Tammy Taylor, associate director for global security, signed the agreement on the lab's behalf. Neil MacKinnon, provost and executive president for academic affairs, signed on behalf of the school.
Taylor said the lab was excited to grow its partnership with the school.
"Through this agreement, we will enhance the educational experience of Augusta University students, bolster the pipeline for new SRNL employees, and create opportunities for SRNL employees to expand their knowledge and capabilities by mentoring and collaborating with Augusta University faculty, staff and students," Taylor said in a news release announcing the agreement. "Additionally, by leveraging the unique expertise of both SRNL and AU and our collaborative networks, we hope to expand the region's influence in global security issues."
MacKinnon said the collaboration "simply, makes sense."
"With this new agreement, we can enhance the work that is already occurring while also laying the foundation for a bright and successful future together," McKinnon said. "Our partnership will help Augusta University students get more experience in fields that support SRNL's mission. We're also hoping to create more opportunities for SRNL employees to learn and grow by working with AU faculty, staff and students. Through this partnership, we aim to create a vital pipeline to educate and train the next generation as we advance the mission of global security."
The formalized partnership will focus on three key areas: education and workforce development, collaborative research and technology development, and efforts to influence global security issues. Initial research projects will focus on cybersecurity, cyberphysical systems, data analytics and mathematical modeling, augmented and virtual reality, and quantum cryptography. The lab and the school also hope to bring in more entities from the area — Fort Gordon is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command — to expand the entire region's influence in global security issues.
The lab and the school have collaborated on student internships and research projects to more long-term alliances, such as the appointment of Jeff Morris to a joint faculty role in 2021.
Morris and his students work alongside the SRNL team to advance research in cyber sciences.
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