Purdue’s student-led National Defense Society hosts special guests to talk national security

Purdue’s student-led National Defense Society (NDS) hosted a special session on Nov. 14 featuring key leaders from the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

The morning opened with remarks from Ken Patel, Sandia’s manager-in-residence at Purdue, followed by a virtual keynote from Tyfani Lanier, director of engineering at the Pantex Plant. The event highlight was a virtual panel discussion with the chief research officers from Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia national laboratories, moderated by Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue’s executive vice president for research. Speaking to a student audience, the lab leaders offered perspectives on nuclear deterrence, the labs’ missions and the future national security workforce. The session underscored Purdue’s growing role as a convener in national security and its strong partnerships with the DOE laboratory ecosystem.