• Number 394  |
• August 5, 2013

Science education-national security link emphasized

Charlie McMillian, director of DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory, brings a unique perspective to science education.

"In national security science, we can¹t afford to lose a generation of young people in this country," McMillan said. "Particularly U.S. citizens. The world is a changing at an accelerating rate, and we must keep up with those changes if we are to meet the challenges that lie ahead."

McMillan is by law one of four people in the U.S. who must send an annual letter to the President and Congress assessing the state of weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile. But because the U.S. stopped full-scale nuclear weapons testing in 1992, the assessments must depend on classified, highly sophisticated computer modeling and non-nuclear experiments.

"It's like proving that a 40-year old car will start, but without actually starting the engine," McMillan said. "Meanwhile all the parts are deteriorating. It's an immense technical challenge that deals with everything from materials science and big data to the mysteries of physics and sub-atomic particles."

Finding young scientists and engineers with the technical capability and creativity to pull this off is critical for the Laboratory and our national security.  But the consequences for the nation go beyond that, as McMillan will explain in an upcoming talk for TEDxABQ as part of LANL's commemoration of 70 years of service.

TEDxABQ, scheduled for Saturday, September 7 at Popejoy Hall, is an independently organized event in Albuquerque affiliated with the popular TED Talks series. McMillan will be one of 17 speakers and will discuss the linkage between early education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and national security.  

[Fred Desousa, 505.665.3430,
fdesousa@lanl.gov]