Science

Los Alamos Scientist Sherri R. Bingert Honored

Sherri R. Bingert

SCIENCE News:

Sherri R. Bingert, retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) after 28 years where she was a Guest Scientist, received the “Distinguished Service to Powder Metallurgy” award from the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) for her outstanding career achievements.

Established in 1968, the award was presented by MPIF President Patrick McGeehan at POWDERMET2017, the International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials, in Las Vegas, Nev. MPIF is the trade association for the North American metal powder and Read More

UbiQD Expands New Mexico-Based Team

UbiQD VP of Business Development Steve Reinhard, Operations Manager Liseth Garay and R&D Chemist Nicolai Archuleta have joined the company at 134 Eastgate Dr. in Los Alamos. Courtesy/UbiQD

BUSINESS News:

UbiQD, LLC, a New Mexico-based nanotechnology materials development company headquartered in Los Alamos, announced today that it has welcomed three new employees to its team. Two fulfill key business roles for the startup, and all three have Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees. Steve Reinhard has joined UbiQD as the vice president of Business Development, Liseth Read More

James M. Boncella, Los Alamos Actinide Chemist, Named Fellow In American Chemical Society

James M. Boncella selected as a 2017 Fellow in the American Chemical Society. Courtsy/LANL 

LANL News:

James M. Boncella, deputy group leader in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Inorganic, Isotope and Actinide Chemistry group, has been selected as a 2017 Fellow in the American Chemical Society (ACS). 

The ACS Fellows Program recognizes members who have both made exceptional scientific contributions and who have provided excellent volunteer service to the ACS community.

Boncella was selected as Fellow for his seminal discoveries in actinide chemistry and for his long and Read More

LAF&SF Features Bob Reinovsky Wednesday

The community is invited to attend the LAF&SF talk by Bob Reinovsky Wednesday at 1738 N Sage Loop. Courtesy/ESA/Hubble, NASA

LAF&SF News:

Bob Reinovsky continues the Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum summer series Wednesday, June 28 by speaking on “Hopelessness”. 

The theme of the summer series talks is “Hope: Science, Religion and the Future”.

The meeting formats include a light supper at 6 p.m., talk at 6:30 p.m., followed by questions for the speaker and then table discussions. These talks are in the Fellowship Hall of the Unitarian Church at 1738 N Sage Loop in Los Alamos. Read More

Scientists Solve Mystery Of Unexplained ‘Bright Nights’

The different layers of Earth’s airglow can be seen from the International Space Station as it orbits Earth. The very thin green layer above the bottom of the window occurs 95 kilometers (59 miles) above Earth’s surface; the red region above is a different type of airglow. The rectangle represents the portion of the airglow measured in a single WINDII image. Courtesy/American Geophysical Union
 
AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dating back to the first century, scientists, philosophers and reporters have noted the occasional occurrence of “bright nights,” when an unexplained glow
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AGU: Extraordinary Storms Cause Massive Antarctic Sea Ice Loss In 2016

By LAUREN LIPUMA
American Geophysical Union
 
A series of unprecedented storms over the Southern Ocean likely caused the most dramatic decline in Antarctic sea ice seen to date, a new study finds.
 
Antarctic sea ice – frozen ocean water that rings the southernmost continent – has grown over the past few decades but declined sharply in late 2016. By March of 2017 – the end of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer – Antarctic sea ice had reached its lowest area since records began in 1978.
 
In a new study, scientists puzzled by the sudden ice loss matched satellite images of Antarctica
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Crowd Gathers For Georgetown Theologian, Professor John Haught Lecture At Fuller Lodge

A crowd turned out Thursday at Fuller Lodge to hear Professor John Haught lecture on ‘Science, Religion, And Cosmic Purpose’. Photo by Morrie Pongratz

Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum News:

A crowd gathered at Fuller Lodge Thursday evening to hear Georgetown Theologian, Professor John Haught, lecture on “Science, Religion, and Cosmic Purpose”.

Professor Haught addressed the question of whether the universe may reasonably be said to have a purpose. Professor Haught said that evolution has shown us that there is a cosmic drama or story and it is still unfolding. Following the ideas presented Read More

The Curious Case Of The Warped Kuiper Belt

A yet-to-be-discovered, unseen ‘planetary mass object’ makes its existence known by ruffling the orbital plane of distant Kuiper Belt objects, according to research by Kat Volk and Renu Malhotra of the UA’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. The object is pictured on a wide orbit far beyond Pluto in this artist’s illustration. Courtesy/Heather Roper/LPL
 
UA News:
 
TUCSON, Ariz. — An unknown, unseen “planetary mass object” may lurk in the outer reaches of our solar system, according to new research on the orbits of minor planets to be published
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SFI: The InterPlanetary Project Panel Discussion July 18

SFI News:
 
At 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 18, The InterPlanetary Project‘s kick-off event is a panel discussion at the historic Lensic Performing Arts Center in downtown Santa Fe.
 
Panelists will consider questions like these: What will it take to become an InterPlanetary civilization? How should we address the most pressing problems of Earth to tackle a challenge at this scale? What will success mean for future generations? What is holding humanity back and what do we all need to achieve in terms of novel governance, new technologies, shared resources,
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AGU: Wildfires Pollute Much More Than Previously Thought

AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Summer wildfires boost air pollution considerably more than previously believed.
 
Naturally burning timber and brush launch what are called fine particles into the air at a rate three times as high as levels noted in emissions inventories at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study. The microscopic specks that form aerosols are a hazard to human health, particularly to the lungs and heart.
 
“Burning biomass produces lots of pollution. These are really bad aerosols to breathe from a health point of view,” said
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