Honors for Innovations at NNSA Sites Managed by Bechtel Partnerships

RESTON, Va., July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel announced today that researchers from three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sites managed and operated by Bechtel partnerships have received nine 2013 R&D 100 Awards. Known as the "Oscars of Innovation," the R&D 100 Awards are given by R&D Magazine to recognize the top 100 technology products of the year.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory collected five awards and Los Alamos National Laboratory received four awards— both totals include an award shared by the labs for a jointly developed technology. Researchers at the Y-12 National Security Complex were recognized with one award.

"The R&D 100 Awards celebrate the innovative minds behind these groundbreaking technologies, each of which will have a lasting positive impact for generations," said Craig Albert, president of Bechtel National, Inc., Bechtel's government services business.  "These dedicated men and women continue to open new scientific frontiers, demonstrating the important contributions each of these sites provide for the safety and security of this country and the world."

Winning project technologies include:

• A new technology at Livermore that improves the screening of harmful laser pulses at the National Ignition Facility, reducing screening time from 12 hours to less than one second, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 
• A revolutionary imaging technique at Livermore that captures material and biological process in action at a nanoscale-level of detail. 
• A digital X-ray imaging system at Los Alamos that is battery-powered, self-contained, lightweight, and portable. The device will aid efforts in homeland security, inspection and testing, disaster relief and medicine. 
• A scanning device developed by a team including Los Alamos researchers that uses particles from cosmic rays to detect nuclear and radiological threats, explosives, and other threatening contraband.
• A single-crystalline semiconductor used in nuclear and security applications that Y-12 designed to be more compact and more efficient than previous models.

The laboratories and Y-12 are part of NNSA's nuclear security enterprise of facilities that carry out the agency's mission of ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The three sites conduct cutting-edge research related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global non-proliferation.

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are managed by separate partnerships led by the University of California and Bechtel. Y-12 is managed by a partnership of the Babcock & Wilcox Company and Bechtel.

About Bechtel:
Bechtel is among the most respected engineering, project management, and construction companies in the world. We stand apart for our ability to get the job done right—no matter how big, how complex, or how remote. Bechtel operates through five global business units that specialize in civil infrastructure; power generation, communications, and transmission; mining and metals; oil, gas, and chemicals; and government services. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries on all seven continents. Today, our 53,000 employees team with customers, partners, and suppliers on diverse projects in nearly 50 countries. For more information about Bechtel visit www.bechtel.com.

Media contact:
Jason Bohne
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[email protected]

SOURCE Bechtel