From the Chief Technology Officer

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program is the sole discretionary research and development (R&D) investment program at Sandia. LDRD provides the opportunity for our technical staff to contribute to our Nation's future, to our collective ability to address and find solutions to a range of daunting scientific and technological challenges. The results of their work will shape the course of science and technology in the remainder of the twenty-first century and beyond. In this brochure, we are showcasing some of the exciting, leading-edge LDRD research underway, here at Sandia. This is an opportunity to read about the breadth of outstanding work underway within the program, specifically, 37 projects that were ongoing in 2010. Featured are research highlights of the recipients of LDRD Awards for Excellence. These are awards given to a small number of our PIs to acknowledge some of the outstanding work in the program and the impact it is having on mission execution. About LDRD Maintaining Sandia's world-class science, technology, and engineering capabilities and anticipating their evolution in response to future challenges are absolutely essential to the Laboratories' ability to address national security needs. Authorized by Congress in 1992, the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program reflects precisely that congressional intent — to encourage and sustain preeminent science and technology by investing in high-risk, potentially high-payoff research and development. The program is designed to proactively anticipate the breadth and depth of research and technological development that oncoming challenges will require. LDRD projects seek innovative technical solutions to our nation's most-significant challenges, often in collaboration with corporate and academic partners. LDRD allows Sandia to recruit and retain outstanding scientific and engineering talent in service to the Laboratories' five primary strategic business areas: nuclear weapons; energy resources and nonproliferation; defense systems and assessments; homeland security and defense; and science, technology, and engineering foundations.