The ChemCam instrument, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently zapped its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Sitting on top of NASA’s Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been helping make groundbreaking discoveries since 2012. ChemCam uses a technique called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to zap rocks to create a plasma, and then collects the light from that plasma to understand what elements are present on the planet’s surface. Its goal is to establish past habitability on Mars, addressing the question of if Mars was once suitable for life.
LANL Foundation names Gwen Perea Warniment as president and CEO
Laboratory partner the LANL Foundation has selected Gwen Perea Warniment to serve as the organization’s next president and chief executive officer following an extensive national search. Perea Warniment returns to the LANL Foundation after serving as director of the influential Legislative Education Study Committee, the staff organization responsible for advising public education policy statewide. Previously, she served as deputy Cabinet secretary for teaching, Learning, and Assessment at the New Mexico Public Education Department, where she directed a budget of more than $100 million, oversaw the statewide literacy initiative, student assessment system, college and career readiness initiatives, and development of strategies to build the educator workforce.