During the summer of 2021, the IIRM-URA partnered with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center at the United States Military Academy West Point to enrich the educations of 12 U.S. military school or ROTC students. IIRM-URA matched the students with researchers throughout the Alliance for four-to-six-week hands-on internships.

As part of the program, the Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center partners with Defense Threat Reduction Agency and with the DoD degree-granting institutions to conduct countering weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) research. The partnership not only enhances DoD capabilities but also provides the next generation of military officers with CWMD experience to better prepare them to lead in a world with evolving global WMD threats.

Each student intern participated in research directly within the IIRM Research Areas at multiple locations across the URA, including the University of Michigan, H3D, Air Force Institute of Technology, Penn State, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Douglas Wolfe, who hosted two students at Penn State, noted, “it was truly remarkable and a privilege to have them be part of our research activities and to contribute to DTRA-IIRM-URA’s goal and missions.” The IIRM thanks them for their contributions and looks forward to working with these students and other future NSERC interns in the summers to come.