Nuclear Science for Future Policymakers
A Basic Nuclear Science Workshop
sponsored by the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium
Scope:
This workshop will provide an overview of basic concepts in nuclear science and security. Content is intended for social science students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The workshop is designed to provide foundational technical information to prepare students to engage in the NE 285/PP C285 Nuclear Security: The Nexus Between Science and Policy course.
Location:
Berkeley Nuclear Science and Security Consortium
2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 230
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94704
Course Website:
http://npwg.berkeley.edu/events/nuclearfuture/
Recommended Readings:
Additional Resources:
AGENDA
January 13, 2015
8:30 am Registration and Refreshments
9:00 am Welcome & Introductions (J. Vujic, B.L. Goldblum, NSSC)
This session provides a brief introduction to the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium and outlines opportunities for education, research and training nuclear security policy.
9:30 am Radiation & Radioactivity (R. Muller, UCB)
This session covers introduces the basics of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and the concepts of radiation and radioactive decay.
10:30-10:45 am Break
10:45 – 12:00 pm Nuclear Devices & Effects (J. Scott, LANL)
This session addresses the concepts of fission and fusion, and introduces fissile nuclear material, the classes of nuclear weapons, and basic nuclear weapons design and effects.
12:00 – 1:30 pm Working Lunch
Scientists–What are they talking about anyway? (E. Suzuki, A. Asghari, B.L. Goldblum, UCB)
This session features a discussion on semantics in the nuclear security policy field and strategies cross-disciplinary communication & interpreting scientific data.
1:30 – 3:00 pm Overview of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (M. Fratoni, UCB)
This session provides an overview of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear energy generation, and basic nuclear reactor design.
3:00 -3:15 pm Break
3:15 – 4:45 pm The Nexus between Nuclear Science and Policy (M. Nacht, UCB)
This session addresses basic concepts in nuclear security and policy making and provides an overview of how these two fields intersect.
4:45 – 5:00 pm Workshop Wrap-Up
SPEAKER BIOS
Jasmina Vujic is Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. From 2005 to 2009 she was the Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering and in 2009/2010 she was the Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization (NEDHO). In 2009, she established the Berkeley Nuclear Research Center. In 2011, a consortium of seven universities and four national laboratories (LANL, LLNL, SNL and LBNL), led by Professor Vujic, won a major five-year $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (NNSA) to establish the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium Center at Berkeley that focuses on research and education in nuclear security and non-proliferation. Professor Vujic directs both centers, the Berkeley Nuclear Research Center and the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium. She is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of nuclear reactor physics, advanced transport methods development for nuclear reactor analysis and design, radiation detection and measurements, non-proliferation, and engineering aspects of medical imaging and cancer therapy. Professor Vujic is the author of three books, the editor of 6 monographs and international conference proceedings, and the holder of one U.S. patent. She authored close to 300 research publications. Under her mentorship, 24 students received the Ph.D. degrees and 22 received the M.S. degrees.
Bethany L. Goldblum is a member of the research faculty in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Nuclear Policy Working Group, an interdisciplinary team of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars focused on developing policy solutions to strengthen global nuclear security. She is also the Associate Director of the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium, a multi-institution initiative established by the National Nuclear Security Administration to train the next generation of nuclear security experts. Since graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007 with a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, she has worked at UC Berkeley and earlier at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in fundamental and applied nuclear physics, nuclear-plasma interactions, scintillator characterization, and nuclear energy and weapons policy.
Richard Muller received his A. B. degree from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. at Berkeley working under Luis Alvarez. He has been on the faculty at Berkeley since 1978. He is a fellow of the APS and of the AAAS, and his awards include the Texas Instruments Founders Prize, the NSF Alan T. Waterman Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. He authored the Physics for Future President textbook and taught the popular Physics for Future Presidents course at UC Berkeley.
John Scott started at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1998 as a postdoc in the weapon design division after completing his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at U.C. Berkeley. After becoming a staff member in 2000, he joined the team responsible for the W88. He later served as a system point of contact for the W88, and lead of the LANL secondary design team for Reliable Replacement Warhead project. In 2007, John served as a deputy group leader leading the B61 while simultaneously serving as a system point of contact for the B61. John served as the LANL member of the ASC Predictive Science Panel from 2009 to 2013 and has been the project leader for weapons performance metrics in the Advanced Certification program since 2009. Currently, John serves as the Laboratory program lead to develop the capability to certify a primary with a re-use pit and he is the leader for the Integrated Design and Assessment group with the Theoretical Design Division.
Erika Suzuki is the Deputy Director of the Nuclear Policy Working Group (NPWG) in support of the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium’s policy and educational programs. She is an alumna of the 2012 Berkeley Haas School of Business Summer Program, as well as an alumna of Delta Phi Epsilon, a co-ed, professional Foreign Service and international affairs fraternity. Her research interests include millennial generation nuclear security education, research, and training, as well as working with scientists and engineers to communicate nuclear issues to the general public and nontechnical audiences. Erika has a BA in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alexandra (Sasha) Asghari is currently a graduate student at UC Berkeley pursuing a PhD in Nuclear Engineering with and emphasis on radiation detection and nuclear nonproliferation. She graduated with a BS in Physics from CSU, Sacramento in 2012. Currently, she is working on a novel neutron detector for her PhD dissertation. Sasha is particularly interested in the nexus of science (radiation detection) and policy (nonproliferation of nuclear weapons). Outside of school, she loves traveling, reading, cooking, and brewing beer.
Massimiliano Fratoni is assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He received a Laurea in Nuclear Engineering from Università di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy), and a MSc and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining the Nuclear Engineering Department at UCB, he held a Research Scientist position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a faculty position at The Pennsylvania State Universi- ty. Dr. Fratoni has a decennial experience in reactor design and analysis, spanning a large variety of reactor concepts, like advanced high temperature reactors, small modular fast reactors, liquid fuel reactors, advanced light water reactors, and molten salt reactors. His main research interests lie in advanced fuel cycles for maximizing natural utililization and minimizing nuclear waste.
Michael Nacht is the Thomas and Alison Schneider Chair in Public Policy. From 1998- 2008 he was Aaron Wildavsky Dean of the Goldman School. He is a specialist in US national security policy; science, technology and public policy; and management strategies for complex organizations. He is the author or co-author of five books and more than eighty articles and book chapters on nuclear weapons policy; regional security issues affecting Russia and China, the Middle East and East Asia; cyber and space policy; counter-terrorism and homeland security; international education; and public management. An analysis of U.S.-China competition in space will be published in the fall 2013 by the Stimson Center. Nacht served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs (2009-2010), after unanimous US Senate confirmation, for which he received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Department’s highest civilian honor. Previously, he was Assistant Director for Strategic and Eurasian Affairs of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (1994-97), during which time he participated in five Presidential summits, four with Russian President Yeltsin and one with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. He is currently chair of the Policy Focus Area for the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium led by the UC Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering.
