Eleven Vanderbilt students are engaging in cutting-edge national security research through a new, dynamic partnership between Immersion Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security. This partnership emphasizes the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of Immersion Vanderbilt and supports the Institute of National Security’s mission of developing the next generation of national security leaders.
Established in 2024, the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security addresses modern national security challenges like cyber threats, pandemics and election interference through interdisciplinary research, education and partnerships. Under the leadership of retired Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, who is the founding director, and executive director Douglas Adams, Daniel F. Flowers Professor and Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Institute of National Security’s radically collaborative approach fosters partnerships and creates solutions to address pressing national security challenges.
The partnership between the Institute of National Security and Immersion Vanderbilt gives students the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the institute’s mission through hands-on, experiential learning. As part of this collaboration, students traveled to Washington, D.C., in October 2024 for the launch of the Institute of National Security where they met with national security leaders and heard from speakers.
“Integrating academic study with real-world challenges is essential to preparing the next generation of national security leaders,” Gen. Nakasone said. “Through this collaboration, students are not only gaining a deeper understanding of national security issues but also applying their knowledge in ways that have a tangible impact. The institute is proud to support this opportunity and continues to be impressed by the caliber of work Vanderbilt students produce.”
As part of the work being done on campus, students in the cohort were put into one of three specialized subgroups: Model Capabilities Assessment, Model Training Assessment, and Scenario Analysis. Their goals are to study Large Language Models so they can assess their capabilities and carry out specific scenarios in multiple settings. LLMs are AI systems trained to understand and generate human-like text.
Computer science major Vittoria Riedling (Class of 2027), in the Model Capabilities Assessment group, is testing which topics LLMs are capable of understanding, which is necessary for generating human-like text. Riedling compares both open-source and commercial models to identify any limitations in the AI’s responses. Riedling was motivated to join the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security immersion project because of her strong interest in the intersection of technology and policy within the intelligence community. “I hope to take the lessons learned from the program to my upcoming to make a meaningful contribution to the field of national security,” Riedling said.
The Institute of National Security cohort is one of many examples of students pursuing their interests as they complete their Immersion Vanderbilt requirement. Through Immersion Vanderbilt, students engage in projects that empower them to explore their passions, apply their classroom knowledge in practice and make meaningful contributions across a range of fields. Each student completes immersive experiences that lead to a single culminating project demonstrating the integration of classroom and real-world learning. Visit the Immersion Vanderbilt website to learn more.
