Science

LAPS Announces 2026 Northeastern New Mexico Science & Engineering Fair Award Winners

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Los Alamos Middle School seventh graders Mason Garcia and Andrew Gilbertson were both recipients of the Oppenheimer Memorial Fund Award for their science fair projects. Courtesy/LAPS

LAPS News:

Congratulations to the 2026 Northeastern New Mexico Science & Engineering Fair award winners.

First-, second-, and third-place winners will compete in April at the New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. 

Best In Show: Junior Division

  • Andrew Gilbertson, “Detecting Exoplanets with Python and PyTorch”

Best in Show Senior Division Runners-up

  • 1st Alternate: Linus
Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Continuously Monitors Air

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Map of all LANL’s air-monitoring locations. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) routinely measures the composition of matter in the ambient atmosphere at the Lab and in the community.

LANL has 68 radiological air sampling locations that continuously monitor the air, making it among the most thoroughly monitored environments in the world.

Details

  • 43 ambient air-monitoring stations;
  • 25 monitored exhaust stacks from Lab facilities; and
  • 8 meteorological towers.

During events such as wildfires, the Laboratory conducts extra sampling to perform specialized Read More

Launch Pad Lecture Looks At Hubble Space Telescope’s Legay April 3

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NMMSH News:

The Hubble Space Telescope is brought into focus in an upcoming Launch Pad Lecture at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.

Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has looked into distant galaxies, bringing the world breathtaking glimpses that have transformed scientific understanding of galaxies, nebulae, and stellar evolution. The New Mexico Museum of Space History celebrates that legacy with a Launch Pad Lecture from 9 – 10 a.m., Friday, April 3, 2026, in the New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium. 

Museum educator Mackette Kark will explore the history, engineering, Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Researchers Explore Using Fiber-Optic Cables To Detect Moonquakes

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Fiber-optic cables lie on the surface and beneath crushed basalt in an indoor lab at Los Alamos National Laboratory to determine whether they could be used on the surface of the moon to detect moonquakes. The crushed basalt simulates the lunar surface. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Two recent studies suggest that fiber-optic cables laid directly on the moon’s surface could potentially detect moonquakes, offering a simpler way to gather seismic data to support future human and robotic exploration.

“The moon has a lot of seismic activity, but deploying traditional seismic sensors like seismometers Read More

LAPS Sending 22 Students To NM Tech Science & Engineering Fair

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Los Alamos High School students Linus Plohr and Lilia Viteva with their gold medals. Courtesy/LAPS

LAPS News:

Twenty-two students will represent Los Alamos Public Schools at the New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech in Socorro on April 11 after competing at the New Mexico Northeastern Regional Science and Engineering Fair last month.

“We are excited to see so many of our students qualify for the next level of competition,” said LAPS Science Fair Director Davine Jones.

Students heading to the New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair include:

Barranca Mesa Elementary: Read More

PEEC Presents ‘Strange New Worlds: NASA’s Exploration Of The Solar System’ March 27

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PEEC News:

The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) will host Strange New Worlds: NASA’s Exploration of the Solar System from 7-8 p.m., Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium.

This family‐friendly program will take audiences on a tour of the planets, moons, and icy debris that make up Earth’s solar neighborhood, highlighting the remarkable discoveries made by robotic spacecraft over the past decade and the questions scientists hope to answer in the years ahead.

Designed for enthusiasts of all ages, the presentation will explore everything from frozen Read More

Ancient Hungry Giants: Research Uncovers Early Evidence Of Massive T. Rex Relative In NM

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NMMNHS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A team of scientists studying fossils at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science have identified a New Mexico fossil belonging to a surprisingly large and geologically old member of the lineage of dinosaurs that gave rise to the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.

This research, co-authored by New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) Executive Director Dr. Anthony Fiorillo and NMMNHS curator Dr. Spencer Lucas, shows that large tyrannosaurs lived in what’s now New Mexico millions of years earlier than scientists realized. The finding brings Read More

Honoring The Legacy Of The Red Tails At New Mexico Museum Of Space History March 26

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NMMSH News:

History takes flight this month as New Mexico Museum of Space History hosts a tribute to the legendary “Red Tail Angels,” the Tuskegee Airmen who broke racial barriers in World War II.

The “Red Tails,” fighter pilots escorted American bombers in missions over Europe with skill and perseverance that saved lives and paved the way for the desegregation of the U.S. military.

The Tuskegee Airmen, known for the painted red tails on their planes, broke racial barriers as the first African American fighter pilots while compiling an outstanding record for air combat. In collaboration with Read More

LANL: MicroBooNE Results Point To New Directions In Search For Sterile Neutrinos

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The school bus-sized MicroBooNE cryostat, a vessel filled with liquid argon and then encased at the detector site. Courtesy/FermiLab

LANL News:

The groundbreaking MicroBooNE project, a 170-ton liquid argon neutrino detector housed at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, has offered new results in the detector’s yearslong investigation of anomalies from previous experiments. As described in Nature, final data analyzed by the MicroBooNE team disfavors the existence of a sterile neutrino in one possible model, while leaving open other possibilities for continued physics investigation. Read More

Hermeus’ Supersonic Plane Takes Flight From Spaceport America

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Hermeus’ Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 vehicle readies for its first flight Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Spaceport America. Courtesy/Hermeus

SPACEPORT AMERICA News:

LAS CRUCES — Hermeus, a high-speed aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., celebrated a successful first flight of its latest Quarterhorse aircraft at Spaceport America.

The flight of the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 was the second first flight conducted by Hermeus in less than a year and the first from Spaceport America since the company began operations there in December 2025. One of the largest unmanned aircraft to fly, Read More