Summer is off to a great start at LLF!
Expanded student programs and research initiatives are underway. None of this would be possible without your generous support! Following is an update and roundup of our summer activities:Foundation partners with LLNL to form ALS research consortium
LLF and Lawrence Livermore (LLNL) have partnered to explore the establishment of a consortium that would leverage the Laboratory’s computing capabilities to identify causal factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. One of the challenges in ALS research is to identify the elusive biomarkers for the disease. Biomarkers are biological molecules found in blood, other body fluids or tissues that are a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition.
Under a newly signed strategic partnership project agreement, the Foundation will provide funds to the Laboratory to establish membership and scope for a research consortium including research hospitals, universities and other organizations whose expertise, combined with LLNL’s unique capabilities, will help improve understanding of the disease and accelerate the development of new therapies and treatments.
CSUEB Student Alan Noun awarded scholarship/internship
Alan Noun, a computer science student at Cal State University East Bay (CSUEB), is the recipient of the Foundation’s first full-year scholarship/internship. In partnership with CSUEB, LLF is awarding Noun a one-year stipend to allow him to devote more time to academics by reducing work he needs to do to support himself. The scholarship also provides Noun the opportunity to work as a scientist-intern under the tutelage of nationally recognized scientists and engineers at LLNL. A team of CSUEB, LLF and LLNL leaders selected Noun for this first-time scholarship/internship.
Noun began his summer internship in the Data Science Summer Institute on June 17. He will work with one of the imagery teams developing neural network models using synthetic imagery for Geospatial Analysis. When his summer internship ends on Sept. 6, Alan will resume CSUEB classes while engaging in weekly interactions with his LLNL mentors until his graduation in May 2020.
Spreading the Word
We continue spreading the word about LLF. Each LLF event, 1:1 meeting, and presentation helps LLF to garner new supporters and project ideas. Please reach out if your organization wants to schedule a talk with LLF’s president. We encourage you to spread the word to colleagues, friends, and neighbors!
High School Interns return to Lab
LLF is teaming up with LLNL for a second year supporting the High School Summer Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Outreach Internship Program. The program began last year with six internships in Engineering. This year the Computing Directorate and Physical & Life Sciences (PLS) also will host Internships, and the number of students is expanding from six to twelve.
In coordination with the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, LLNL and LLF representatives started early this year to spread the word about the program. An event was staged at local Livermore High Schools. The events varied, but the purpose behind the events was to inform students about the Lab and the internship program. After the presentation there was time to interact with the students, answer questions and explain how to apply for the internships. The Lab received 174 applications and with the help of teachers, principals and counselors, selected twelve lucky students from Del Valle High, Livermore High and Granada High schools
The interns will begin their internships at the Lab on July 15 and work until August 8. Their internship will include experience working on a scientific team; mentorship by Lab employees; lunch with a scientist once a week; and tours of a variety of Lab facilities. The students will be teamed up with another student and receive hands on experience with LLNL science and engineering projects. They will learn how to create a scientific poster and be coached on how to present and speak about their work. The culmination of their work will be participating in the Lab’s annual poster symposium with undergraduate and graduate students. A repeat performance for the benefit of family, school board members, Lab mentors, and community members will take place August 8.
The goal of this program is to provide students encouragement and hands-on experience in a STEM career. The student team projects are listed below:
Team Project Experiments:
- Engineering: Micro/Nano Technology – Printed circuit board design for photo hall effect
- Engineering: Bioengineering – Fabrication of surgical tool for neural implants
- Engineering: Additive Manufacturing – 3D printing of Mechanical Logic Gates
- Computing: Simulating Atmospheric Models at Large Scale
- Physical & Life Sciences: Simulating Properties of Matter
On August 8, LLF will celebrate the accomplishments of these high school summer interns on LLNL’s Open Campus. In attendance will be Livermore community leaders and LLF supporters, including school district administrators, school board leadership, city government officials, LLNL senior administrators, and LLF’s leadership team.
We look forward to sharing highlights in our August newsletter.
New Veterans Effort
LLF is proud to support veterans’ initiatives at LLNL for the first time. Employees at the Lab, dedicated to veterans’ initiatives, have donated restricted funds to the LLF to support this effort. In addition, Las Positas College, contributed to the LLF for veterans’ initiatives through their Cycling 4 Vets program. Las Positas College’s Interim President Roanna Bennie recognized these efforts in her February report to the LPC community. The donated funds are being considered for a Coding Workshop to introduce those who may be natural developers to the base skills of coding. We hope to uncover hidden talent within the veterans’ community and thereby help form the next generation of software developers at LLNL.
We need your help to sponsor Girls Who Code BIG!
One of LLF’s first accomplishments was our support of a Girls Who Code (GWC) workshop at the Lab in October 2017. In 2019, LLF would like to bring GWC back but needs your help to do so. LLF is calling upon supporters to help raise $20,000 to fund this exciting program for 25 high school students, hosting them at the Lab for multiple days of hands-on programming specific to supercomputers. Supercomputers are extremely powerful research tools for a wide range of science domains, and using them efficiently requires unique skills.
GWC Big would provide computer cluster hardware to students’ schools upon project completion to allow GWC students—and their classmates at their respective schools—to benefit for several years. Please help us reach our goal of bringing GWC students to LLNL by donating to our campaign. As a reminder, 100 percent of your donation will go directly to important programs like this.
LLF welcomes two new faces
LLF Welcomes Sally Allen
Sally Allen, an experienced nonprofit and program manager will join LLF as Executive Director, effective July 1st. In this role, Sally will work closely with President Dona Crawford and directors to identify strategic opportunities and programs that ‘open the door to the future.’
Sally brings more than 20 years of professional knowledge and tangible skills to help manage the Foundation at this pivotal stage of its development. Throughout her academic, professional, and volunteer pursuits, she has sought to contribute to mission-driven organizations such as the LLF. You may read Sally’s bio here, reach her via email, or via phone at 925-272-8468.
Welcome Dr. Craig Leasure!
LLF is pleased to welcome Dr. Craig Leasure to its Board of Directors. Dr. Leasure has extensive executive management experience in government and industry. He understands the capabilities of the national labs, including LLNL, and values the principles driving the Foundation and its long term goals. Read his full bio here
Dr. Leasure replaces Dr. Kimberly Budil as one of the two UC-designated directors on the board as Dr. Budil was recently appointed Principal Associate Director of Weapons and Complex Integration at LLNL. LLF owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Budil for her pivotal support, vision, and leadership over the past three years.
We welcome your support!
Thank you for the donations that are so important to continuing these efforts. In addition to the Foundation’s existing STEM and research projects, new donations will help support projects in game-changing scientific advances for health (e.g., ALS research), energy (e.g., climate change research), new materials, clean water, and food safety. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, EIN #81-2567763. We are honored to accept charitable contributions from individuals, businesses, colleges and universities, and to partner with other nonprofits as well.
There are many ways to donate:- Visit our website and click on the Donate Button
- Go to our Facebook page and click the Donate button
- Contact us directly via email
- Select LLF as your beneficiary on Amazon Smile
- Send a check to: Livermore Lab Foundation c/o University of California, Office of National Laboratories 1111 Broadway, Suite 2130 Oakland, CA 94607.
Exciting things are happening at LLF. Stay tuned for our next newsletter where we’ll share more details about a second initiative we’re working on with LLNL, a project made possible by a generous contribution from ClimateWorks Foundation to support research on negative emissions technologies for the State of California.
Hope your summer is off to a great start!
Dona Crawford
LLF President