DATE: 08/29/2019
WRITER: Tiffany Acosta, 575-646-3929, tfrank@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Jim Chavez, 575-646-9100, jimc@nmsu.edu
After an official agreement was signed in April, the collaboration between New Mexico State University and Sandia National Laboratories has proceeded with the opening of a facility at NMSU’s Physical Science Laboratory in Anderson Hall.
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New Mexico State University’s Chancellor Dan Arvizu, Stephen Younger, Sandia Labs Director, NMSU President John Floros and Jim Chavez, director of PSL, in front of the new Sandia Extended National Security Externship office at the Physical Science Labratory building on NMSU’s Campus, August 27, 2019 (NMSU Photo by Josh Bachman)Officials from Sandia visited NMSU Aug. 27. They met with university leadership and toured the new space, which includes room for a manager and six students. The NMSU and Sandia partnership was formed to develop learning opportunities and coordinate education and research.
The new space will allow Sandia staff to work on NMSU’s campus as well as hire NMSU students as interns or externs.
“One of the elements that will help us take a new trajectory for PSL is the partnerships with strategic partners like Sandia National Labs,” said NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. “We could not be more pleased that Dr. (Stephen) Younger and his team have agreed to engage with us in a strategic relationship.”
“Our country is facing some significant national security challenges, and we are going to meet those challenges by out-innovating our adversaries,” said Younger, labs director at Sandia. “When you look at the world, it’s evolving in a way that we need the most diverse set of approaches to our problems that we can find. We’re blessed in this state to have a very diverse population, and this university represents that diverse population. I think NMSU and our other schools in the state of New Mexico represent strategic assets for our nation in helping defend us in the coming years. That’s why we are here, to tap into that diversity, to tap into that creativity.”
In addition to national security issues, the partnership will allow NMSU and Sandia to pursue opportunities of mutual interest such as discovery science, water research, cybersecurity and sustainability.
