Senator Ben Ray Luján speaks during a press conference Friday afternoon at the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. Photo by Mayor O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
Dr. Thom Mason discusses CHIPS and the Science Act Friday afternoon at the Bradbury Science Museum. Photo by Mayor O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
LANL Director Thom Mason, Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and Sandia National Lab Director James Peery are ready to answer questions during Friday’s press conference. Photo by Mayor O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
James Peery, director of Sandia National Laboratories, Friday afternoon at the Bradbury Science Museum. Photo by Mayor O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
LANL PRESS RELEASE
At a press conference Friday afternoon at the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, directors of Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs joined Senator Ben Ray Luján to discuss the CHIPS and scientific law, which was signed into law this week, and how it will benefit National Laboratories in New Mexico. The funds will be used to help fund infrastructure improvements used for basic science research, as well as research itself, such as climate change, sustainable energy, quantum computing, biomedical research and others. critical areas of science and technology.
“This bill will enable additional groundbreaking research in the areas of quantum computing, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, sustainable fuels, and nanotechnology, among others,” said the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Thom Mason. “It will also help fund improvements to the Laboratory’s infrastructure used for basic science. I am very grateful for the strong leadership of Senator Lujan and the rest of the Congressional delegation in shaping the final legislation.
Mason added that this work is essential for national security. “The pre-eminence of American science and technology is part of our deterrent force,” he said.
At Los Alamos, facilities that could benefit from infrastructure funding include the Linear Accelerator, which produces critical medical isotopes that are used to treat tens of thousands of patients each year, and the Center for Integrated Nanotecnologies, which is a joint nanoscience research facility with Sandia National Labs that has a footprint in both Los Alamos and Albuquerque, and can contribute to microelectronics needs.
“It was an honor to join Los Alamos Director Mason and Sandia Director Peery today in highlighting the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act, a transformative piece of legislation that will reinvigorate manufacturing, research and development. scientists of our country,” said Senator Luján. “As I negotiated this bill, I knew that Los Alamos and Sandia would continue to be science leaders in our country, but only if Congress continued to invest in their success. I am confident that New Mexico labs will continue to lead our country with this new funding and write the next scientific chapter in our country’s history books.
Senator Luján also noted that the Inflation Reduction Actwhich was passed today by the US House of Representatives, will also help fund infrastructure improvements.
“CHIPS is good for our country, good for New Mexico, and good for our national labs,” said Sandia National Labs Manager James Peery. “It will fund advances in microelectronics and groundbreaking initiatives in energy and science. These investments in semiconductor R&D, laboratory infrastructure, and technology transfer will keep America at the forefront of innovation.
The exact dollar amount that will be awarded to Los Alamos and Sandia is not yet known. The two national labs will have to compete with other labs across the country for funding.
Photo caption: Senator Ben Ray Luján (center), Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason (left), and Sandia National Laboratories Director James Peery (right) at a press conference in Los Alamos on Friday to discuss the CHIPS and Science Act. Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Media contact: Laura Mullane, mullane@lanl.gov, 505-412-7733