Applied Physics Laboratory Trek

Private Tour of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Hosted by the Emerging Technologies Initiative | Free for SAIS Students

Join ETI for a private, guided tour of one of the nation's premier defense and intelligence research laboratories. The tour includes lab visits, a panel Q&A with department leads, and networking opportunities.

The Labs

Intelligent Systems Center: APL’s hub for advanced artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems in support of national security. Capabilities include autonomous ground and aerial platforms that navigate and make decisions independently, AI-enabled agents that coordinate teams of unmanned systems, and neural interface technologies that enable direct human–machine interaction. This is embodied AI operating at the cutting edge of classified research.

LIVE Lab: A real-time mission control center for cyber defense, where network intrusions are continuously monitored, visualized, and neutralized in real time. This is the type of capability that underpins U.S. responses to state-sponsored cyber operations originating from actors such as Russia, China, and Iran.

CYPRESS Lab: A live, high-fidelity simulation environment for cyber operations targeting the critical infrastructure that underpins daily life, including electric power grids, water systems, and transportation networks. Within this facility, APL researchers safely emulate real-world attacks and rigorously evaluate defensive measures against them.

The people you'll meet aren't writing about these problems, they're contracted by the US government to solve them. The panel Q&A and networking lunch are your chance to have conversations that don't happen in classrooms.

Agenda (Tentative)

8:00 AM - Check-in at SAIS
8:15 AM - Bus Departure from SAIS
9:30 – 9:35 AM - Arrival & Badging
9:35 – 9:45 AM - Welcome, APL Overview & Career/Internship Opportunities
9:45 – 10:45 AM - APL × JHU SAIS Panel Session, Q&A & Networking
10:45 – 11:15 AM - Intelligent Systems Center: embodied AI & autonomous agents in national security
11:15 – 11:30 AM - Shuttle
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM - LIVE Lab: automated visualization and analysis of cyberattacks
12:00 – 12:15 PM - Shuttle
12:15 – 12:40 PM - Lunch at MP6 Marketplace (dining in conference room for networking)
12:40 – 12:45 PM - Shuttle
12:45 – 1:15 PM - CYPRESS Lab: defending critical infrastructure from cyberattacks
1:15 – 1:30 PM - Shuttle
1:30 PM - Checkout & Departure
2:30 PM - Drop-off at SAIS

Visitor Requirements

This is a secure federal research facility. Please read the following carefully before registering:

• Eligibility: Open to US citizens and permanent residents only. Permanent residents must bring their permanent resident card. This event is open to JHU SAIS students only. A valid JH.edu email address is required to register. Registrations that cannot be verified as current SAIS students will be removed.
• ID: All visitors must present a valid government-issued photo ID upon arrival.
• Escort policy: All visitors will remain under escort for the duration of the tour.
• Bags & laptops: These will not be admitted past the entrance. You may check them at the guard station — please keep checked belongings to a minimum.
• Cell phones: Permitted on campus, but photography is strictly prohibited throughout the facility. ETI is arranging an on-site photographer for a group photo so you'll have something to share after the event.

Before You Register

We anticipate high demand and spots will go fast. The registration form will ask for a brief background including your regional/thematic concentrations, prior work experience, and which areas of APL's work interest you most. Have this ready to copy and paste before registration opens Tuesday, March 10th, at 9 AM, first come, first served.

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Host or Publisher SAIS Emerging Tech Initiative