Lab employees recognized with Secretary of Energy’s Honor Awards

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) employees, participating in five project teams, recently earned Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary’s Honor Awards. In addition, Karin King of the Livermore Field Office was honored for her role in the Leadership in Climate Action Team.

Representing some of the highest internal, non-monetary recognition that DOE employees and contractors can receive, the Secretary’s Honor Awards recognize DOE employees and contractors for their service and contributions to the department’s mission and the benefit of the nation. This year, the DOE honored 53 teams with the Secretary of Energy Achievement Award. The full list of LLNL winners can be viewed here.

LLNL was honored for the following teams:

Atmospheric-Test Film Scanning and Analysis Project Team

This team recently concluded a 15-year project to preserve roughly 6,000 films and more than 13 million image frames from the formative period of U.S. nuclear weapons development and testing. This effort was conducted with little time to spare since many of the films were on the verge of becoming unusable. The team developed custom analysis tools and employed scaling laws for the data, which provided significantly improved information on yield determination and post-detonation physics. This provides unique benchmark data for simulations and modeling.

DOE Ukraine Response Team

This team has provided valuable technical, operational and analytical support to policy makers, war fighters and federal officials. The team purchased and shipped large-scale equipment to support Ukraine energy security, help Ukrainian power companies restore service and support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s electrical grid infrastructure, assisting with the heating of commercial buildings, hospitals and the homes of the Ukrainian people. In addition, the team coordinated international actions and marshaled U.S. resources to stabilizes global energy markets, conducted emergency operation center exchanges, enabled remote modeling of nuclear activities and mitigated risks at nuclear power plants.

Fusion Ignition Communication Team

Through excellence in video production and animation, this team rapidly deployed communications and visualizations of the complex science behind the historic achievement of fusion ignition at LLNL, sharing the accomplishment with the world through various media outlets in a way that people could understand. This team used 3D modeling, animation and video tools to amplify LLNL’s significant research capabilities and scientific accomplishments to this wide audience, peaking broad interest in innovative science and technology. Their work has been recognized by communications industry leaders at the 44th annual Telly Awards, receiving five awards.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Supply Chain Management Team

This team made substantial improvements to the efficiency of operations and implemented state-of-the-art business practices over a period of unprecedented growth in the Lab’s budget and mission needs. By expediting mission delivery, reducing costs and advancing business practices that led to more than $1 billion in annual procurement spending, the team developed and deployed innovative process enhancements to support increasing procurement and contract demands. These efforts culminated in the exemplary six-year procurement evaluation and reengineering team review of LLNL’s purchasing system.

National Ignition Facility Fusion Ignition Team

This exceptional accomplishment achieved a longstanding goal of the stockpile stewardship program, which was fusion ignition with a target gain of greater than one, meaning more energy came out than the laser energy that was put in. The team’s groundbreaking success represents a significant step forward in nuclear science and technology building upon decades of science and engineering research. Achieving fusion ignition substantially enhances DOE and NNSA’s capabilities to maintain a safe, secure and reliable nuclear deterrent without needing to return to underground nuclear testing. And, it advances the path to fusion as long-term clean energy source and President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy.

U.S. Department of Energy Fleet Management Team

This team is recognized for their extraordinary dedication to meet an executive order requiring federal agencies to reach 100% zero emission vehicle (ZEVs) acquisitions by 2035. This team, with members from across the DOE complex, worked with all federal fleets to order more than 500 ZEVs in FY 2023 and install nearly 600 charging ports across the complex. They also created a Green Fleets Award program to further promote the adoption of ZEVs across the fleet, encouraging sites to embrace new innovation and cutting-edge technologies and serve as a model for other agencies, setting the stage for a more stable, sustainable future.

Leadership in Climate Action Team

In response to the president’s call for climate action, the Office of Management enlisted the support of nearly 80 staff members from 21 different offices to create the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which includes an aggressive set of objects to more than 35 DOE sites to understand their climate risks in a rigorous, data-driven, comprehensive way. DOE sites have identified more than 600 resilient solutions utilizing this risk assessment tool.