The University of California is fighting to stay on as manager of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, birthplace of the atom bomb. It may have to compete against other bidders, including the University of Texas. What does the competition mean for the future of the lab?
JENNIFER LUDDEN, host: The federal government is looking for a new manager for a stunning      25,000-acre property in northern New Mexico.  There are beautiful      canyons, plenty of sun, historic buildings and nearby ski slopes.  The      catch?  Tons of plutonium and multiple congressional committees that will      watch your every move.  The site is Los Alamos National Laboratory, often      called a birthplace of the atomic bomb.  The Department of Energy has put      the lab's contract up for bid after a string of controversies over safety      and security.  It now looks as if a for-profit company will for the first      time take a lead role in running things. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.</s>DAVID KESTENBAUM reporting: Sixty years ago, the scientists who built the first atomic bomb insisted      that Los Alamos be run like a university.  They wanted to be able to      argue and share ideas.  So in a secret deal, the government hired the      University of California to run things.  Today, the lab is still run by      the university. It's a $2 billion-a-year operation with some 14,000      employees.  Joe Marts(ph) went to the University of California and says      the arrangement has not always been popular on campus.  He's now a deputy      division leader for the lab's X Division, where many of the nuclear      weapons scientists work.</s>Mr. JOE MARTS: I have protesters at my graduate seminars saying the      university should not be involved in this type of work.  I would counter      by saying that who better than someone without bias to ensure that the      right answers are given to the country, so that when a tough decision has      to be made about the safety or reliability of something as important as      our nuclear deterrent, that it is done so with the upmost integrity.  An      institution like the University of California brings that integrity that      you might not have with the for-profit defense contract.</s>KESTENBAUM: Marts says if a defense contractor does take a dominant      role, it could also make hiring difficult for him.</s>Mr. JOE MARTS: In X Division, the average age of my staff is in the range of      50 years old, and when I'm trying to attract the best and brightest new      recruits and they look at whether or not they would work for a defense      contractor vs. a University of California, the choice for them becomes      very easy.</s>KESTENBAUM: They go with the university, he says.  It looks as if a      university will continue to be involved but with a defense contractor as      a major partner.  The University of California is teaming up with      Bechtel, a global engineering and construction company.  Competing      against them for the contract so far will be a team led by the University      of Texas and Lockheed Martin, known for building fighter jets and      missiles.  Jack Gandler(ph) has no problem with for-profit companies      getting involved.  He's a former undersecretary of Defense.  Two years      ago, he served on a panel that advised putting the Los Alamos contract up      for bid.</s>Mr. JACK GANDLER (Former Undersecretary of Defense): I'd rather almost      have a defense contractor because they're used to dealing with the      security aspects of a place like Los Alamos.  And Los Alamos, of course,      is originally the nuclear facility for nuclear weapons and a very highly      sensitive area, one in which the national security literally is involved,      and defense contractors are more used to dealing in that environment.</s>KESTENBAUM: Lockheed Martin, for instance, already runs Sandia National      Laboratory.  Lockheed recently hired Sandia's former director, Paul      Robinson, to help prepare his proposal to run Los Alamos.  Robinson says      scientists shouldn't worry that academic freedom will be strangled if      Lockheed moves in, and as for concerns about conflict of interest,      Robinson says Lockheed isn't in it for the money.</s>Mr. PAUL ROBINSON (Former Director, Sandia): This is certainly a      national service.  One sense, they're doing it for pride.  The other      sense is to make sure they stay aware of breaking research developments      that can change certainly the defense industry or national security writ      large.</s>KESTENBAUM: Whoever wins the contract will get access to thousands of      top scientists and engineers, experts in super computers, explosives,      genetics.</s>KESTENBAUM: Still, the prestige of running the birthplace of the bomb was apparently      not enough on its own.  The Department of Energy originally said a new      contractor could earn as much as $30 million a year for running the lab.      They then upped the maximum to $79 million.  That's 10 times what the      University of California can make under the current arrangement.      Proposals are due July 19th.  The winner will be announced in December.</s>KESTENBAUM: David Kestenbaum, NPR News.