By Maria Gonzalez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – SEPT. 3 – UTRGV recently hosted representatives from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), to announce a research collaboration focused on national security missions and workforce development.

The partnership features a research agreement with LANL’s Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production-Technical Applications Office (ALDWP-TAO), under the Weapons Production–Technology and Nuclear Training Program (WP-TNT).

UTRGV will collaborate with LANL and its partner, TechSource, Inc., with LANL committing $1.5 million over three years. The goal is to create a robust pathway for engineering and scientific talent to meet LANL's critical needs, particularly in preparing engineers and technologists to help solve national security challenges.

UTRGV President Guy Bailey emphasized the importance of partnerships in the university's continued success.

“We couldn’t be doing what we’re doing in research without partners like Los Alamos National Lab,” he said. “They are the premier lab, and being selected as one of only eight institutions nationwide to partner with them in this capacity is a tremendous honor.”

The other institutions in the WP-TNT program include:

• Arizona State University.
• Auburn University.
• Brigham Young University.
• Montana State University.
• Texas A&M University.
• UT El Paso.
• University of Michigan. 

Bailey also highlighted the potential of this partnership to enhance UTRGV's core commitment to student success. 

“We are not just preparing students for the future,” he said. “We are shaping it by giving them the tools and opportunities to contribute to national security. Our students' success is our success, and with LANL as our partner, we’re reaching new heights in research, innovation and workforce development.”

Dr. Hiram Moya, UTRGV associate professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and lead of the collaborative research agreement, said the partnership is a unique opportunity.

“This multi-year, $1.5 million-plus collaboration is only the beginning,” he said. “UTRGV’s partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory focuses on three major objectives: establishing research-based activities, exposing our engineering students to career opportunities at LANL, and fostering networking opportunities within the LANL environment.” 

UTRGV College of Engineering professors and co-principal investigators Dr. Jesús González, Dr. Eleazar Márquez, Dr. Anil Srivastava, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Dr. Hiram Moya, Dr. Kye-Hwan Lee, and Dr. Benjamin Peters pose for a photo during the Aug. 21 announcement of UTRGV’s research collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus. (courtesy photo)

The partnership is designed to prepare UTRGV engineering students with the necessary skills to significantly contribute to LANL's national security efforts.

“UTRGV already has placed several students in internships and full-time positions at LANL and other National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sites with excellent career options,” Moya said. “One outcome of our partnership is to prepare and engage the next generation of engineers, technologists and scientists in a career in the DOE-NNSA pathway.”

Dr. Robert Putnam, director of the Technical Applications Office at LANL, emphasized the importance of the partnership in meeting the growing demand for skilled workers.

“Between LANL and our sister site at the Savannah River Site, upwards of 2,000 to 4,000 employees are needed over the next decade to replace an experienced and retiring workforce,” he said. “A long-term pipeline of skills, expertise and motivated workforce is key to our success. This collaboration with UTRGV will help us meet that need.”

He also noted the specific focus areas for the partnership.

“In the case of UTRGV, we seek to develop product, process and quality engineers, as well as metrological (measurement and calibration) expertise and workers. As part of this collaboration, students are trained for careers in national security by developing skills as engineers and metrology experts through internships and assistantships,” Putnam said.

The first cohort of UTRGV students participated in the program this summer from May 30 to Aug. 2.  Among them was Victor Eduardo Lopez, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering and a graduate research assistant for Moya.

“Dr. Moya has been a great networking resource,” Lopez said. “Before this, I had no idea about the opportunities available at national labs. Working at LANL reassured me in my decision to pursue a degree in manufacturing engineering.

He said he hopes to go back to LANL, or another national lab, to work some day in quality assurance of nuclear materials and devices. 

“I strengthened my coding skills on homeland security initiatives and gained a great sense of pride for UTRGV,” Lopez said. “We at UTRGV are capable of competing with students and scientists from larger universities."

The other UTRGV students who participated in the program include:

• Joanna Aylin Vargas, undergrad student, BS in Engineering Technology.
• Miguel Angel Torres Jr., undergrad student, BS in Engineering Technology.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who attended the event, noted the significance of the partnership.

“This is a time where we’ve got a lot to celebrate. We’re celebrating an incredible partnership between UTRGV and Los Alamos National Laboratory. There are eight universities in the entire country in a partnership with Los Alamos in this capacity, and UTRGV is one of them. That’s a big deal,” he said.

He said LANL is charged with keeping the country safe, with keeping the nation on the cutting edge of technology, and with protecting the lives of 330 million Americans.

“This partnership, I think, is a natural, but it is also powerful. It is also exciting,” he said.

He also spotlighted UTRGV's growth and impact.

“I could not be more excited with everything that is happening here at UTRGV. It is amazing what’s happening in the Valley,” he said. “I could not be more excited by the growth, by the opportunity that is sweeping the Valley. And I’ll tell you one thing—the Rio Grande Valley is becoming an engineering powerhouse. UTRGV is becoming a portal for that opportunity at an incredible level.” 

UTRGV President Guy Bailey delivers remarks announcing the newly established research collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory on Aug. 21 at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus. (UTRGV photo by Jesús Alférez.)