Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory



Ten teams of Laboratory researchers and engineers and one individual were honored with Defense Programs Awards of Excellence from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The S-1 Long-Term Deterrence Study of Emerging Threats Team contributed to the tri-lab study of emerging threats and possible implications for U.S. nuclear deterrence in the 21st century. The High-Z Diffraction Team helped demonstrate the technical and facility readiness needed to execute the first high-pressure high-Z diffraction experiment at the National Ignition Facility. The E-MSAD Team made significant contributions to the Weapons Program and improved legacy mechanical-safety-and-arming device (MSAD) design, safety, and producibility for future generations. The Additive Manufacturing Focused Experiment Team designed, manufactured, and executed the first physics hydrotest using additive-manufacturing techniques and materials. The Intermediate Range KEP Arena Test Team designed, manufactured, and executed an arena test of a new intermediate-range kinetic energy projectile (KEP) warhead concept for the Navy’s Strategic Systems Program. The Reuse Hydrotest Team designed, manufactured, and executed a hydrotest series to validate an innovative pit-reuse concept in support of the IW-1. The Direct Ink Write Cushion Team developed an exceptionally creative additive-manufacturing process for producing cushions and pads. The Deterministic Particle Transport Team developed highly scalable, next-generation transport capabilities. The Advancement in the Understanding of Boost Team improved understanding of boost by developing advanced analytical models. The Laboratory Bluebook Team conducted work in support of the Bluebook Update Program, requested by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, the Department of Energy, and NNSA. Thomas McAbee, leader of the Primary Metrics Project at Livermore, helped enhance the primary metrics suite as a tool for design assessment, which contributes significantly to the Laboratory’s stockpile stewardship mission.

Brigadier General Stephen L. Davis, acting deputy administrator for Defense Programs, presented the awards. Approximately 10 percent of the awards given complex-wide were elevated to “Exceptional Achievements.” The two groups to receive this recognition were the Direct Ink Write Cushion Team and the Advancement in the Understanding of Boost Team.


The team responsible for executing the Observations for Model Intercomparisons (obs4MIPs) project, a joint effort between NASA and the Department of Energy to make NASA and other satellite data sets more accessible for global climate model evaluation, has been awarded a NASA Group Achievement Award. The team, which includes Livermore’s Peter Gleckler, Karl Taylor, and Denis Nadeau of the Laboratory’s Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, was recognized for “…innovative leadership and implementation of the NASA Observations for Model Intercomparisons project and its contribution to the international climate research community.” The results of obs4MIPs dramatically reduce the data preparation workload for climate scientists and significantly increase the impact of NASA observations on international climate modeling and assessment research and development.



Lawrence Livermore’s Roger Rocha and Mark Zagar were recently honored with Patriot Awards from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an office of the Department of Defense. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers. The Patriot Award recognizes supervisors for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employees who participate in America’s Reserve and National Guard. Rocha, deputy principal associate director for operations, and Zagar, nuclear and hazardous operations manager, are part of Livermore’s Weapons and Complex Integration Principal Directorate. Brian Cracchiola, the facility manager of the Laboratory’s High Explosives Applications Facility and a 26-year Army reservist, nominated his supervisors.