Big Ideas Lab

Jan 28 2025 19 ep. 23 mins 12
Big Ideas Lab Podcast artwork

Your weekly exploration inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hear untold stories, meet boundary-pushing pioneers and get unparalleled access to groundbreaking science and technology. From national security challenges to computing revolutions, discover the innovations that are shaping tomorrow, today.

  Science  History  Government
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NIF Sustainment

Jan 28 2025 22 mins  
How do you maintain a facility built to achieve the impossible? In this episode, we explore the National Ignition Facility Sustainment Project—a mission to preserve and enhance one of the most advanced laser systems ever created. Discover how scientists at the National Ignition Facility keep this technological marvel running, overcoming challenges of aging systems to ensure it re

Earthquake Modeling

Jan 21 2025 20 mins  
The ground beneath us is always moving—but what can it reveal about our future? From detecting nuclear tests halfway across the globe to simulating the devastating effects of earthquakes before they strike, this episode explores how LLNL’s work is making the world a safer place—one seismic wave at a time.

Next Gen Innovators

Jan 14 2025 28 mins  
What happens when you bring a group of fifth graders into one of the world’s most advanced science labs? It’s not just magic—it’s mission-critical.

Roads to Removal

Jan 07 2025 34 mins  
Entire communities erased by hurricanes. 240,000 square kilometers burned. Floodwaters swallowing towns. Extreme weather isn’t a distant threat—it’s reshaping our world. But here’s the good news: we’re not powerless. Enter the Roads to Removal report, a new strategy for combating climate change.

Additive Manufacturing

Dec 17 2024 29 mins  
Once a concept in 1940s science fiction, additive manufacturing—better known as 3D printing—has become a game-changer in modern production. Unlike traditional methods that cut away material, additive manufacturing builds components layer by layer, enabling intricate designs, reduced waste, and faster production. In this episode, we uncover how this technology evolved, why it’

Stockpile Modernization

Dec 10 2024 18 mins  
In the mid-1990s, global treaties and a U.S. moratorium on nuclear testing marked a turning point in reducing the nuclear threat. As Cold War tensions eased, U.S. nuclear test and production sites fell silent for the first time since 1945. But, as the years passed, a new threat to U.S. nuclear deterrence emerged—one that no technology has ever escaped: time.

Site 300

Dec 03 2024 25 mins  
In 1955, the Atomic Energy Commission purchased 3,400 acres of farmland near Livermore. This barren stretch, later known as Site 300, became the proving ground for the Lab’s most ambitious innovations. What unfolded there would shape the future of weapons development—and change the course of history.

NARAC

Nov 26 2024 30 mins  
In the 1960s and 70s, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were pushing the boundaries of nuclear weapons technology. But these breakthroughs came with a daunting question: Now that nuclear technologies existed, how could the world manage their risks and keep people safe?

El Capitan

Nov 19 2024 31 mins  
For decades, it was an ambitious dream: to create a supercomputer powerful enough to tackle humanity's most complex problems. Now, that dream is a reality. Welcome to the world, El Capitan.

DYNA3D

Nov 12 2024 19 mins  
What does designing hurricane-proof buildings have to do with heart surgery and light beer? Surprisingly, the answer lies in a groundbreaking computer code developed more than 50 years ago: DYNA3D.