Merle -
Just saw this. Having been a contractor at Sandia (Advanced Concepts
Group), and Guest Scientist and Affiliate at CNLS at LANL, as well as
a Bechtel contractor on the "big dig" in Boston,
got any good stories from that one (probably not suitable for a public
forum)?
so knowing all three from the inside, I can report without
reservation that LANL was doomed the minute Bechtel walked in the door.
Interesting to get this kind of perspective.. thank you.
My impression at Sandia was that LockMart is a traditional but
responsible manager and lets the employees do their work without much
interference (the interference comes from the idiots at D.O.E.).
I began to see this (about LockMart) as I was studying the future while
the contract was in play. I get the impression that their upper
management are Aerospace Engineers which is a little better than
Physicists and a *lot* better than Plutocrats and their trained monkeys.
I had no idea about Bechtel (they do manage a low profile in some ways?)
until I started attending the open contract negotiations in SFo. I was
the only one attending besides a handful of students waiting for the
right moment to protest (and get thrown out) on general principles and
sometimes one or two reporters. The conversations between Bechtel, UC,
and DOE were completely staged. There were no decisions being made in
public... there was still smoke wafting up from their clothes and hair
from the backroom deals that had already been struck. I was roughly
the lone witness to this as the reporters didn't seem to take note of
this at all, dutifully reporting what was "declared" at these meetings
which were supposed to be discussions/negotiations. I was appalled.
During four years at LANL under the old contract my feeling every day
going to work was one of privilege to be able to explore the resources
of what felt very much like a small graduate campus.
It gets even better at LBL... I felt as privileged in this manner as I
do now when I attend SFI meetings/events. I thought Chu was a great
choice as director of LBL as well as Obama's Energy Sec'y. I don't know
if there is a story behind his leaving after 4 years... do you?
I'm not a big fan of traditional "academia" but I do think it has it's
place and I think LANL and LBL (even moreso) served as interesting
hybrids. SNL, ORNL, and PNNL seem to be yet another breed(s).
Until Bush-Cheney handed our Nuclear Gems over to their friends the
Bechtels.
I"m not bitter. But I am a friend of Doug's... does that count?
- Steve
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