Fall 2021 Newsletter

Read on for highlights of the people, projects, and partnerships helping us ‘open the door’ to world-class research and discovery at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This issue highlights the Foundation’s progress in our major research initiatives. Thank you to our generous community of donors and funders who provide critical philanthropic investments in this work.

ADVANCING THE SCIENCE BEHIND INNOVATIVE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

With so many of us focused on global climate talks underway at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, LLF and the Lab have introduced an exciting new resource to engage communities in the climate conversation. Thanks to funding from the Clean and Sustainable Energy (CASE) Fund, we are launching a special initiative aimed at helping the general public, as well as students, understand the fundamentals of carbon dioxide removal, climate change and carbon neutrality.

The Carbon Cleanup Initiative is a unique public awareness partnership with LLNL’s Energy group, led by Roger Aines, Ph.D. Featuring a website, FAQ’s and videos, it is based on the fundamental science and proposed solutions in Getting to Neutral, the Lab’s seminal 2020 report on how California can achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. It also features special educational materials, designed and written by the San Joaquin Office of STEM Education for students in grades 9-14. These materials follow Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and offer 14+ hours of supplemental lesson plans.

“We are honored that the CASE Fund asked us to develop these important public education materials,” said Sally Allen, the Foundation’s Executive Director. “Climate change is the issue of our generation, yet little is known by the general public on how we can work to achieve carbon neutrality. These materials are written in easy-to-understand language and feature the Lab’s top energy experts.”

This Fall, a select group of educators in California’s San Joaquin Delta, Kern County, and the Bay Area will begin a six-month cohort teaching the materials in the classroom. The lessons are available – free of charge – to any educator desiring supplemental learning materials. The Foundation has also partnered with the Lab’s Teacher Research Academy for additional educational seminars in Summer 2022. The Carbon Cleanup Initiative website is live and can be accessed by clicking the button below.

ACCELERATING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
BRAIN DISORDERS & DISEASE

The William B. Shuler Fund for Neurodegenerative Research

A generous gift from the Shuler Family will provide a new dedicated fund to support LLNL’s unique science portfolio

William 'Bill' Shuler

Ask the friends and family of William ‘Bill’ Shuler to describe him, and a myriad of monikers and visual images surface.

Artist, athlete, musician, animal and nature lover, Army brat, traveler, nuclear weapons physicist, mentor. He was intelligent, engaging, handsome, religious and empathetic.

A gentle spirit. Passionate about life – and about Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

This ‘Renaissance’ man, William ‘Bill’ Shuler, passed away in March 2021, as the result of a tragic car accident near his home in Port Angeles, Washington. He was 81 and had struggled recently with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

“My brother was a patriot,” said Leslie Shuler Blain, Bill’s only sibling. “His love for the Lab was contagious. He was very proud of the work he did there and I was very proud of him.”

Blain has committed a large portion of her estate to launch the fund as a way to honor Bill’s life and legacy.

Read More »

Beyond ALS – An Expanded Focus in Neurodegenerative Disease Research

Since 2019, LLF has funded efforts that leverage the Lab’s unique capabilities to improve our understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. LLNL’s high-end data analytics and computational modeling, as well as its bioengineering expertise and high-resolution brain mapping, bring unique and powerful tools to the fight against ALS. Our latest project is exploring the use of the Lab’s brain-on-a-chip technology to develop an in vitro model to study potential ALS therapeutics.

Knowledge gained from these ALS projects can yield important insights into other neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even Multiple sclerosis (MS) — all of which affect an increasing fraction of our aging population. Our sponsored talk through the Rae Dorough Speaker Series last April made the case for studying select brain disorders together, given the connections among them. Recognizing the impact that greater philanthropic investments can make toward unraveling the mechanisms behind these deadly diseases, LLF has expanded our research focus to address all neurodegenerative disorders.

We remain enthusiastic about future contributions that LLNL can make to the broader neuro-disease research community. Together, we can accelerate our collective scientific understanding, identify new treatments, and support crucial next steps toward an ultimate cure for these elusive brain disorders.

WHAT’S NEW AT LLF?

HOME Campaign: A Valued Source of Funds for LLF Programs

If you are a current LLNL employee, please consider including the Livermore Lab Foundation in your Helping Others More Effectively (HOME) campaign donation this year! HOME donations truly make a difference in the variety and quality of LLF’s unique research programs and student opportunities. The impact of your HOME donation is even greater thanks to the LLNS match provided with each contribution.

We are honored to announce that UNCLE Credit Union has committed $10,000 to the Foundation in the spirit of this year’s HOME campaign! UNCLE hopes to inspire others to pledge their support toward LLF with their generous contribution. We hope you will join them!

LLF's September Soiree at Concannon Vineyard

In September, LLF hosted our first in-person event of 2021 as an opportunity to catch up with Foundation friends and Lab colleagues! Together, we reflected on LLF’s growth over the past five years, and toasted to the future. Lab Director Dr. Kim Budil also shared her insights on LLNL’s strategic direction, and one of LLF’s UC Merced Fellows, Randy Posada, reminded us how our mission of advancing science and inspiring future STEM leaders makes a difference.

With supporters like you, who have helped us grow the LLF community over the past five years, we look forward to expanding our community and academic partnerships, enhancing fellowship experiences, and advancing our research initiatives. Thank you for believing in the power and promise of science!