Dr. Bob Wester visits Pantex as inaugural President’s Colloquium speaker
Dr. Bob Webster speaking to Pantexans at the first President’s Colloquium. Photo by Michael Schumacher.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word colloquium is defined as an academic meeting in which specialists deliver an address on a topic and then answer questions from the audience.
The idea of having these colloquiums is to enable experts from the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) and key stakeholders to share important information and insight with Pantexans,” said Kelly Beierschmitt, Pantex president and general manager.
Earlier this month, the first President's Colloquium was held at Pantex with Dr. Bob Webster from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as the distinguished speaker. Webster is the Deputy Laboratory Director for Weapons at LANL and has three decades of experience in the weapons industry.
“The President’s colloquium is an important forum to engage directly with the workforce, share perspectives, and reinforce how each site contributes to the broader mission,” said Webster.
Webster, wearing a Hawaiian shirt that featured cows, welcomed the full auditorium of Pantexans. He introduced his topic by highlighting his shirt and detailing how it is a historical nod to a time at LANL when Hawaiian shirts and jeans were the traditional Friday look. Webster stressed the importance of understanding the history of the mission to continue to move forward.
Both Beierschmitt and Webster spoke on the importance of the laboratories and sites in the NSE communicating and working together to benefit the mission of maintaining the nation’s nuclear stockpile.
“No one site executes the mission alone,” Webster said. “Our work is deeply interconnected, and understanding each other’s challenges, capabilities, and priorities makes us more effective as a whole.”
The classified briefing focused on Webster’s experience and different projects he’s worked on while also highlighting how Pantexans contribute to his work.
“It was enlightening and refreshing to hear the perspective of another site,” said Scott Beckett, with Pantex’s IT Service Management division.
Another Pantexan, who is new to the site, also enjoyed the discussion.
I found the topics discussed very engaging and informative,” Hannah Felker, Pantex program specialist said. “Attending events like this are valuable because they help expand our understanding of the work we do in support of our mission.”
Webster closed his discussion focusing on how important the mission is in today’s time. “When we take the time to engage across sites, we build trust, improve coordination, and ultimately strengthen the safety, security, and credibility of the mission we all support.”