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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s remarks focused on achieving NASA’s goals of returning to the Moon through the Artemis missions, future efforts to explore Mars and beyond, and the potential for nuclear-powered propulsion for those missions. Photo: Blaise Douros.

NASA administrator Isaacman visits LLNL on ‘Inspiration Tour’

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman led a return visit to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on Sept. 2 as part of NASA’s “Inspiration Tour,” meeting with Lab scientists and engineers to highlight LLNL’s capabilities in areas including space science, national security, fusion, computing and other advanced technologies. Isaacman, who was joined by Department of…

Participants in the Drone Design & Application Teacher Research Academy pose outside the drone pen after flight instruction from Claire Knight, Mechanical Team Lead for the Autonomous Sensors Program, far left. Photo Credit: Randy Wong, LLNL.

Teacher Research Academy connects educators to LLNL science

For nearly 30 years, LLNL has offered Teacher Research Academy (TRA) to middle school, high school and community college teachers looking for unique professional development experiences. At no cost to educators, TRA workshops offer classroom-focused applications of LLNL’s groundbreaking science and technology. Over two weeks this summer, four different TRAs were offered as…

The Space Science Institute’s (SSI) 2026 summer student cohort with their mentors and program coordinators.

‘A science theme park’: Space science internship offers hands-on access to specialized tools

For the second summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Space Science Institute (SSI) welcomed undergraduate and graduate students to a 10-week internship exploring astronomy, cosmochemistry and astrophysics. Throughout the summer, the 2026 student cohort worked alongside their LLNL mentors on projects reflecting the variety of capabilities available onsite…

Livermore Lab Foundation fellows present their research during a student showcase, which kicked off an evening celebrating 10 years of philanthropic impact. (Photos courtesy of LLF).

Livermore Lab Foundation event celebrates 10 years of impact

The Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) recently convened supporters, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) leaders, partners and community members to celebrate 10 years of philanthropic impact. The event recognized a decade dedicated to unlocking scientific potential, advancing groundbreaking research and inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders. “Ten years ago,…

Participants in the Biotech Summer Experience practiced hands-on techniques, including pipetting and gel electrophoresis. (Photo: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

2026 LLNL summer programs inspire the next generation of innovators

During summer 2026, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) hosted science education programs that provided students with hands-on experience related to several LLNL research themes. The science education offerings for this summer included four programs: SAGE, the Manufacturing Workshop, STEM with Phones and the Biotech Summer Experience. SAGE Science Accelerating…

New results from an experiment at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams answer a fundamental question about the structure of atomic nuclei. (Image: FRIB)

Magnetic clues in atomic nuclei reveal the truth about mysterious gamma rays

It has been a long-standing mystery in nuclear physics: why do the nuclei of some atoms emit more low-energy gamma rays than they should? The answer can be found in a new study from an international scientific team led by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and including authors from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Published in Nature, the work sheds…

LLNL interns contribute to mission-focused research while building technical skills and professional connections. (Photos: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

Meet LLNL interns: Building skills through innovation and collaboration

Each summer, students from across the country join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to gain hands-on experience, work alongside researchers and contribute to projects supporting the Lab’s mission. Meet four interns whose work spans emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence, actinide chemistry and additive manufacturing, and learn how their experiences…

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time will capture intricate details of distant cosmic structures, unlocking new discoveries to transform our understanding of the universe. (Photo: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)

A decade of discovery: the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins survey of the sky

The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory marked a major milestone with the beginning of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a 10-year effort to capture the universe in unprecedented detail. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineer and former project manager for the LSST Camera, Vincent Riot reflected on the culmination of the project and the journey…

LLNL interns contribute to mission-focused research while building technical skills and professional connections. (Photos: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

Meet LLNL interns: advancing engineering, national security and artificial intelligence

Each summer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) welcomes students from broad academic backgrounds who bring fresh perspectives and technical expertise to the Lab’s mission. This year, interns are contributing to engineering, national security, high-energy laser research and artificial intelligence. Meet four interns and learn how their LLNL experiences are…

Recent Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Machinist Apprenticeship Program graduates (l-r) Drew Hash, Chris Shaffer and Carin Herzog received their state-certified precision machinists’ certificates at a recent ceremony. (Photo: Manuel Iniguez.)

LLNL celebrates incoming and graduating machinist apprentices

Central to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) prestigious Machinist Apprenticeship Program is a tradition of mentorship and support. That was evident on July 23, when four new apprentices joined the program and three graduating apprentices transitioned to state-certified machinists. “We are so proud of you,” said Manuel Iniguez, Manufacturing Engineering…

Nearly 100 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory students, mentors and staff joined colleagues from across the Department of Energy complex on July 10 for a hands-on clinic focused on using agentic artificial intelligence tools in real scientific and technical work.

LLNL students, mentors put agentic AI tools to work at cross-laboratory clinic

Nearly 100 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) students, mentors and staff joined colleagues from across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex recently for a hands-on clinic focused on using agentic artificial intelligence tools in real scientific and technical work. Held in the Lab’s Research Library, the 2026 Cross-Laboratory AI Clinic combined shared…

Logos for UC Davis Innovation for Food and Health and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

LLNL, UC Davis announce strategic collaboration to innovate food systems

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, Davis Innovation Institute for Food & Health (IIFH) today announced a strategic collaboration to advance scientific discovery, technology translation and innovation across food systems and human health. “Lawrence Livermore's mission has always been to apply cutting-edge science and…

The first images of major outer membrane proteins in a chlamydia bacterium (side, top and bottom views) show that it forms a tripod with a mushroom-like cap of antigens. That shape could be crucial for developing an effective vaccine. (Image: Guo et al.)

First high-resolution images of chlamydia protein pave the way for better vaccine designs

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the world, with 150 million people infected in 2023. Although the infection can be treated with antibiotics, it often leads to infertility and other health problems. A safe and effective chlamydia vaccine would help prevent asymptomatic but transmissible infections that often go undiagnosed. For 40…

Genesis Mission graphic

LLNL selected to lead 10 projects under DOE’s Genesis Mission

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have been selected to lead 10 Phase I projects under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Genesis Mission, applying AI to challenges spanning high-performance computing (HPC), fusion energy, Earth systems science, materials discovery, biology, quantum technologies and fundamental physics. LLNL…

The Interactive portfolio menu graphic designed by LLNL's Bharti Chhiboo for the Innovation and Partnerships Office new website.

A new way to connect with LLNL’s Innovation and Partnerships Office

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is home to some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the century — from fusion ignition and exascale computing to monolithic telescopes. But thanks to LLNL’s Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO), those breakthroughs don’t remain inside the fence. “We connect cutting-edge science with real-world applications,…

NASA’s Psyche mission successfully tested a gamma-ray sensor developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during a Mars gravity assist. The mission aims to study the asteroid Psyche, believed to be an exposed planetary core, with the spacecraft scheduled to arrive in 2029. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)

NASA’s Psyche mission tests LLNL-built gamma-ray sensor on Mars flyby

On a multi-billion-mile journey to the asteroid Psyche, a gamma-ray sensor developed by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) took its first measurements of a planetary surface after 2.6 years in deep space. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft flew behind Mars for a gravity assist, with the red planet’s gravitational field acting as a slingshot to change the flight…

Attendees at the UC Science at Scale Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico

“AI Science at Scale” summit showcases advances in AI-enabled research and innovation

Recently, the University of California (UC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) convened researchers and leaders from across the UC system in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for the first annual AI Science at Scale summit. The summit was planned in recognition of AI’s growing role in scientific discovery and the Department of…

LLNL scientists Dylan Kline (front) and Justin McAlister evaluate finished, mock high-explosive materials produced using a modern pharmaceutical manufacturing process called extrusion-spheronization. (Photo credit: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

Modernizing high-explosives manufacturing

For decades, manufacturing plastic-bonded high explosives, or PBXs, has relied on legacy processes like slurry coating. In this method, explosive crystals are mixed with a binder, a polymer that helps hold the material together, to form small granules called prills. Those prills are then pressed into dense explosive parts. This process is difficult to control, inefficient…

Experiments at the National Ignition Facility used direct laser-driven compression of iron to pressure-temperature conditions relevant to Earth’s inner core, with x-ray radiography and VISAR diagnostics. Credit: Brain Chavez/LLNL and Universidad de Mendoza.

Measuring iron in motion at earth-core conditions

It was a journey to the center of the Earth, if only for the briefest of moments. But rather than tunneling thousands of miles from the Earth’s surface, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and several universities used the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to recreate those extreme temperature and pressure conditions of the Earth’s inner core…

Participants and instructors work through a hands-on activity at the 2025 Real-World Quantum Computing workshop.

Registration open for Real-World Quantum Computing workshop at LLNL

Registration is now open for the 2026 Real-World Quantum Computing workshop, jointly hosted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and San Jose State University (SJSU). The two-day workshop is designed for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in engineering, physics or related fields. Interns are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on a…