The Senator in front of the Pete V. Domenici National Security Innovation Center. (Photo by Randy Montoya) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In recognition of Sen. Pete Domenici’s decades of advocacy and support for the role the national laboratories play in protecting the nation’s security, officials at Sandia National Laboratories today re-dedicated the still relatively new Weapon Integration Facility building as the Pete V. Domenici National Security Innovation Center.
With the long-serving, now retired US Sen. Pete Domenici and members of his family looking on, Sandia Labs Director Paul Hommert said, “The Pete V. Domenici National Security Innovation Center stands witness to your belief that Sandia, along with the other national laboratories, provides science and engineering in support of the nation.”
Don Cook, deputy administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, also spoke.
“In the same week we released a budget that provides the resources to invest in NNSA’s future and implement the president’s agenda, we have the opportunity to honor one of the true champions of investing in the people, the science and engineering capabilities, and the facilities that underpin our nuclear security,” Cook said. “We are all grateful for support we at NNSA received from Sen. Pete Domenici, and for his lasting commitment to modernizing the nation’s nuclear security enterprise.”
The Pete V. Domenici National Security Innovation Center. (Photo by Brent Peterson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
Sen. Domenici, Cook and Hommert were joined by New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and by representatives from the offices of Reps. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Steve Pearce, R-N.M.
The ceremony took place at the southeast corner of Sandia’s MESA complex, of which the Pete V. Domenici building is a key facility. MESA stands for Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications. Sen. Domenici was a long-time champion and ardent supporter of the MESA complex, and played a key role in securing funding for the best-of-class microsystems research, development and fabrication complex.
The Domenici Center houses 350 Sandia staff, most of whom work on weapon subsystem engineering and modeling and simulation or engineering sciences.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Sandia media relations contact: Stephanie Holinka, slholin@sandia.gov (505) 284-9227