Sandia signed a memorandum of understanding with New Mexico State University on April 10 that outlines how the institutions intend to collaborate for the next decade. The agreement seeks to foster research in areas of national security, including water, energy and critical infrastructure.

It also provides Sandia with professional development opportunities and cultivates a pool of NMSU grads as potential job candidates. More than 700 NMSU alumni work at Sandia. “NMSU is a great engineering school, and we’re a great engineering lab, so I think that partnership is really natural,” said Susan Seestrom, associate labs director and chief research officer, who signed the memo on behalf of Sandia. NMSU chancellor Dan Arvizu, a former Sandia manager and former director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, represented the university. Dan Sanchez, technology partnerships program manager at the NNSA Sandia Field Office, spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of partnership among government, academia and industry. The MOU replaces one that extended over five years and recently expired.