Heinrich: Labs technology transfer to be streamlined

U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-1) is applauding Energy Secretary Steven Chu for appointing a Technology Transfer Coordinator to help national laboratories streamline the transfer innovative scientific and technical solutions to American businesses.

“When world-class scientists and entrepreneurs put their minds together, anything is possible,” Heinrich said. “I commend Secretary Chu for his leadership in recognizing the tremendous opportunities our national laboratories present to private industry. The addition of a tech transfercoordinator will help businesses utilize advanced technologies to manufacture products more effectively and ultimately create more jobs.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Heinrich joined ten of his colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary Steven Chu urging him to appoint a national Technology Transfer Coordinator.

Today, Chu named Dr. Karina Edmonds of the California Institute of Technology was named as the first ever, full-time appointee to the position and will be responsible for working with national labs to streamline their research and commercialization partnerships with the private sector—including large and small companies, venture capital, universities, and other nonprofit research and development institutions.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was signed into law in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 8, 2005, included Section 1001(a) to require that a Technology Transfer Coordinator be appointed as the Secretary of Energy’s principal advisor on technology transfer and commercialization; however, a full-time position was not filled until now.

According to a November 2009 report by the Congressional Research Service, the federal government spends approximately one third of its annual research and development budget to meet mission requirements in over 700 government laboratories. Much of the technology and expertise generated by this investment has applications beyond the immediate goals of federally funded research and development. As a result, there are numerous opportunities for private industry to take advantage of existing technologies at federal laboratories.

Sandia National Laboratories has been a leader in building mutually beneficial partnerships with industry, including Goodyear, Intel, and General Motors.

Southwest Border Security Task Force Meets at Sandia National Labs

One day before U.S. Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder unveil their 2009 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, at UNM, in Albuquerque, I sat down, at breakfast (in the downtown Hyatt) with U.S. Border Czar Alan Bersin and former C.I.A. and F.B.I. Director William Webster to discuss security, immigration, drug violence and bi national trade cooperation along the border with Mexico.

On Thursday, the men are hosting a border task force meeting at Sandia National Labs. Listen to their view on the crisis at the border here.



Bersin, was appointed to his post, in the Obama administration, by Napolitano on April 15th. He also served as the first unofficial Border Czar in 1995. A former San Diego school's superintendent and federal prosecutor, Bersin advocated for tougher immigration laws and was the public face of Operation Gatekeeper during the Clinton administration from 1995 to 1998. Clinton's Attorney General Janet Reno picked Albuquerque’s John J. Kelly, also a federal prosecutor, to replace Bersin in 1998.

While she's in Albuquerque, Secretary Napolitano will also swear in new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). Comprised of national security experts from state, local and tribal governments, first responder communities, academia and the private sector, HSAC provides advice and recommendations directly to Secretary Napolitano on homeland security issues.

US Energy Secretary: Mission of State's Labs Is Still Critical.

New United States Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is calling Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs an incredible intellectual treasure.

Chu say's their work will impact the sustained prosperity of the country.

He made his first trip to the state's labs on Thursday and Friday.

We were invited, on base, to listen to the Energy Secretary deliver remarks on the Role of Nuclear Security Labs in Meeting National Challenges.

Nearly 450 Sandia employees filled the Steve Schiff auditorium. Others watched on closed circuit television at NSA labs across the country.

Chu's remarks came just five days after President Obama outlined his new program to reduce the nation's nuclear stockpile and pursue a global ban on nuclear testing.

On April 5th Obama said, "the cold war has disappeared, but thousands of those weapons have not. In a strange turn of history the threat of global nuclear war has gone down, but the threat of a nuclear attack has gone up."

Obama also announced his plans to aggressively pursue U.S. ratification of a comprehensive test ban treaty. He’s also set a goal to reduce nuclear warheads and stockpiles.

The President says the U.S. will negotiate new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia this year.

“It is for that reason,” Secretary Chu says that “the NSA labs will continue to serve a critical mission, in many ways an even more critical mission, in non-proliferation activities of the United States.

Listen to this audio post to hear why Chu thinks the U.S. might be forced back into nuclear testing.



Chu said the U.S. does not want to restart nuclear weapons testing, but the prospect of proliferation around the world, especially among rouge nations and terrorists is growing.

The technical crowd laughed when Chu said, "“it’s the national labs who provide the technical expertise; so, that when we have intelligence that they can actually interrupt the intelligence correctly. They can actually tell the difference the difference between an aluminum tube and a centrifuge."

Chu said the NSA labs have an ability to work on large-scale projects using computer simulations to find methods for the world to mitigate climate changes. He also wants the labs to focus on developing renewable energy sources.

Chu, a former Nobel Prize winner, also talked about two other critical missions for Sandia and Los Alamos.

He says the NSA labs have an ability to work on large-scale projects using computer simulations to find methods to mitigate climate changes. Chu also wants the labs to focus on developing renewable energy sources.

Chu ended his speech with this profound thought:

Humans need to take care of the planet. There is no other place to go.

Bonus Audio: Chu’s Q&A with reporters following a tour of the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Microelectronics Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories.



Science Reporter John Fleck, who has covered the labs for years, blogged about Chu's visit here and here, and filed his story at the ABQJournal.

Energy Secretary Visits National Labs in New Mexico.

The U.S. Secretary of Energy is making his first visit to Albuquerque today. Stephen Chu will tour the nuclear laboratories at Sandia national Labs. The energy secretary is expected to outline the critical role Sandia will play in advancing the nuclear security agenda outline earlier this week by President Barack Obama.

He’ll also talk about the contributions the labs make to addressing issues like energy security, climate change and even economic development.

Yesterday, Secretary Chu visited the labs in Los Alamos.

The energy secretary will be joined on the tour at Sandia Labs on Friday by Senate Energy Chairman Jeff Bingaman, Sen. Tom Udall, Freshman Congressman Martin Heinrich and longtime Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez.