{"id":23193,"date":"2022-11-10T15:04:19","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=23193"},"modified":"2022-11-10T16:39:25","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T16:39:25","slug":"great-minds-in-stem-salutes-sandia-labs-engineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2022\/11\/10\/great-minds-in-stem-salutes-sandia-labs-engineer\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Minds in STEM salutes Sandia Labs engineer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sandia National Laboratories<\/div>\n
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Sandia National Laboratories mechanical engineer Frank DelRio likes to think small \u2013 microscopically small. His groundbreaking work in nanomechanics and nanotribology earned him a trip to Pasadena, California, recently for the 2022 Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference, where he was honored for his technical achievements.<\/p>\n


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Frank DelRio, nationally recognized for his outstanding technical achievement, works with an atomic-force microscope to characterize the growth kinetics of amorphous carbon tribofilms on platinum-gold nanocrystalline alloys at Sandia National Laboratories. (Photo by Lonnie Anderson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThrough nanomechanics, we look at how things deform, how they fracture, how they fatigue and respond to a mechanical stimulus,\u201d DelRio said. \u201cThrough nanotribology, we\u2019re moving two surfaces relative to one another, trying to understand why we see the frictions that we see and developing lubrications schemes to mitigate those affects.\u201d He is an engineer of numerous technical achievements in assuring material and component reliability in products ranging from satellites in space to cell phones in the palms of our hands.<\/p>\n

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The prodigal son<\/p>\n

DelRio said that math and science pulled at him from an early age. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed solving problems, building things and fixing things,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mom says that as early as she can remember, I tinkered with things, trying to figure out how they work. I was constantly trying to make them better.\u201d<\/p>\n

This innate curiosity landed Frank in a magnet high school focused on science, technology, engineering and math. \u201cI was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,\u201d he said. \u201cI just kind of fell into it. By the end of high school, I had already made my way through the first two or three years of typical college math. Science was the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

DelRio spent the next eight years chasing a doctorate in mechanical engineering. While in graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, he learned of a Sandia Labs Microsystems Engineering Science and Applications, or MESA, fellowship. He applied, was accepted and spent more than two years working with Sandia scientists on his graduate school research.<\/p>\n

With his doctorate in hand, DelRio joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2007 developing and refining standardized units of measurement at every level, from global communication networks to advanced nanomaterials and computer chips. He was enjoying his work at NIST, where he had become a project leader and group leader, when he learned of an opening at Sandia that aligned with his interests and skills. \u201cI had relationships at Sandia from my days as an intern and even contributed to joint projects with the Labs working at NIST,\u201d DelRio said. He returned to Sandia in 2020 as a member of the research and development technical staff in the materials science department.<\/p>\n

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The experimentalist<\/p>\n

DelRio spends much of his time conducting nanomechanics and nanotribology tests with his two good friends, a nano-indenter and an atomic-force microscope. \u201cI call myself an experimentalist,\u201d he said, \u201cfocused on nanomechanics and nanotribology, basically poking at things at very small scales and analyzing the response to those mechanical stimuli, then extracting fundamental properties of the materials that I\u2019m looking at.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve also been working at the Department of Energy\u2019s Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies as an affiliate scientist,\u201d DelRio said. \u201cMuch of my work at Sandia is in electronics, but now I\u2019m working with nano applications in renewable energy and biomedical and health and it really stretches my skills and interests,\u201d he said. Through the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, DelRio works with experts at the top of their game from across the country. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing integration of nanoscience talent,\u201d he said, \u201cand a really a neat way to apply the techniques we\u2019re developing to areas that we might not otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

DelRio\u2019s work might seem lofty, but it has applications in everyday life. \u201cOur work has improved the reliability of everything from satellites to smart phones and televisions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

HENAAC\u2019s special meaning<\/p>\n

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DelRio is the recipient of scores of national awards, but this one is different. \u201cThis HENAAC award is really special,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m dedicating this honor to my dad. He really taught me and my sister the value of working long, hard days and going after what you want. That came from his roots, his early days in Cuba and his Hispanic heritage and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says HENAAC provides an important sense of community that brings people together and shows younger Hispanic students and professionals in STEM that it\u2019s possible to go to graduate school and become a professor, work at a national lab or be an industry leader. \u201cEverybody has their own challenges and obstacles in life, and groups like HENAAC provide a community of support that creates opportunities for others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Great Minds in STEM is dedicated to keeping America technologically strong by promoting science, technology, engineering and math careers, especially in underserved communities. More than 60 companies, government agencies, academic institutions and uniformed services collectively nominated hundreds of outstanding HENAAC candidates this year. Award winners represent Hispanic contributions at the highest levels of academia, government, military and corporate America.<\/p>\n

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Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.<\/p>\n

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\/Public Release. This material from the originating organization\/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s).View in full here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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