2023 Community Highlights Marquee

Community Highlights

2023 Community Highlights

The Laboratory, its employees, and its managing contractor Triad are committed to help Northern New Mexico thrive by partnering with organizations throughout the region.

We focus on three main areas:

  • Improving educational opportunities for children
  • Promoting economic and workforce development, to grow small businesses and help people into jobs
  • Supporting nonprofits as they help address issues facing the community

To enhance and expand the Laboratory’s work in the community, managing contractor Triad National Security, LLC, invests in nonprofit programs in the region under its own Community Commitment Plan.

Information in this report is from FY 2023 (which runs Oct. 1 2022 - Sept. 30 2023), except where stated.

Education

The success of the region and of Los Alamos National Laboratory depends on skilled people. To help produce better education outcomes for students, the Laboratory supports initiatives from elementary school through higher education.

Challenge Tomorrow
Students explore one of the Challenge Tomorrow STEM education trailers during a visit to Pojoaque Valley Middle School, August 2023.
  • The Bradbury Science Museum’s Challenge Tomorrow traveling STEM experience brought the Laboratory's research, innovations and people to 10 events, serving 3188 students and families across five New Mexico counties. Budding scientists and learners of all ages can chat with employee volunteer Challenge Ambassadors, try out real tools and tech, and explore future careers.
  • 317 LANL employees provided 3,978 service hours to nonprofit and educational organizations in Northern NM, impacting an estimated 2,200 students, teachers and community members.
  • The Los Alamos Employees Scholarship Fund awarded $839,000 in scholarships to 110 four-year students in 2023.
  • STEM Days at Cochiti Elementary School and Carlos F. Vigil Middle School, in partnership with Sandia National Laboratory and the Bradbury Science Museum, offered students hands-on STEM activities and insight from LANL employees into their career paths.
  • The Laboratory’s Math and Science Academy (MSA) completed the Regional Partnership School program, a five-year partnership with Pojoaque Valley School District. Partnership highlights included:
    • Providing mathematics professional development support to Pojoaque mathematics teachers in grades 4-8
    • Developing systems of mathematics professional learning and continuous improvement within schools
    • Developing a mathematics intervention program and after-school program for fourth and fifth grade students, as well as a summer math camp and after-school program for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students
  • The MSA started new partnerships with the Math Teacher Leader Network (MTLN Next-Gen.), a three-year engagement in professional learning designed to further develop teachers' knowledge, practices, leadership and use of collaborative approaches to improving teaching practice and student learning. Thirty teacher leaders and school leaders from seven schools in northern New Mexico have begun the program.
  • The LANL Math Teacher Leader Network participant Lynda Spencer, principal of Blanco Elementary School was selected as a NM Magazine True Hero.
  • Bradbury Science Museum’s educators served 148 teachers and approximately 3,176 students from 37 different schools through virtual field trips and in-person classroom and museum visits. The Museum’s Summer Science on Wheels program served approximately 544 students within the Española School District and 45 students from San Ildefonso Pueblo. 
  • The seventh annual free two-week Summer Physics Camp for Young Women took place in June, hosting 32 New Mexico high-schoolers from 16 different school districts.

Workforce and Economic Development

The Laboratory invests and partners in workforce and economic development initiatives that train future employees, create jobs and help businesses grow.

Nmbio
Through the NMSBA program Laboratory researchers helped Santa Fe-based Mercury Bio understand how silencing RNA (siRNA) could treat human diseases. The company is continuing to work with the Laboratory in a Technology Readiness Initiative project.
  • The Laboratory’s pipeline programs address critical skills for a growing workforce:
    •  The Laboratory has three formal partnerships in place with regional colleges for workforce development pipeline programs.
    • In partnership with NNSA, the Laboratory also provided funding for additional workforce development programs at 11 regional colleges in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
    • A new agreement between LANL and Northern New Mexico College under the Department of Energy’s Mentor Protégé Program builds capacity for the college and supports workforce development in IT and cybersecurity areas.
  • The New Mexico Small Business Assistance program assisted 133 for-profit businesses in New Mexico with access to subject matter experts and cutting-edge technologies at Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories to solve technical challenges, attracting $51.6 million in new financing, and creating or retaining 985 jobs. (2022 data, the latest available) 
  • The Laboratory spent $931 million on procurement in New Mexico in the 2023 fiscal year, including $616 million with New Mexico small businesses.
  • The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (New Mexico LEEP) announced the fellows in the program’s 2023 cohort. The program, offered at Los Alamos National Laboratory, provides a two-year fellowship for entrepreneurs focusing on deep tech for national security.

Community

Giving Laboratory employees are committed to community service, and work to improve the quality of life for people in the region through giving their time, talent and money to STEM projects and other nonprofit activities.

Ramp
Laboratory volunteers helping at a New Mexico Ramp Project build.
  • Employees donated:
  • The Community Technical Assistance program allowed nonprofit, tribal, and non-Federal government entities in Northern New Mexico to access the unique expertise and capabilities of the Laboratory on a variety of technical challenges at no cost to the organizations. Among the projects was a data sprint in which LANL data scientists partnered with regional nonprofits Twirl and Self Help, Inc to analyze the impact of their programs.
  • The Laboratory organized 18 blood drives with 853 donors giving 1004 units of blood, enough to save 3,012 lives.
  • The Laboratory’s Community Partnerships Office team hosted 30 employee volunteer events supporting the following local nonprofit organizations: The Food Depot, Habitat for Humanity, San Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen, Food 4 Kids NM, The New Mexico Ramp Project, Española Pathways Shelter, and the Interfaith Community Shelter.
  • In the 2023 Laboratory Food Drive employees donated $57,648 and 587 pounds of food, providing 233,527 meals to Northern New Mexicans. In addition, 51 employees took part in five volunteer events.

Triad’s Community Commitment Plan

Building on the Laboratory’s work in the community, managing contractor Triad National Security, LLC, invests in nonprofit programs in the region under its own Community Commitment Plan. In accordance with the plan, Triad invested $2.5 million in the LANL Foundation, Regional Development Corporation, United Way of NNM and more than 70 other nonprofit organizations.

Community Pic Chart 2023
Bike Shop
Los Alamos-based bike shop Beanie’s Bikes received a grant from the Micro-Grant Fund administered by the Triad-supported Regional Development Corporation to help purchase equipment to support their expansion into bicycle frame building.

Support for Education

Triad made grants totaling $796,000 to 19 education nonprofits and organizations supporting education programs across Northern New Mexico.

Triad’s investment in the LANL Foundation supported a range of initiatives with the aim of unlocking the potential of the region’s young people in four areas: scholarships and post-graduation support, expanding access to college and career pathways; preparing and supporting teachers, and promoting STEM education. Initiatives include:

  • Strengthening education opportunities with additional support for needs-based scholarships (both four-year, and two-year or trade certification), and support for LANL Scholars during their studies and after graduation
  • Expanding career technical education opportunities through partnerships with high schools, higher education institutions and education and workforce leaders from Pueblos, Tribes and Nations
  • Supporting Northern NM College and Native-serving high schools to strengthen pathways for recruiting Native teachers and counselors
  • Preparing and supporting teachers in Northern New Mexico by expanding the current National Board Certification (NBC) training programs
  • Supporting the work of the Northern NM STEAM Coalition and Hub to nurture a thriving coalition for STEAM in the region
  • Providing funding to support Northern New Mexico students to participate in STEM competitions, including the NM Governor’s STEM Challenge

Support For Economic Diversity

Triad’s investment in the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) helped the regional economy throughout 2023:

  • 471 businesses received technical assistance through onsite or phone consultations, or through RDC events and workshops.
  • 50 regional businesses – 59% of them women-owned – were awarded an average of $2,715 in Micro-Grant Fund grants to acquire services or equipment needed for growth.  
  • 10 regional businesses were awarded no-interest loans totaling $196,547 through the Technology and Manufacturing (TEAM) Fund to assist with the cost of patent applications, equipment to increase production and efficiency, product packaging design and development, and ISO-9000 certification.
  • 10 tribal member-owned businesses from six Northern New Mexico pueblos were awarded grants averaging $6,570 through the Tribal Economic Diversity Fund.
  • Partnerships with six regional institutions of higher education continued throughout 2023. UNM-Taos, UNM-Los Alamos, Luna Community College, New Mexico Highlands University, Northern New Mexico College, and Santa Fe Community College received funding for workforce training and education programs tailored to the region’s needs.

Support for Nonprofits

Triad magnified the generosity of Laboratory employees by providing a match of $0.50 on the dollar for employee contributions to qualified charitable organizations in Northern New Mexico.

Triad’s support for United Way of Northern New Mexico allowed UWNNM to continue its work in its main focus areas: youth engagement and nonprofit collaboration and capacity building.

UWNNM highlights include:

  • Establishing a youth leadership program, including a series of youth forums, access to leadership training, and gathering data and testimonials to shape future developments in  the program
  • Supporting the UNITE! Nonprofit Network, which fosters active collaboration among over 40 nonprofit organizations to address community needs, and receive training on fundraising, grant-writing and strategic partnerships

Triad 2023 grants and sponsorships to the following organizations:

Education ($796,000.00)
APS Education Foundation
Association of Chinese-American Engineers & Scientists of NM
Climate Advocates Voces Unidas
Collins Lake Autism Center
Computer Science Alliance
Explora
Girls Inc. of Santa Fe
Institute for Computing in Research
Institute for Science Education NM
LANL Foundation
McCurdy School of Northern NM
North American Digital Fabrication Alliance
Pajarito Environmental Education Center
Pojoaque Valley Schools Education Foundation
Santa Fe Children's Museum
STEMarts Lab
STEM Santa Fe
Summer Physics Camp for Young Women
Twirl Play & Discovery Space
Economic Diversity and Workforce Development ($822,000.00 )
American Indian Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico
Carlsbad Community Foundation
Espanola Valley Chamber of Commerce
Hermit's Peak Watershed Alliance
Innovate+Educate
Las Vegas First Community Service Foundation
Leadership NM
Los Alamos Institutes
MANA del Norte
Mora Economic Development Corporation
Northern NM College
NMIDEA
NM Outdoor Recreation Business Alliance
Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board
Questa Economic Development Fund
Regional Development Corporation
River Source Fund at Partners in Education Foundation
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps
Santa Fe Business Incubator
Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce
Santa Fe Farmers' Market Institute
Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Service Corps of Retired Executives Association - SCORE
Taos County Chamber of Commerce
Teach For America New Mexico 
UNM-Los Alamos
UNM-Taos
Youthworks
Community Giving ($685,081.00 )
Triad match to regional nonprofits
Espanola Pathways Shelter
Esperanza Shelter
Friends of the Questa Public Library
Girls on the Run Santa Fe
Growing Up New Mexico
Homewise
Interfaith Community Shelter
Little Globe
Los Alamos Community Foundation
Los Alamos Family Council
Los Alamos Institutes
Many Mothers
Mesa to Mesa
Mind & Melody
New Mexico Ramp Project
Nonviolence Works
Santa Fe Youth Symphony
San Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen
Taos County Chamber of Commerce
The Family YMCA 
Vista Grande Public Library

Letter from the Triad Board Chair, Jay Sures

Jay Sures

I am proud to write to you as the new chair of the Triad Board, and I’d like to thank previous chair Michael Anastasio for his outstanding service. Although I’m new to the position, I have served as a member of the University of California (UC) Board of Regents since 2019, including as chair of the National Laboratories Committee, and I am also the chair of Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC Board of Governors. 

As the vice chair and one of the four managing directors at United Talent Agency (UTA), I oversee the day-to-day operation of the company and directly oversee the agency’s television, news broadcasting and speakers divisions.

Supporting nonprofit and community activities has always been important to me, and I’m looking forward to helping shape Triad’s philanthropic commitment, in consultation with leaders in the region. I am proud to have co-founded the UTA Foundation, which is the agency’s nonprofit organization that helps to raise awareness on pressing social issues, implements social goods programs and provides resources to other non-profits. I have also had the opportunity to serve as vice chair of the board of directors for the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation and vice chair of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which is responsible for the annual “Stand Up To Cancer” event.

It has now been more than five years since Triad National Security, LLC took over the management and operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory. In that time Triad has invested $11 million through its Community Commitment Plan expanding and enhancing the reach of the Laboratory’s community work in education, economic diversity, and community giving.

The three members of Triad – Battelle Memorial Institute, the Texas A&M University System, and the University of California  – are all public service-oriented organizations, and Triad is committed to sustaining and deepening the Laboratory’s partnership with the community for the benefit of the region and the Laboratory.

In 2023 Triad invested $2.5 million in the region through support for nonprofits including our major partnerships with the LANL Foundation, the Regional Development Corporation and the United Way of Northern New Mexico. A list of our other nonprofit grants and sponsorships is provided above.

A particular highlight in 2023 was Triad and Triad member UC providing financial support to enhance the child care options for Los Alamos National Laboratory employees and others in the region (this is in addition to our $2.5 million nonprofit investment). 

UC provided $2 million for remodeling and furnishings at the child care center which opens this year. Triad has pledged additional ongoing financial support for operations of the new facility. 

As part of this effort, Triad and the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) have also spearheaded a new, two-year certificate in Early Childhood Education at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos to help existing child care businesses to hire more employees and expand their offerings.

Triad wholeheartedly supports the Laboratory’s continued commitment to be recognized as a force for good by Northern New Mexico communities, and we look forward to building on the impact of our investment in the years ahead.

Jay Sures
Board Chair, Triad National Security, LLC