Big Ideas Lab

The breakthrough wasn’t a new telescope. It was a new way to build one. For decades, space telescopes were built as exquisite, one-of-a-kind instruments. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory took a different approach: design for “good enough” instead of perfect, and rethink how a telescope is manufactured, engineered and integrated for space. The result was CODA, an easily manufacturable, lower-cost telescope that helped turn a small NASA exoplanet mission called Pandora from an idea into something that could actually reach space. This is what becomes possible when innovation gets crafty with the technology that’s already here. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Jordan Karburn - Deputy Project Manager of Pandora and Principal Investigator of the CODA Telescope, LLNL Shawn Higbee - Mission Manager for Space Sensing, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A scientific breakthrough is only the beginning. World-changing technologies can take decades to move from a successful experiment to something people can actually use. In this episode, Lawrence Livermore researchers explain the science of scale-up. From durability, cost, manufacturing, and unexpected changes in performance to the risks that can stall a promising idea, LLNL combines modeling, experimentation, risk assessment, and industry partnerships to help breakthroughs reach the real world faster and more reliably. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Sarah Baker - Group and Program Leader for Carbon Technologies, LLNL Andrew Wong - Materials Scientist, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Inside the National Ignition Facility, scientists create bursts of fusion hotter than the center of the sun that vanish in 100 trillionths of a second. The only way to trust what happened is to measure it - and Lawrence Livermore has spent decades building the instruments that can see the unseeable, the same instruments that proved the world's first fusion ignition was real. This is the story of NIF's diagnostics: how Lawrence Livermore learned to photograph a dying star, prove a nuclear stockpile still works without ever testing it, and turn an event too fast, too hot, and too dense to touch into knowledge. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Dave Schlossberg - Experimental Physicist, National Ignition Facility, LLNL Cara Vennari - Experimental Physicist, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The number of objects in orbit is doubling every two years, and the systems built to keep watch still run on formats designed around 1960s punch cards. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a mission operations center called STARMOC is proving that the future of space operations can be built fast, affordable and in-house - by testing new ways to fly satellites, train AI and stay ahead in a crowded, contested sky. This is STARMOC at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Luc Peterson - Associate Program Leader for Data Science, Space Program, LLNL Phillip Rittmuller - Principal Investigator for STARMOC -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens after a PhD, but before a scientist is fully established? At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, that in-between stage is treated as a proving ground. LLNL postdocs are given rare facilities, hard problems, mentorship, career development time, and a community built around collaboration. The result is more than professional development. It’s the moment a scientist starts becoming the person others look to for answers. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Tomi Akindele - Systems Modeling and Evaluation Group Leader, Physics Division, LLNL Ted Baumann - Chemist and Postdoc Program Lead, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the National Lab Research SLAM, scientists from all 17 Department of Energy national laboratories get three minutes and a single slide to explain years of complex research to people who aren't scientists. This is the story of how Lawrence Livermore built a program to teach its researchers a skill that turns out to be as essential as the science itself: making the work understandable. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Brandon Zimmerman - Staff Scientist, LLNL Christine Zachow - Operations Manager, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In September 2023, a small NASA capsule streaked through Earth’s atmosphere and landed in the Utah desert, carrying 122 grams of material from the asteroid Bennu. That material has existed for more than four and a half billion years, preserving clues from the earliest moments of the solar system. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a team of scientists is now studying tiny fragments of the sample with extraordinary precision, examining isotopes and microscopic minerals to read the stories locked inside. As studies continue, they are revealing how some of the ingredients used by life on Earth are also present in ancient space rocks. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Greg Brennecka - Staff Scientist, LLNL Thomas Kruijer - Staff Scientist, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Genesis Mission is a national effort to accelerate discovery by uniting AI, supercomputing, experiments, and the infrastructure of the national laboratories. This episode explores the problem Genesis is trying to solve, the growing gap between the pace of scientific discovery and the scale of the challenges facing the nation. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, this vision is turning into a reality through infrastructure, workforce training, and governance. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Dario Gil - Department of Energy Undersecretary for Science and the Director of the Genesis Mission Rob Neely - Associate Director for Weapon Simulation and Computing, LLNL Lori Diachin - Principal Deputy for Computing, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Script by Caroline Kidd Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scientists are simulating cyber attacks and system failures on real-world energy infrastructure - without ever putting the actual grid at risk. This is Skyfall at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. From real-world incidents like the Ukraine power grid cyberattack 2015 to cascading failures across interconnected systems, this episode explores how cyber-physical incidents can disrupt critical infrastructure in the United States - and how scientists at Skyfall are working to understand and prepare for them. Researchers are using simulation, AI and new approaches like the immune infrastructure framework to understand those risks - and design systems that can adapt and recover when things go wrong. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Nate Gleason - Cyber and Infrastructure Resilience (CIR) Program Lead, LLNL Vaibhav Donde - Associate Program Lead, CIR, LLNL Colin Ponce - Computer Scientist, CIR, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a remote corner of the Nevada desert, scientists at JASPER study one of the most consequential materials on Earth: plutonium. This is the story of how a bold experimental concept became a trusted national asset. By utilizing a two-stage gas gun, researchers create extreme conditions for less than a microsecond, generating the precise data that helps to validate and strengthen U.S. science-based stockpile stewardship. The work demands extraordinary precision, complete containment, and an unwavering focus on national security. Guests featured (in order of appearance): David Bober - JASPER Team Lead, LLNL Ricky Chau - JASPER Execution Lead, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From corrosion-resistant coatings to next-generation batteries and stronger wind turbines, some of today’s toughest industrial challenges share a surprising common thread: they’re being solved inside a computer. In this episode, we explore the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation program. This collaboration between U.S. national laboratories and private industry uses advanced supercomputing to tackle real-world problems in manufacturing, energy, and materials science. With nearly 200 projects across 12 Department of Energy labs, the program is helping companies reduce energy use, cut carbon emissions, and strengthen American manufacturing by tackling complex industrial challenges with computational science. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Brandon Wood, Project Lead, LLNL Aaron Fisher, HPC4EI Director, LLNL Yeping Hu, Project Lead, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Behind every safeguard of national security lies a world few ever see. Inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists and engineers are redefining how explosions are developed, modeled, and tested to ensure the United States maintains a safe, secure, and reliable deterrent. From molecule-level physics to exascale computing systems, the Energetic Materials Center is the hub of subject matter expertise in explosive science at LLNL. EMC is partnering in global scientific collaborations aimed at reducing risk, advancing security, and shaping the future of deterrence in a rapidly changing world. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Lara Leininger, Director of Energetic Materials Center, LLNL Alex Gash, Deputy Director of Energetic Materials Center, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the center of every experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility is a target - a tiny, precisely engineered object built to withstand the intensity of the world’s highest energy laser system. Join us as we explore target fabrication: the craft behind capsules made of diamond, their intricate assemblies, and cross continental journeys that make fusion experiments possible. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Michael Stadermann, Target Fabrication Program Manager, LLNL Jared Hund, LLNL Contract Manager at General Atomics -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Dara Bates. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world’s most demanding science never sleeps. From facilities that operate around the clock to the people monitoring safety, power, and infrastructure overnight, this episode goes behind the scenes of the invisible operations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that keep critical science moving forward - even when nothing appears to be happening. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Cynthia Rivera, Principal Associate Director of Operations & Business, LLNL Robert Scripp, Emergency Management Department Head, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Elizabeth Sherman. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, scientists recreate the most extreme conditions in the universe. Through the Discovery Science Program, researchers and students from around the world gain rare access to this machine to run experiments that exist for only a fraction of a second, yet reshape what we know about stars, planets, and matter itself. These experiments don’t just explore the cosmos; they create a shared laboratory for discovery and the training ground for the next generation of scientists who will evaluate the safety, security and effectiveness of our nation’s nuclear deterrence. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Dan Kalantar, Chief Systems Engineer for Experimental Systems at NIF, LLNL Tilo Doeppner, Experimental Physicist at NIF, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Drones, or autonomous sensing systems, step in where humans can’t. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists are developing machines that can see, decide and act in real time. In this episode, we explore how drones expand the frontier of possibility: scanning hidden pipelines underground, navigating dangerous terrain and coordinating swarms across land, air, and water. These aren’t just flying cameras. They’re intelligence-gathering systems, force multipliers and life-saving tools. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Brian Wihl, Associate Program Lead for Autonomous Sensors Program, LLNL James Reimer, Mechanical Engineer for Autonomous Sensors Program, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dark matter is one of the universe’s greatest mysteries. It’s the invisible force that glues galaxies together and sculpts cosmic structure. In this episode, we trace the journey of discovery from massive objects in the Milky Way to particle-scale experiments designed to reveal what dark matter really is. From gravitational microlensing to cutting-edge detectors at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists are pushing the limits of technology and imagination to uncover the unseen and understand the mass that makes up most of our universe. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Greg Sallaberry, Staff Scientist at LLNL Gianpaolo Carosi, Staff Scientist at LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Neutrinos are particles that defy expectations. They slip through matter effortlessly, changing identities and traveling vast cosmic distances. In this episode, we explore the surprising ways they connect the tiniest scales of physics to the grandest structures in the universe. From deep underground detectors to experiments designed to observe the unobservable, scientists at Lawrence Livermore are working to uncover secrets that could reshape our understanding of matter, energy, and the origins of everything around us. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Mike Heffner, Staff Scientist, LLNL Nathaniel Bowden, Physicist, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Caroline Kidd. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every decision in national security hinges on knowledge, insight, and expertise - some of that expertise starts in a lab in Livermore. The Offsite Fellows Program places Lawrence Livermore scientists inside government agencies, where their work helps shape policy, strategy and the future of national defense. In this episode, we dive deep into the Offsite Fellows Program (OFP) and how it positions Lab researchers shoulder to shoulder with government leaders who bring critical scientific insight directly into decisions that protect our nation. Hear from Offsite Fellows themselves, as we follow their journeys - where they move through the halls of government, informing and strengthening national security. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LLNL’s Energy Flow Charts have become one of the clearest ways to understand the nation’s energy system. Learn how these diagrams capture everything from pandemic shutdowns and shifting fuels to wasted energy we never see. From classrooms to Capitol Hill, these charts help the country plan for what comes next. Guests featured (in order of appearance): Hannah Goldstein, System and Policy Analysis Group Leader, LLNL Kimberly Mayfield, Research Scientist, LLNL -- Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch. Script by Lacey Peace. Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. Narrated by Matthew Powell. Video Production by Levi Hanusch. Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.