It's three o'clock in the morning at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
There's no alarm going on, no emergencies, no headlines. On the surface it seems like nothing is happening. And that's exactly the point. You just assume when you come to work that everything's working, we have other people that actually make that happen.
It's the work you don't hear about. It's the people you don't hear about.
“Projects where success is measured by how invisible the outcome is.”
Across miles of buildings and disciplines, beneath fusion ignition.
This is where, for the first time,
scientists were able to create a fusion reaction that generated more power than it took in. Exescale computing. The officially home to the world's fastest supercomputer. Planetary Defense.
A spacecraft intentionally crashed into an asteroid. This is the first for a human kind. And thousands of other interconnected systems. This is the story of the people who keep the science running around the clock. Looking for a career that challenges and inspires,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring for a nuclear facility engineer, systems design and testing engineer,
“and a senior scientific technologist along with many other roles in science,”
technology, engineering, and beyond. At the lab, every role contributes to ground-breaking projects in national security, advanced computing, and scientific research. All within a collaborative mission-driven environment. Discover open positions at llnl.gov/careers,
where big ideas come to life. Welcome to the big ideas lab. Your exploration inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Here untold stories, meet boundary-pushing pioneers, and get unparalleled access inside the gates.
From national security challenges to computing revolutions, discover the innovations that are shaping tomorrow today. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is not a single building. It's closer to a small city. Nearly 10,000 employees spanning over 75 hundred acres.
Roads, gates, utilities, power systems, offices, labs, all contributing to world-changing innovation. Like any city, when most of the lights go out at night, it's quiet. But look closer.
There's a system that never really sleeps.
It appears invisible because that's the intent. And it keeps the lab running so the science can continue. We do this by providing the people, places, processes, services, and things needed to accomplish work safely and securely, while being mindful stewards of the environment.
Cynthia Rivera is the principal associate director for operations in business at Lawrence Livermore. Our mission in operations and businesses to enable Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories National Security Mission and World Class Science. That mission includes more than 2,000 people.
Spaining a wide range of roles, many of them operating outside conventional hours. Most people don't even think about this. Our janitorial staff come in pretty early in the morning, and they are also coordinating the trash pickup that starts at midnight.
Our landscapers and grounds crews often have to come in or stay late when there's going to be a major storm. Because they need to clear the drainage areas, they need to be sure that before the storm the site is ready, and then after the storm,
if there's trees or limbs down or things blocked or things blown over, they're there to help get it ready for the rest of the staff to be on something. If the laboratory stage, the team working 24 hour operations would be the stage crew. You don't see them during the performance,
but without them, the curtain never goes up.
It's not as dramatic as center stage,
“but it's essential for the show to go on.”
For Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the show is life-changing, cutting edge movement for the world, and every instrument has to be ready. Things happen, pipes break, our maintenance mechanics,
technicians, and health and safety technologies.
In the event, something goes wrong.
There's some kind of equipment failure or something. They're there.
“It's not easy to do those kinds of shifts,”
and it requires that kind of dedication and willingness to be able to accommodate that over a period of time. It's not all big moments of setup, repair, or preparation. In some areas, it's thousands and thousands of small things. Our shipping and receiving team.
They make sure that the packages get to where they go, either receiving them or sending them out when they need to,
and it's amazing how much volume they take care of.
It can look as simple as someone arriving at their normal gate for work. A basket scan, the name gets checked, but sometimes that name isn't cleared. Occasionally people think it'd be fun to go take a spin around the lab. They don't actually get on the lab.
They're stopped by security. The labs protective force. Security has the predominant 24/7 operations across the site. They monitor access points. They respond to alarms.
They keep track of what's normal, and what isn't. But they're not the only incident response team.
“Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring.”
If you're passionate about tackling real-world challenges in science, engineering, business, or skilled trades, there's a place for you at the lab. Right now, positions are open for a senior labor relations advocate. Operations, cybersecurity, and a senior database administrator.
These are just a few of the more than 100 exciting roles available. At Lawrence Livermore, you'll work on projects that matter from national security to cutting-edge scientific advancements. Join a team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. Explore opportunities at llnl.gov/careers
where your next career move could make history. The evacuation update? 20% on a touted tour.
Fisher gets second payment or devices now.
Operations to engine three. We've got employees in that zone that haven't checked in. What's your status? We're inside, I've got names on fire and team that 10% else we've got. Fire and team that 10% else we've got.
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“The drill said in place for any possible disaster.”
The two most significant ones that we often prepare for are wildfires. We have a lot of things that would be impacted by that. So we prepare for those with a lot of really realistic exercises. Roberts goal is to make these exercises as realistic as possible. To do so he gathers over 65 people from various divisions in the Labs Emergency Operations Center or EOC.
All working together as the hypothetical scenario unfolds. It's Lawrence Livermore's version of the White House situation room. We have a field operations component so we will involve our fire services here on site. We'll involve our protective force division, which is our security side of the house. We'll involve our building evacuation teams.
So there'll be an unsung component usually with one of our exercises and then we have the Emergency Operations Center. We will manage that incident from the moment that we bring in the realism of it through whatever our objectives are to achieve that. The more realistic the exercises are, the more ready for an actual event the site will be.
We actually did a drill this year that was really great where we had a new me...
They came in and acted as though they were the media.
They brought their cameras in. They put the camera right in your face and they started asking everyone tough questions. Well that's how the real world would be. Then there's the employee alert system itself. Complete with safety checks at every level.
We have the emergency notification system and it is what we use to notify either individuals or groups or the entire operations. We can send messages out to everyone on this campus all 10,000 people in a matter of seconds. And the alert doesn't just ping you to let you know something dangerous is happening.
“It also is the key to marking staff is safe.”
But if you don't submit a response, it's relentless if we need to get accountability, it will keep calling those devices until it gets a response that you're good. And that is the ultimate goal.
Life safety is always number one.
Buildings can be replaced, equipment can be replaced too, but the people are the priority. The people are both the center of the mission and the core of its success. People that you might not think of would be our emergency response teams for local emergencies. The volunteers like our community emergency response team or the female national level organization. Certain teams that many communities have.
We have one for the site as well. And it's about 135 people now of volunteers who are trained.
There's also a group large enough to support three shifts at the Operations Center.
Employees who all have regular jobs in the lab but have taken on the extra responsibility of assisting in a crisis. It's that all hands-on deck mentality that makes Lawrence Livermore's emergency response organization elite.
“We have a very common sense of mission and that's what brings the team together.”
And it takes us all. It's recognition that it takes the person who's there at midnight and it takes the thousands of people that are there during the day to make it all happen. A promise built long before an emergency ever happens. Through drills, coordination and invisible tasks taking place around the clock. All designed and service of something bigger.
This place shines. When you walk around here, when you talk to the people and you find out what they're working on, it's brilliant for making sure that the science can continue. But you're surrounded by the smartest people in the world.
“And that to me is unique. You don't get that in other organizations. Brilliant is what I would describe it as.”
Every morning the lab comes back to life. Cars are lined up at the gates. Badges scanned. Light zone. Simmingly nothing is happening. And that's exactly the point. Thank you for tuning in to Big Ideas Lab.
If you loved what you heard, please let us know by leaving a rating and review. And if you haven't already, don't forget to hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast to keep up with our latest episode. Thanks for listening. Join a team where expertise makes a difference. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring for a nurse practitioner physician assistant, a senior health physicist,
and a laser modeling physicist. And the list of open positions doesn't end there. There are more than 100 job openings across science, engineering, IT, HR, and the skilled trades. This is more than a job. It's an opportunity to help shape the future.
Explore all open positions and start your next career adventure today at llnl.gov/careers. That's llnl.gov/careers.
