LDRD science serving the nation showcased at D.C. symposium

Los Alamos was lead lab at this year's tri-lab conference

Principal Associate Director for Global Security Will Rees speaking at the tri-lab symposium June 9 in Washington, D.C. Rees talked about reducing global threats through innovative science and technology.

June 16, 2010—More than 200 researchers from the national laboratories, including Los Alamos, as well as government officials, industry and the military participated in the 2010 NNSA Laboratory Directed Research and Development Symposium, "Reducing the Global Danger of Weapons of Mass Destruction," last week in Washington, D.C.

Los Alamos was the lead laboratory at this year's conference, which explored investments that the NNSA laboratories and the Nevada Test Site are making to reduce the global danger of weapons of mass destruction. The conference also included presentations and a poster session focusing on nuclear counterterrorism, arms control and treaty monitoring, and countering biological and chemical threats.

"The 2010 LDRD symposium had a fantastic turnout. We took a big step towards helping the federal community understand the value of LDRD to the nation," said Los Alamos LDRD Program Manager Bill Priedhorsky. "LDRD is the heart of the Laboratory's innovation," he continued, noting that having lab scientists and engineers interacting with officials from other agencies helps increase awareness and knowledge of LDRD programs at the national laboratories.

The symposium Web page has more information.

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Dana Dattelbaum, left, of Shock and Detonation Physics (WX-9), describes her LDRD research about explosives initiation for threat evaluation and mitigation at the tri-lab symposium. Photos by Robert Severi