NNSA Hosts Stewardship Science Academic Alliances SymposiumBrig. Gen. Harencak Praises SSAA in Keynote Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is hosting the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Symposium at Carnegie Institution of Washington.
SSAA was founded to create opportunities for scientists in physics and other disciplines that are under-funded by other government agencies but very important to NNSA missions. This week's symposium will highlight the accomplishments of participants in the SSAA program, promote interaction among program participants, and foster ties between participants, sponsors, and the NNSA national laboratories.
In a keynote address delivered today, Brig. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application at NNSA, praised SSAA as an important vehicle for enhancing scientific research and advancements.
"This symposium is an excellent opportunity to bring researchers together to promote their work and showcase their commitment to the scientific research and advancements that we depend on to ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile," said Harencak. "Events like this showcase the groundbreaking science and discovery that is occurring across the nuclear security enterprise. It is critical that NNSA enhances and promotes the academic efforts of future scientific leaders."
The NNSA's Division of Defense Science supports unclassified research in Low Energy Nuclear Science and in Properties of Materials under Extreme Conditions. The Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion and the National Ignition Facility supports unclassified research in High Energy Density Physics in partnership with the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences in the Office of Science. These areas of research are relevant to stockpile stewardship.
This week's symposium will feature presentations from representatives of each grant/center, who will provide an overview of their current work and future research plans. An important focus of the program is the training of students who will contribute to scientific discovery in the above subject areas, and potentially be employed at one of our national laboratories. Currently, the SSAA funds four Centers of Excellence, operated as cooperative agreements, and approximately 31 grants.
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Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation's national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Visit http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/ [7] for more information.
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