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Allen's moving up in the world of vacuums. He currently works in the thermal vacuum lab which does testing for satellite systems. Vendors (people building satellites) bring them to Sandia from all over the country to put them in the giant vacuums (no, not like a Hoover, but an airless, outer space-like environment. Apparently, on a molecular level, air can be a problem so they just remove it completely.) to see how these satellites handle the situation. When Allen was hired, the t-vac lab was in poor shape. In the two and a half years Allen has been the lead engineer in the lab, he has completely updated, overhauled, and improved the entire system. What used to be a constant battle with failing chambers, inadequate technology and poorly managed customer service has blossomed into a smoothly oiled machine that is now reliable and operated at or under budget.

The changes that have taken place within the t-vac lab have been noticed by many at Sandia. So, when the famous Z Machine, one of Sandia's largest programs, began experiencing delays and failures in production due to an inadequate vacuum system, the managers put a call in to Allen to see if he would be interested in making the move to their department.

The science behind the Z Machine uses electricity, accelerated by magnetic impulses, to create high temperature and high pressure targets to achieve fusion (remember Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue in The Saint? ok, they were trying to make fusion which is cold nuclear energy). The target area (where they shoot at) is under vacuum. Thus, the entire system relies on a functioning vacuum chamber to make the daily shot. Allen has worked near the machine and says every day at shot time, anyone within a 1/4 mile can feel the vibration of the shot - much like an earthquake.

The Z Machine during a shot.

When the job was first offered in September, Allen had a number of projects to wrap up in his current department. Now that he is tying those up and the fiscal year has come to a close, he has officially accepted his new post. The move is a little bittersweet as Allen has put his personal stamp on the t-vac lab, has a great working relationship with his current manager and has brought in hand-picked staff with whom he really enjoys working. This position will be demanding as the program is hurting a bit and Allen has been called in as a firefighter of sorts. However, after he gets everything in order, the long term potential for him is much greater than at the t-vac lab.

As a family, we couldn't be more proud of Allen. He is an excellent engineer and manager. He has a great work ethic, sees problems and eliminates them, plans for the future to avoid further issues, and can manage a multi-million dollar budget. He works hard at work so he can come home enjoy his time with us. He doesn't bring his work home with him and doesn't spend much time at work resting so that he can avoid working late and weekends when possible. Considering he is gone 12 hours a day, we really appreciate how much effort he puts into trying to be home when he can. We are so grateful for his dedication to his profession. We hope that this move keeps Allen on the upward journey in his career and that he feels productive and fulfilled in his job.