How To Teach Ten Million People About Nuclear Weapons

Abstract:

YouTube and TikTok are the new front line for science popularization. For the past decade, I have worked as a writer and scientific consultant for several YouTube channels, including 'In A Nutshell' by Kurzgesagt GmbH and 'PBS Space Time' by PBS Digital Studios, having contributed to about a hundred educational videos with combined view counts of a billion. Among the most popular topics are nuclear weapons issues – shortform videos offer an incredibly efficient way to inform millions of people and shape public opinion, but only if the content is sufficiently engaging and paced with a carefully chosen information density. In this talk, I will discuss some experiences ‘behind the scenes’ as a YouTuber, share some lessons learned, and describe some best practices for public scholarship online. 

Bio:

Matt Caplan is an Associate Professor of Physics at ISU. He completed his BS at the University of Virginia, and his PhD from Indiana University in 2017 won the Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics from the APS. Prior to joining ISU Dr. Caplan was a postdoctoral fellow at McGill. Among other honors, he is a Kavli Scholar of the KITP and a 2023 Cottrell Scholar. His research primarily studies the interiors of white dwarfs and neutron stars, and he is a co-investigator of the Simons Collaboration for Extreme Electrodynamics of Compact Sources. Dr. Caplan was an inaugural Fellow of the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, and at ISU he chairs Twelve Thousand Bombs, a distinguished seminar series on nuclear weapons. 

US Policy Toward the Nuclear Program in Iran: A Holistic Examination

Vesal Razavimaleki spent the 2024 summer participating in a Jeremiah Sullivan Fellowship for Securities Internships. He spent the summer in Washington, DC and wants to share some highlights. He will also talk about how he found and applied for this particular securities internship.

Abstract:

Over the last two decades, nuclear weapons have dominated the discourse on US-Iran relations. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015, was heralded as a diplomatic triumph aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. However, perceived shortcomings in the agreement prompted the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and implementation of a comprehensive “maximum pressure” sanctions regime to force the Islamic regime’s hand to re-negotiate a new nuclear deal. This same desire, post withdrawal, to enter a new nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, has led the Biden administration to issue various sanctions waivers to coax the regime into negotiations. This talk will evaluate the impacts of the JCPOA, the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign, and the Biden administration’s appeasement of the Islamic Republic and propose a theoretical framework for how future US administrations can prevent nuclearization in Iran.

How does the world deal with resurgent China?

Abstract:

Since opening up to foreign trade and investment and implementing free-market reforms in 1979, China has been among the world's fastest-growing economies, with real annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging 9.5% through 2018, a pace described by the World Bank as “the fastest sustained expansion by a major country”. This has enabled Beijing to build world’s third largest military power with strong industrial and technological base. At sea, China has the world’s largest navy with a battle force of more than 300 ships and submarines. The Chinese launched their third aircraft carrier in the past year and commissioned their third amphibious assault ship. The PLA air force “rapidly catching up to Western air forces”. More importantly, its initial peaceful rise has given way to a more forceful, assertive and bellicose China willing to challenge the existing international order. The rise of China has changed the global landscape of power, both economic and strategic, forcing readjustments.

How has the world been dealing with a resurgent China? The responses ranged from finding opportunities in its emergence as the global manufacturing, supply chain hub and a major source of capital, especially for those countries desperately needing it for their rapid economic development and thereby ensuring political legitimacy, to viewing it as a major challenge and even a threat to their national security requiring push back or hedging. Again, responses varies from country to country and regions to regions. For countries adjacent to China and having territorial and water disputes with it, the challenges and responses are even more complex than countries that are far away from it. What is common between all of them that each adopts some forms of cooperation, competition and conflict characterizing their approaches in dealing with China?  In my presentation, I will concentrate more on the Asian countries’ approaches in dealing with Beijing.

Bio: 

Baladas Ghoshal, a doyen of Southeast Asian Studies in India, currently Secretary General Society for Indian Ocean Studies; until recently ICCR Chair in Indian Studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, is also honorary Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and a Visiting Senior Fellow in Centre for Policy Research. From August 2016, he is also a Visiting Professor of Public Policy in Amity University, Noida. Professor Ghoshal is a former Professor of Southeast Asia and South-West Pacific Studies and Chairman of the Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Between 2004 and 2007, he was a Visiting Professor of International Relations first at the International Christian University, Tokyo and then at Nagoya City University, taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1990-91) National University of Malaysia (1998-1999), University of Malaya (2000) and the Universiti Utara Malaysia (2002-2003). He has held Senior Fulbright Fellowships at the Cornell and Rutgers Universities (1983-84); Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore (1985-86); Centre for Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong (Sept.-Oct.2003), East West Centre (2010), Consultant to the United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery (November 2003-February2004). Professor Ghoshal is a doyen in Southeast Asian Studies programme in India. He has published extensively on Indonesian politics, ASEAN and regional security issues, reads, writes and speaks Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. Also published on Indian and Bangladesh politics and foreign policy. His most recent publications are a book on India-Indonesia Relations published by the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore, and a monograph on China’s Perception of India’s Look East Policy, brought out by Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, New Delhi & an edited volume on Indo-Pacific: Peace and Cooperation or Conflict?

Speaker: Tim Renk

Time: Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 at 5.00 pm

Location (Hybrid):  Veteran Center Room 1020

Find the presentation materials here.

Abstract: There is an ongoing program at Sandia National Laboratories of exposure of test samples to high-intensity x-ray fluences. Such exposure takes place on machines such as HERMES -III, the largest such gamma-ray simulator in the world. This talk will focus on the mechanism of generation of such high x-ray fluences, and their role in contributing to National Security. Additional Sandia programs in non-weapons research areas will be highlighted, as well as available research opportunities for students in these areas.

Biography: Tim Renk has been a research Staff Member at Sandia National Laboratories since 1985. Prior to that, he spent time as a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Associate, and as a researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory. Tim spent a number of years operating ion beam machines for applications such as materials surface modification and thin film formation. In more recent times, his focus has been on the characterization of intense electron beams and photon generation in large facilities such as Saturn and HERMES at Sandia.

Speaker: Tom Weber

Time: Wednesday, January 31st , 2024 at 5.00 pm

Location (Hybrid):  Veteran Center Room 1020

Abstract: Current and future technology challenges in developing verification systems that can foster confidence in future potential nuclear arms reduction agreements. These challenges include host security and safety concerns during inspections, inspector authentication of measurement equipment, and new measurement methods, such as zero-knowledge protocols, that provide all parties with confidence in agreed radiation measurements while protecting sensitive information.

Biography: Tom Weber is an Illinois graduate (BSEE ’88, MSEE ’89) who has worked at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM since November 1989. He has been involved with nuclear security issues since 2003, first as a technical advisor to the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security in Washington DC, and for the past 15 years as a researcher developing detection systems for radiation search operations and arms control treaty verification.

Speaker: Amir Hossein Mohagheghi

Time: Wednesday, January 31st , 2024 at 5.00 pm

Location (Hybrid):  Veteran Center Room 1020

Abstract: This talk will explore the dynamic history of the nuclear nonproliferation regime from its inception in the 1940s to the present day. Through a Systems lens, I will discuss the complex interplay of political, technological, and strategic factors that have shaped the regime's evolution through the three nuclear ages. Emphasizing the interconnected nature of global affairs, the discussion will highlight key milestones, challenges, and adaptations that characterize the regime's remarkable resilience in the face of geopolitical shifts and technological advancements.

Speaker: Camila Martinica

Time: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 5pm

Location(Hybrid): Veteran Center Room 1020

Abstract: Housed at Argonne National Laboratory, IAEA Programs works with the Department of State to serve as an interface between the IAEA and the US nuclear community, promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology, and supporting nuclear safety and security. The IAEA Careers Program encourages well-qualified US citizens to join the IAEA's professional staff in non-Safeguards departments and assists interested US candidates in applying to open positions. Interested experts may wish to subscribe to the job alerts distributed by IAEA Programs at Argonne. The United States government sponsors US citizens to work for the IAEA as Cost-Free Experts, Junior Professional Officers, and Interns. IAEA Programs coordinates these sponsorships for the IAEA's non-Safeguards departments and Offices Reporting to the Director General. IAEA Programs at Argonne promotes a diverse, inclusive, equitable and accessible environment. The IAEA is committed to gender equality and we support the Agency's mission to achieve gender balance. Women and gender nonconforming people are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants are considered.

Speaker:  Leah Matchett

Time: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 5pm

Location(Hybrid): Veteran Center Room 1020

Zoom recording: 

Abstract: Come learn how to find, triage, and get hired in International Relations and Security internships! Former ACDIS SSG member Leah Matchett (class of 2016) will talk about her process for finding internships, making a long term plan for applications and success, and tips on getting through the interview process. Leah was a founding member of  ACDIS SSG, and has had internships at the Department of State (twice), CSIS, Harvard Managing the Atom Project, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She just completed her PhD at Stanford University.

Speaker:  Paisley Dirienzo, Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton

Time: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 5pm

Location(Hybrid): Veteran Center Room 1020

Zoom recording: 

Biography: Paisley Dirienzo is a 2021 UIUC and ACDIS alumna, and she is currently a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. She will be presenting on "Navigating Security - related Internships." The talk will discuss various internship pathways for students and offer tips and best practices for securing an internship, drawing insight from her own experience in securing internships with the State Department and from other people she knows working in national security-related jobs.

Speakers: Joseph K. Miller,President, BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC
                      Dr. Jeff Waksman, Program Manager, Strategic Capabilities Office

Time: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 5pm

Location(Hybrid): Veteran Center Room 1020

Abstract: The DoD is one of the largest users of energy in the world, consuming around 30 terawatt-hours of electricity per year and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day, and projections for future military operations predict energy demand will increase significantly in coming years. DoD installations need the capability to reduce their present reliance on local electric grids, which are highly vulnerable to prolonged outages from a variety of threats, such as natural disasters, cyberattacks, domestic terrorism, and grid failure from lack of maintenance and aging infrastructure. To that end, the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) initiated Project Pele, which is a 1-5 MWe transportable nuclear reactor currently being designed and built by BWXT, and targeted for initial operation at Idaho National Laboratory in late-2025.