FALL 2023
Career Opportunities @ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
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.
Navigating International Relations and Security Internships
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.
Navigating Security - related Internships
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.
Project Pele: Transforming the DoD's Energy Landscape with Transportable Nuclear Reactors
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.
SPRING 2024
Pulsed Power Experiments on HERMES III in support of Sandia’s National Security Mission
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.
Global Nuclear Security and the Role of Arms Control Verification Technologies
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.
Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime: History and a Systems View
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.