More than 80 physicists, chemists, material scientists and engineers participated in a new educational program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) during 2024, developed and delivered by the Lab's energetic materials experts.
As hiring at LLNL accelerated in recent years, Lab leaders recognized the growing need to provide specialized training for newer members of its workforce regarding energetic materials - non-nuclear, high-explosive materials that store and release large amounts of chemical energy.
According to Alex Gash, deputy director of LLNL's Energetic Materials Center (EMC), few institutions offer degrees in this field. Instead, most Lab scientists build on their existing knowledge as they learn about energetics on the job, while conducting applied research. They receive guidance and mentoring from energetics experts at LLNL, but this process can take several years.
Leaders from the Lab's Strategic Deterrence, Global Security, Engineering, and Physical and Life Sciences directorates wanted to accelerate energetics education for new staff in light of the Lab's expanding research in this field, aimed at supporting LLNL's missions in nuclear deterrence, stockpile modernization, counterterrorism and high-explosives safety.
"We wanted to ensure that our staff have the specialized knowledge they need to conduct energetics research at LLNL, including the types of energetics and explosives we work with, the experiments we conduct, our predictive modeling capabilities and the unique facilities at LLNL that support this research," said EMC Director Lara Leininger.
With this aim in mind, a team of LLNL leaders and advisors developed the Energetic Materials University (EMU), a nine-month educational program for Lab scientists and engineers, with weekly lectures delivered by LLNL experts. Topics include the physics and chemistry of high explosives, energetics safety, material degradation and homemade explosives.
EMU's first year
During the first year the EMU program was offered, in 2024, more than 170 Lab employees applied for a spot in the program, and 57 were invited to participate.
"The target audience for EMU is staff who have been at the Lab at least two years to ensure that they have a general understanding of LLNL's research environment," said Gash, who also serves as the primary point of contact for EMU. "In addition, when selecting students, we were looking for staff with job assignments involving energetics, who represent a diversity of science disciplines and a cross-section of programs that use LLNL's high explosives enterprise."
EMU instructors also came from across LLNL, bringing a broad range of expertise. During their lectures, they shared examples of how this knowledge is applied at LLNL and how it helps researchers overcome technical challenges. They also discussed the Lab's unique facilities and research instruments used during energetics research.
All classes were delivered in person, and according to Jon Maienschein, a former EMC director who helped develop the program and also served as an instructor, the student's questions were often the best part of the classes, sparking lively discussions. In addition, the course format enabled students to build connections with each other and with instructors, providing them with a broader network of experts at LLNL to foster continued learning and interaction even after the program concluded.
Gearing up for Year 2
EMU's second cohort of 70 students started their classes in January. They will benefit from lessons learned during the first year EMU was offered, including the addition of two new course topics. Instructors from Year 1 were invited to teach again, and all of them accepted - reflecting their enthusiasm to be part of this unique learning journey.
In addition, EMU's advisory board continues to play a key role assessing and refining the program. The board recently added new members, including three students from the first EMU cohort. They are already discussing plans to offer EMU again in 2026.
Dylan Kline, one of the new board members, was a student in the first cohort. "I learned so much by participating in EMU, with expert instructors providing insight regarding challenges and success stories from the world of energetic materials research," said Kline. "I'm excited to serve on the 2025 advisory board, helping refine the program to reflect this evolving research area and encourage students to think more creatively about their projects and the impact of their research."
-Lisa Valdez
