ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia National Laboratories’ dedicated its Joint Computational Engineering Laboratory (JCEL) this week.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham cut a ribbon signifying the facility’s official opening-for-business during a visit to Albuquerque on April 28. Abraham spoke at the ribbon-cutting event along with Sandia President and Laboratories Director C. Paul Robinson and Sandia Senior VP for Information, Computation, and Engineering Sciences Tom Hunter.
The primary mission of JCEL is to develop advanced science-based Stockpile Stewardship tools to support Sandia’s national security missions. Scientists and engineers in Sandia’s computing, testing, and weapons organizations will create a “virtual enterprise” to ensure rapid development and application of high-performance computing, modeling, and simulation technologies.
The project also will integrate numerous information systems and technologies at a single site. JCEL will provide laboratory space for information-based research and development, prototyping, and testing. The facility offers state-of-the-art conferencing facilities and visualization labs and will house approximately 175 staff members.
The new 61,180 square-foot, three-story JCEL building is integrally connected to Sandia’s MESA (Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications) project (see news release, MESA — Sandia’s largest project ever — wins DOE nod”).
JCEL is a showplace technologically and in terms of the environmentally friendly building and energy-saving approaches used in its construction, inside and outside the building.