An international safeguards mentoring program was established by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for early career university faculty. The inaugural year of the program focused on professional development and connecting faculty to experts at national laboratories. Two faculty members were selected for participation from Penn State and Virginia Commonwealth Universities. One faculty member explored safeguards-by-design concepts, and the other studied topics related to potential applications of unmanned robotic systems in safeguards. To achieve the program objectives, faculty members were paired with SNL subject matter experts based on their areas of interest. The program included a two-week visit to SNL, where faculty members had an opportunity to tour facilities, interact with their mentors directly, and establish a wider professional network. The structure of this program provided junior faculty members with opportunities to make connections and build collaborations in the field of international safeguards. Additionally, junior faculty members utilized their newfound knowledge to develop new course materials to promote international safeguards education. Programs like this are important for professional development of faculty members and for strengthening connections between universities and the national laboratories.
Year
2020
Abstract