Happy September!
The Livermore Lab Foundation has had a busy summer thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partners. We are delighted to share with you some of the milestones we have passed since our April update.
Since June, the Foundation has sponsored several STEM programs that support our LLF initiative, Inclusion & Diversity in Engineering And the Sciences (IDEAS). IDEAS reduces hurdles and provide opportunities for students from underserved backgrounds to experience the research and collaborative environment of a national laboratory. Our “idea” is to motivate students to pursue a STEM education and career, and possibly work at LLNL one day.
First LLF-Supported High School Internship Program at LLNL
In the spring, LLNL and LLF coordinated with the principals at Livermore’s public high schools – Del Valle, Granada, and Livermore –and a wonderful team of motivated mentors at the Lab to select students (two per school) to participate in the first LLF-supported High School internship program at LLNL. The six young interns worked at the Lab for one month this summer, did intensive training on software and lab equipment that LLNL scientists and engineers utilize in their work, had daily lunch discussions with scientists and LLNL college interns, and joined behind-the-scenes tours. They collaborated on project teams (two interns per team + LLNL mentors), tackling real-life scientific and tech problems (in additive manufacturing, bioengineering, micro/nanotechnology) and used cool lab equipment. One of their prototypes was even approved for use in real-life applications by the program’s end!
The internship concluded with a scientific poster presentation and celebration. LLF was honored to surprise each of these hardworking students with a college scholarship. This hands-on intro to work at a national lab is a rare opportunity for such young future scientists and engineers.
Kelly Bowers, Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Superintendent, said in a formal letter of thanks, “Our students … lived and worked as true scientists for four weeks. As a result, they exuded confidence and openly expressed their enthusiasm for science, while demonstrating sophistication, knowledge and commitment to scientific inquiry and investigation. The whole experience was unique and transformational.”
Spreading the Word
First LLF-Supported LLNL Summer Student Poster Symposium
The Foundation proudly supported LLNL’s Summer Student Poster Symposium this year. LLNL’s Poster Symposium takes place annually in August, providing undergraduate and grad students with the opportunity to present their work to Lab staff and management. To help incentivize participation and excellence, LLNL employees judged the posters. Students with the most outstanding posters in each area (~30 total) received cash awards from LLF at a Lab-wide award ceremony on August 9. All students received a participation memento from LLNL and the LLF. One of the students said, “Knowing there was an award made me work harder, and yet I also knew if I didn’t win I would have the T-shirt to wear as a badge of honor. This broader community support definitely made a difference in my participation.”
LLF President Dona Crawford had the honor of presenting the monetary awards to those in the top 10 percent. The Foundation was pleased to be a part of this event for the first time this year and we hope this marks the beginning of a long partnership. The judges had a difficult job selecting awardees. The caliber of posters presented and the research each of the students engaged in during their time at the Laboratory was very impressive.
LLF Provides FAMU Fellowship Support
Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) has a history of scientific collaboration with Florida A&M University (FAMU), the nation’s only historically black university to offer both a PhD in Physics and a concentration in High Energy Density (HED) Physics – a field that is fundamental to much of the national defense and basic science work done at LLNL.
This summer, Livermore Lab Foundation was able to help support a FAMU grad student and a postdoc conducting research at the Lab. Because it’s a long way from Florida to California and the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is so high, the Foundation provided funds for the young scientists’ travel and housing. This funding enabled the students to spend their summer here in Livermore while interning at one of the largest national labs / federal research facilities in the country. It has been exciting to hear of the FAMU interns’ experiences at the Lab and the interesting scientific research they are pursuing.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP »The LLF is pleased to focus our first projects on STEM education, an important element of the scientific enterprise. LLF is also working on providing opportunities to support game-changing science utilizing unique LLNL expertise and facilities.
Imagine how the process of organ and tissue donation would change if we were able to 3D-print human tissue, or how doctors might proceed with an Alzheimer's patient if we could accelerate a cure for neurodegenerative disorders, or how a small rural village might change if we helped develop a treatment system to provide reliable clean water…
The Foundation is excited about exploring new partnerships, expanding scientific research, and promoting educational opportunities that open the doors to the future.
Thank You to Our Donors
Thank YOU to our generous donors whose support helps drive important work in the areas of STEM education, innovative research and tech development at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. A special thanks to Lynn and Joan Seppala, Polly and Gordon Cleaver and Tom Ramos for their extremely generous recent donations. The LLF couldn’t provide the programs we offer if it weren’t for our supporters.
With gratitude,
Dona
LLF President