How Universities Like Auburn Help Defend the Nation

National security challenges increasingly cut across technology, economic competitiveness, critical infrastructure, manufacturing and workforce development. Universities have a growing role to play not only in conducting research, but also in translating ideas into practical solutions and preparing students to confront real-world problems.

Auburn University President Dr. Chris Roberts, McCrary Institute Chairman Lt. Gen. (Ret) Ron Burgess, Senior Vice President for Research Dr. Steve Taylor and Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Dean Dr. Mario Eden join Frank Cilluffo to discuss Auburn's commitment to national security. The conversation explores the changing threat environment, the university's expanding research presence in Huntsville, partnerships among academia, government and industry, and how experiential education can prepare students for jobs and technologies that do not yet exist.

Main Topics

The changing national security landscape The convergence of security, technology and economic threats Building security into emerging technologies Auburn's national security mission The value of interdisciplinary research Auburn's expanding presence in Huntsville Universities as trusted government and industry partners Experiential learning for national security careers Preparing engineers for an AI-driven workforce Key Quotes

"We're starting to see national security, economic security – it's all becoming intertwined and inseparable." — Frank Cilluffo

"The largest fraction of our research at Auburn University is national security related. And that's not an accident. It's a commitment." — Dr. Chris Roberts

"We're still putting band-aids on [the internet] to make it work. And so that's where we find ourselves. AI is so new. Let's get the foundation set like it needs to be up front, in terms of its security... so that we're not having to band-aid it in 10 years.— Lt. Gen. (Ret) Ron Burgess

"We're not selling a product. We're here to educate our students and use our faculty and researchers to solve some tough problems." — Dr. Steve Taylor

"We're not a diploma factory. I always tell our students that if the only thing that defines them when they graduate is their GPA, then we have failed."— Dr. Mario Eden

Relevant Links and Resources

Auburn University

Auburn University's Cyber Education Programs