At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), our mission is to make

the world a safer place by understanding more about how it works. “The

Lab,” as we call it, performs some of the most groundbreaking science in

the world, attracting the brightest minds from all over the globe. We tackle

projects that range from working toward fusion energy to assessing the

future impact of climate change, from maintaining the nation’s nuclear

stockpile to finding better cancer drugs. We’re home to some of the world’s

unique facilities, like the world’s largest and most energetic laser (the

National Ignition Facility, or NIF) and some of the world’s fastest

supercomputers.

But all of this presents a unique challenge: In pursuing our commitment to

outreach, education and transparency, how do we communicate this kind of

complex, high-level technical information to the public? We want to be able

to reach people, both in our local and global communities, and express just

how exciting all of the scientific and technological progress is. We want to

inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and

mathematicians to change the world. And we want the general public, which

funds us through their tax dollars, to understand what we do and why.

As we’ve progressed into the digital age, our communication strategies have

pivoted. We’ve grown sizable followings on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and

other platforms, posting daily to engage with new demographics and to

open up the personal side of the science, which can sometimes feel like an

impenetrable institution. One of the most impactful ways we’ve pursued this

change is by creating engaging, fun, timely and accessible videos that

feature our science and our people — and we’ve had an amazing response.

Our viewers and followers, as well as our employees and our government

sponsors, have been hugely receptive to this kind of content. These videos

are shared with friends and family, they are used by teachers who play the

videos in classrooms, and they are cited by members of Congress who are

looking for better understanding of complex science and technology. They

are not only bringing people closer together, but also bringing them closer to the science. In a world increasingly defined by digital relevance, we recognize that revolutionizing our communication around the science is just as important as the revolutionary science itself.

We’ve been successful in the pursuit of our goals: to connect and engage

with the lay public outside of the Lab, to spark an awareness of and an

interest in what we do, and cultivate a culture of entertainment and outreach

around this pioneering work we do in the nation’s interest. The videos we

have included in our submission here are merely a representative sample, and we

encourage you to visit our YouTube channel to explore even further.

May 17th, 2018