and procedures. BBS has a behavioral focus.Traditional safety measures failure rates. BBS mea-sures success rates. Traditional safety has compli-ance. BBS has cooperation. Instead of punish-

ment, BBS has positive reinforcement. “Many injuries are the result of the unsafe

actions of employees,” says ES&H Director PhilNewman (10300). “This is why BBS is the key toour success in driving down accidents.”

Across the countryconsequences of careless-ness and inattention tosafety issues such as therecent mining accidentsand the aircraft mechanicbeing sucked into a jetengine are examples ofavoidable accidents, saySandia’s union represen-tatives. They say they arepleased with the greatstrides Sandia has madetoward changing thesafety culture at all levels.

In BBS, observers aretrained in safety. Theirconcern is not aboutbeing right or wrong, butabout keeping Sandianssafe. “When I came toSandia and was at a gro-cery store wearing mybadge,” says Al, “a San-

dian whom I did not know came and told me Iwas wearing my badge (which is not the thing todo in public). I did not hesitate as I put my badgein my pocket. That is the kind of trust we hope tobuild among employees.”

In the Kevin Spacey movie Pay it Forward, aboy responding to a class assignment comes upwith an idea to improve life. He determines to helpthree people in a “special, life-changing way.”

Instead of having them pay him back for hiskindness, he tells them to pay it forward, that is,to help three people. Then they require the samepay it forward philosophy. Getting a coworkerout of harm’s way can be “special, life-changing.”

“Individuals have little control over condi-tions,” says Sandia VP and ES&H champion FrankFigueroa (10000), “but do have control overbehavior. We need to look out for each other —remove the obstacle, hold a hand, caution a col-league. Each one of us has the power to make adifference. Use that power.”


Proactive, success-focused Behavior Based Safetyidentified as essential to reducing accidents

Retirees are needed for Sandia’s seventhHabitat for Humanity House. Here are somedetails:

• April 8 through mid-June• Near Avenida Cesar Chavez/Isleta Blvd.• Job Captains — Duane Hughes, Larry Lane,

Bob Rieden, Irv Hall (all retirees)• On-call retirees are needed to work with the

job captain as needed during the week. For more information and to sign up to be on

the “on-call” list, call Amy Tapia at 284-5207. Noconstruction experience is required.

Sandia’s Bene-fits Departmentreminds you toupdate yourdependent Coordi-nation of Benefits(COB) informationfor UnitedHealthcare and CIGNA.

If you haven’t already done so, they say,please update COB information for any depen-dents you have enrolled in your UHC or CIGNAmedical plan. You must provide this update evenif your dependents do not have other insurance.

If you do not provide this information,

UHC/CIGNA willpend the claimand request verifi-cation in writingfrom the employeefor other insur-ance. If it is not

provided, the claim will be denied.To avoid any delays in processing of depen-

dent claims, you can provide this information ifyou are enrolled in a UHC medical plan throughmyuhc.com or by calling the UHC CustomerService Center at 1-877-835-9855.

If you are enrolled in a CIGNA medical plan,you can use mycigna.com or call CIGNA’s Cus-tomer Service at 1-800-244-6224.

Note: If you are other than an employee, andyour dependent has Medicare as their primarycoverage, you do not need to do this.

* * *UnitedHealthcare to Reissue Identification

Cards . . . For administrative purposes, UHC wasrequired to change the PO box claims filingaddress for Sandia from P.O. Box 30555, Salt LakeCity, UT 84130-0555 to P.O. Box 740809, Atlanta,GA 30374. UHC will reissue new ID cards to allparticipants. The new cards reflect this Sandia-specific address, which should be used for allfuture correspondence. No action is required onyour part for any information you may havemailed to the prior PO box. You should destroyyour old card(s) and use these new cards effective

You must update dependent info for UHC/CIGNA Medicare drug coverage talk forSandians, retirees March 27

Michael Parks, an attorney at theSenior Citizen Law Office, will addressinterested Sandians and retirees onMedicare Drug Coverage on Monday,March 27, from 12 noon to 1 p.m., in theSteve Schiff Auditorium (Bldg. 825, Tech-nology Transfer Center). A nuts and boltsQ and A session will follow his remarks.

Parks’ address is being hosted by theSandia Sandwich Support Group, which issponsored by Sandia Medical. The group isopen to all Sandians who are caring for anaging loved one. Attendance at the brief-ing does not require a badge so all are wel-come.

If Sandians or their love ones haveimmediate concerns about Medicare drugcoverage, they are encouraged to contactthe local Hot Line at 830-3096. Directquestions about the presentation to DickSteele (10004) 284-4353.

Retirees needed for Labs’ latestHabitat for Humanity project

immediately. Your new cards are identical to yourold cards except for the PO box mailing address.

Please ensure that your provider(s) use thenew PO box in the future. UnitedHealthcareapologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.If you have any questions or you do not receive anew ID card, please call UnitedHealthcareCustomer Service at 877-835-9855.

By Iris Aboytes

74% of the injuries in CY 05 that required morethan first aid were from these five causes.

62% of all CY 05 injuries could have beenavoided with these precautions.

Arthur Payne25 245

Gary Webb30 5724


New Mexico photos by Michelle Fleming

Jesus Martinez30 4225

David Huskisson35 2555

Alan Smith30 6451

Martin Molecke30 6141

Michael Kopczewski30 12347

Victor Yarberry30 1737

Kent de Jong20 2993

Mike McClafferty20 2733

Judy Borrowdale15 10100

Michael Widmer25 10762

W. Kent Schubert25 1723

John Hunter20 6428

Gerald Miller30 2724

Everyone, including Kevin, reluctantly con-ceded the obvious: Kevin was too sick to continueon the trek. He was evacuated the next day,accompanied by a guide and several porters.

(Months after the expedition, Kevin’s condi-

tion continued to deteriorate until a doctorordered an emergency appendectomy nearChristmas time. During the operation, it becameclear that Kevin’s failing health was the result ofhis appendix rupturing that night on Kilimanjaro.Doctors say he is incredibly lucky to have survived.)

As the team, now without Kevin, continuedthe long ascent, they began to experience unwel-come symptoms, and there was no doubt aboutthe cause: altitude. The physical burden of lack ofoxygen slowed the team’s pace and required fre-quent breaks. At camp that night, the tempera-ture dropped to 15° F, and some team membersresorted to lining their socks with hand warmerpackets in an attempt to ward off the biting cold.

As the eve of the team’s summit day dawned,the team faced the most technical part of the

entire climb, a stretch featuring 2,000-foot drop-offs, steep grades covered in loose rock, and aclass 3 rock climb requiring climbing helmetsand harnesses.

By late afternoon, the group was wearilyclamoring into Kilimanjaro’s volcanic crater.While most of the group began settling intocamp for the night, Rick and Mike climbed theextra distance to the mountain’s inner crater andash pit. The two found the view of the innercrater and ash pit amazing — arguably even morebeautiful and awe-inspiringthan Uhuru Peak wouldoffer the following day.

Final push to thepeak

The final push to thepeak began at dawn thenext day. Team membersmustered every last ounceof energy, breath, strength,and balance as theyembarked on the final 500-foot climb in elevation. Inwhat was the most physi-cally demanding part ofthe climb, the team couldonly slowly lumber up theloose footing of the trail.Any quick movementswould leave the climbersbreathless and their heartsracing in their chests. Asthey persistently pushedforward, they remainedfocused on their distantgoal of Uhuru Peak.

After an hour and a half of labored climbing,the expedition came to rest 19,340 feet above themassive continent of Africa. “It was sunny,warm, and beautiful at the top; no wind orsnow,” says Mike. “Everyone shook hands andexchanged congratulations.”

Before beginning the quick-paced descentback down to mountain’s base, and inevitably,everyday life, the members of the team began tograsp an appreciation of their own circumstancesthrough a new perspective.

“Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was the mostdifficult . . . and rewarding goal,” says Pauline.“The last few days of the climb brought me to

new levels of self confidence . . . . ” In Mike’s account of the journey, he found

himself tested in a profound way on all levels:“physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

The group can’t praise their guides highlyenough, crediting them for the success of theclimb and the safety of those who participated.

“The Tanzanians are among the most coura-geous, proud people I’ve ever encountered . . .they really went to great lengths to take care of uson the hike,” says Pauline. “I didn’t feel I came

away with the same kind of life-altering experi-ences some people come away from Kilimanjarowith, but looking back on my trip, you see that youcan’t always take the small things too seriously.”

As the team looked out on the glaciers andplains from the summit and recalled how muchthey had to overcome to make the journey, theyfound a rewarding sense of accomplishment. AsPauline puts it: “Although it was the most men-tally and physically challenging thing that I’veever done, I returned home more relaxed – ormaybe ‘serene’ is the word — than ever.”

Serene — like the view from atop Africa’smighty Kilimanjaro.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME — Camp 5 for theclimbers and their guides. From this camp they wouldcontinue their eight-day climb to Kilimanjaro’s UhuruPeak at 19,340 feet.

Kilimanjaro(Continued from page 16)

ELLEN MEEKS (foreground) with Pauline Ho (6245) and their guides making theirway up the trail to the top of Kilimanjaro. The ascent to the top would take sev-eral more days of rigorous climbing.


t 8 a.m. last Sept. 9, Pauline Ho, RickBuss, Ellen Meeks, and Mike Coltrinstepped triumphantly onto the highestsummit on the African continent. Asthe team gazed upon the glaciers andplains stretching out below them, theyreflected on how much they had over-come in reaching this serene vista.

Together, they had just endured the most men-tally and physically chal-lenging thing they had everdone — conquering MountKilimanjaro.

This unlikely team ofhikers became friends yearsearlier through their workat Sandia’s New Mexicoand Livermore sites.Spouses Rick (1517) andPauline (6245) met the cou-ple Kevin McCarty (8756)and Ellen Meeks (formerly8757, on entrepreneurialleave with Reaction Design)at Livermore throughcoworker Mike Coltrin(1126). The idea to climbKilimanjaro came one daywhile casually discussing climbing distant moun-tains, and soon the group began making plans toreach the peak.

‘Conceivably’ is key term hereClimbers describe Kilimanjaro as a “nontech-

nical” climb because, conceivably, any fit personcan climb it. “Conceivably” is the key term here.The 19,340-foot ascent to Kilimanjaro’s highestpeak (called Uhuru) is rife with dangers andobstacles. Of the nearly 15,000 people who

attempt to climb Kilimanjaro every year, fewerthan 40 percent reach the summit.

Even though the team members are all expe-rienced hikers, they agree that reaching the sum-mit of Kilimanjaro was tougher than theyexpected, pitting their stamina and abilitiesagainst Tanzania’s great mountain.

Over the course of the eight-day climb, Mike,Pauline, Rick, Ellen, and Kevin transitioned

through six distinct climatezones — from steamy, fer-tile grasslands to Kiliman-jaro’s barren, arctic sum-mit. The mountain’sequatorial location andincredible height create theextraordinary conditions forexperiencing almost everyclimate type on Earth dur-ing the journey to the top.

Eight days before “sum-mit day,” the expeditionbegan, venturing out intothe forests of Tanzaniaearly on the morning ofSept. 2. Spotted monkeysand exotic birds watchedcuriously as the team ram-

bled through the lush Tanzanian vegetation, ledby guides Elias (pronounced “el-LEE-as”) andCharles Malisa. Energized by the excitement ofthe journey, the Americans and Tanzanians con-versed about where they were from and the jobsthey did when they weren’t climbing massivemountains. At this stage of the adventure, talk —and breath — came easy.

As the team settled into camp that firstevening, they carefully took note of their vitalsigns and oxygen levels, a practice they would

observe religiously on thetrek. One of the greatestobstacles facing them wouldbe the harsh effects thatextreme altitudes would haveon their bodies. Ultimately,every member of the ascentteam experienced some degreeof altitude sickness.

In the worst cases, alti-tude sickness can quicklybecome a disorder known asacute mountain sickness — afamiliar affliction of experi-enced climbers. At high alti-tudes, the lack of oxygen caninflict severe headaches, nau-sea, dizziness, disorientation,muscle pain, and even deathupon its victims.

On Day 2, emerging outof the rainforest, the groupwas rewarded with their first

glimpse of their destination: the Kibo volcano. Ascloud cover lifted from around the summit, theteam stopped to relax, and using Rick's binoculars,looked across the Shira Plateau to the Lava Tower,the trail to Arrow Glacier, and the Western Breach— the landmarks that would serve as mileposts forthe rest of the trek.

Commotion on the fifth nightThe climb progressed remarkably well until

the camp awoke in a commotion on the fifthnight. Kevin McCarty, who had been experienc-ing heartburn and digestive troubles the last cou-ple of days, had suddenly taken a turn for theworse. His body temperature was plummeting,and he had begun vomiting uncontrollably. Theteam’s guide, Elias, fed him hot water and honey inan attempt to bring his temperature back to normal.

The team was deeply concerned aboutKevin’s health. No one knew what was wrong,but it seemed clear it wasn’t altitude sickness.

ON THE WAY UP — Progressing up the trail, climberMike Coltrin (1126, foreground) and colleagues pauseto take in the views and take a few photographs.


ON THE SUMMIT — Pauline, Rick, Ellen, andMike with their Tanzanian guides gathered atopUhuru Peak, Tanzania, Africa’s highest point.

KILIMANJARO’S KIBO VOLCANO’S inner crater and ash pit. From here, theclimbers would start the next day at dawn for the final push to reach Uhuru Peak.

california site celebrates 50 years and rededicates · california site celebrates 50 years and...

Documents