Lab wins awards at FLC regional meeting

November 3, 2010—LANL recently won three awards at the 2010 Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Mid-Continent and Far West Regional Meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The FLC is a nationwide network of federal laboratories that strives to link laboratory-developed technologies and expertise with the private sector. More than 250 major federal laboratories and centers and their parent departments and agencies are FLC members.

The categories in which the Lab received recognition are Excellence in Technology Transfer, Notable Technology Development, and 2010 Outstanding Service Award.

Excellence in Technology Transfer: Reagent-less Optical Biosensor (ROB)

The award for Excellence in Technology Transfer recognizes employees of FLC member laboratories and non-laboratory staff who have accomplished outstanding work in transferring federally developed technology. LANL's Reagent-less Optical Biosensor (ROB) technology identifies and quantifies pathogenic proteins in complex fluid samples. The technology consists of a protein-specific assay cartridge and a sensor readout unit. Team members are Basil Swanson of Chemistry (C-DO), Harshini Mukundan of Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (C-PCS), and Karen Grace of Space Instrumentation Systems (ISR-4). Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corporation licensed ROB.

Notable Technology Development: Superluminal RADAR System

The award for Notable Technology Development recognizes outstanding technologies likely to be employed in either government or commercial applications. A LANL team developed the Superluminal RADAR System, which has the potential to change the way future RADAR systems operate. The team built a radio transmitter composed of an array of external electrodes and a radio wave source that moves superluminally, or faster than light, to make the system countermeasure resistant. Team members are John Singleton of Condensed Matter and Magnet Science (MPA-CMMS) and collaborators A. Schmidt, J. Fasel III, and D. Bizzozero of Process Modeling and Analysis (AET-2), J. Middleditch of Information Sciences (CCS-3), T. Graves of Statistical Sciences (CCS-6), W. Junor of Space & Remote Sensing (ISR-2), D. Dalmas, L. Earley, I. Higginson, F. Krawczyk, Q. Marksteiner, J. Quenzer, W. Romero, and Z. Wang of High Power Electrodynamics (ISR-6), and P. Sengupta of (MPA-CMMS).

2010 Outstanding Service Award: Kathleen McDonald

This year's Outstanding Service Award went to Kathleen McDonald of Technology Transfer (TT) Division. The award recognizes an FLC member-lab representative or alternate, or affiliate members who have made significant contributions to innovative developments in technology transfer, outreach to a new and viable FLC, leadership in regional FLC programs and initiatives, or other contributions benefiting the technology transfer mission.

McDonald has worked in TT Division for about 13 years. Since 2008, she has served on the FLC Executive Board as recording secretary and on Legal and Policy, State and Local Government, and the Program committees.