For more than 70 years, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most challenging security issues. As a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), they seek out the best research talent, equip them with world-class research tools and facilities, and provide opportunities to collaborate with experts from a variety of scientific disciplines. SNL’s Black Leadership Committee (BLC), some of whom are graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), realized SNL had a unique opportunity to build a pipeline for recruitment by connecting with select HBCUs. The BLC brought forth an idea to the leadership team to create the Securing Top Academic Research & Talent for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (S.T.A.R.T. HBCU) initiative.
Rahni Johnson, Technical Business Development Specialist at SNL, states, “The Black Leadership Committee is an employee resource group at SNL that focuses on attracting and retaining African American talent at Sandia. I, along with other members of BLC, presented S.T.A.R.T. HBCU as a
Susan Seestrom – Sandia National Laboratory
Associate Laboratories Director for Advanced Science Technology and Chief Research Officer
solution to some of the challenges that African Americans face at Sandia when it comes to recruiting and retention. We presented this to Susan [Seestrom] because she is the Chief Research Officer, and Academic Partnerships is housed in her division. Many of us are alumni of these schools and have recruited for a long time. We wanted to see a relationship that included but was more than recruiting.” Johnson, a PVAMU alumna, is the Program Lead for S.T.A.R.T. HBCU
S.T.A.R.T. HBCU fosters specific academic partnerships to increase research collaborations and expose diverse groups of talented students to the lasting impact they can have by working at a national laboratory. The four universities currently in the START HBCU Program include Florida A&M University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Prairie View A&M University. The four universities will meet individually with SNL monthly to assess needs and projects. They will meet quarterly as a whole to ensure the continued networking and support that each university brings.
Vice President for Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan states, “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding provides the university with the opportunity to provide students with significant next steps as they move through the S.T.A.R.T. HBCU pipeline. This partnership will provide PVAMU faculty with more opportunities for research collaborations with the Sandia research community. We have already identified opportunities for possible collaborations with the other universities in the program to conduct research projects that will address some of the grand global challenges. It is more important than ever, in our current climate, to align the efforts of the most brilliant experts to develop research projects and build a pipeline of students prepared and skilled to pursue research as a career path.”
Seestrom stated, “This was truly a bottom-up initiative. The BLC said we have the contacts, and this is what we want to do. I’m looking forward to the results of the research partnerships”. This collaboration between SNL and the four selected universities is based on a collective commitment to go beyond the typical boundaries to build a diverse pipeline that will have a generational impact.
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Karen B. Cotton