Security Not the Only Story at LANL, Official Says

Security problems at the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory in New Mexico have overshadowed the work scientists there do to benefit the country, the facility’s new science chief said this week (see GSN, March 8).

“I think we have to remind the country how much we do for them,” said Terry Wallace, citing development of titanium-based hip replacements, the explosive that makes vehicle air bags function and other high technology.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Wallace acknowledged “very infrequent but potentially disastrous” security troubles at Los Alamos, most recently the removal of hundreds of classified documents by a contract employee (see GSN, Nov. 2, 2006).

Scientists at Los Alamos believe both in their work and in security, said Wallace, who on Tuesday became principle associate director for science, technology and engineering.

“Just a few people acting out in whatever circumstances have put the whole enterprise at risk,” he said.  “That’s really frustrating to the people of Los Alamos.

“It’s also frustrating that this seems to be the issue that everybody knows about rather than all the accomplishments,” Wallace added.

Fifty-eight percent of work at Los Alamos now involves nuclear weapons, Wallace said.  That amount is likely to drop to 33 percent over the next five years, he said, meaning scientists will look to other research areas.

“Even the bulk of our (nuclear) work really has spinoffs that go into everything you can imagine in your life,” Wallace said.  “It’s really hard to imagine your life without Los Alamos” (Sue Major Holmes, Associated Press/Silver City Sun-News, March 8).

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