BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://physicistscoalition.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20230312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20231105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Asia/Krasnoyarsk
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0700
TZOFFSETTO:+0700
TZNAME:+07
DTSTART:20240101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241004
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241005
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240924T172704Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241024T143301Z
UID:3101-1728000000-1728086399@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Reforming Nuclear Weapons policy\, Plutonium Problems\, and How Physicists Can Help | Simon Fraser University
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium Abstract: Physicists invented nuclear weapons over seventy-five years ago. Today\, they still threaten humanity with catastrophe and\, recently\, this risk has been increasing. The US has over 1\,500 deployed nuclear weapons plus thousands more inactive or retired. Current policy calls for maintaining and “modernizing” about 4\,000 nuclear warheads and their delivery vehicles\, at the cost of several tens of billions of dollars per year and significant risks to the environment and public health. Physicists can play an important role in providing scientific oversight and advocating for reform. I will discuss issues associated with plutonium pit production as a case study. \nFurther details on the plutonium pit issue: Modern thermonuclear weapons contain plutonium pits\, which are hollow spherical shells of plutonium metal\, as part of their fission triggers. These pits are inherently difficult\, costly and hazardous to produce. The Rocky Flats pit production plant\, near Denver\, Colorado\, was closed because of environmental infractions in 1992. Since then\, pit production expertise has been maintained at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Current US policy calls for the production of 80 pits per year by 2030\, despite the National Nuclear Security Administration (within the Department of Energy) acknowledging that this is unachievable. Furthermore\, the justification for this production goal is controversial\, as is the construction of a new production facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina\, which is to cost over ten billion dollars and will pose significant risks to the surrounding community. The public deserves better and more transparent study of the policy options. \nSpeaker: Dr. Curtis Asplund
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/colloquium-on-nuclear-threat-reduction-simon-fraser-university/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241004
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241005
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240924T175623Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240924T175623Z
UID:3110-1728000000-1728086399@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:The Growing Danger of Nuclear Weapons (and What Physicists Can do About it) | University of Manitoba
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium Abstract  \nThe world is in a precarious place right now and nuclear risk is higher than it has been in decades. The war in Ukraine has brought latent fears about nuclear war back to the surface. In recent years\, the US has withdrawn from several arms control agreements that constrained US and Russian arsenals\, and the last remaining treaty with Russia expires in 2026. Both the US and Russia are engaged in building a new generation of nuclear weapons. Physicists were\, and still are\, key actors in the nuclear weapons enterprise. From the very beginning of the nuclear weapons story\, physicists have engaged policymakers about nuclear dangers and advocated for policies to reduce them. Given the growing risks\, physicists need to renew their role in educating the public and policymakers. \n  \nSpeaker \nTara Drozdenko
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/the-growing-danger-of-nuclear-weapons-and-what-physicists-can-do-about-it-university-of-manitoba/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241008
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241009
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240924T174439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240924T174439Z
UID:3103-1728345600-1728431999@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:U.S. Missile Defense Programs  | Illinois State University
DESCRIPTION:Title: U.S. Missile Defense Programs: A Case Study in the Interaction of Science\, Technology\, and Public Policy\n\n\nAbstract\nDuring the past 70 years\, the United States has spent $400 billion on ballistic missile defense\, mostly on systems intended to intercept nuclear-armed intercontinental-range missiles that might be launched against the United States. But would these systems be able to defend effectively against an attack by such missiles? As I will describe\, despite decades of effort\, no missile defense system thus far developed has been shown to be effective against realistic ICBM threats. (ICBMs are ballistic missiles with a range of more than 3\,500 nautical miles.) In particular\, the capabilities of the current U.S. systems intended to defend against the nuclear-armed ICBMs that North Korea has deployed are relatively low\, and are likely to remain low for at least the next 15 years. The ability of these systems to defend against the ICBMs deployed by Russia and China is even less. Despite the ineffectiveness of these systems\, their existence—and proposals for new defensive systems—have spurred the deployment by U.S. adversaries of new nuclear weapons designed to overcome them. I will discuss how scientists and the general public can help address this danger.\n\n\nAbout the speaker\n\n\n\n\n\nFrederick Lamb is a Research Professor of Physics and of Astronomy\, the Brand and Monica Fortner Chair of Theoretical Astrophysics Emeritus\, and a core faculty member in the Arms Control and Domestic & International Security Program at the University of Illinois. An expert on space policy\, ballistic missiles and missile defenses\, and the technical aspects of nuclear test bans\, he has been a consultant to the Defense Department\, national laboratories\, and Congressional committees. He co-chaired the American Physical Society’s 2003 study of boost-phase missile defense and is chairing its current study of missile defenses. The current focus of his scientific research is high-energy and relativistic astrophysics and dense matter. He is a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the APS. He shared the 2005 Leo Szilard Award of the APS for his leadership of the 2003 study of missile defense and received the 2021 APS Five Sigma Physicist Award for his leadership of the current study. He shared the 2022 Bruno Rossi Prize of the American Astronomical Society for his contributions to the success of NASA’s NICER X-ray astronomy mission. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFor more biographical information\, see https://physics.illinois.edu/people/directory/profile/fkl
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/u-s-missile-defense-programs-illinois-state-university/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241022
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241023
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240724T202330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241024T142805Z
UID:3054-1729555200-1729641599@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Nuclear Fusion | Colloquium at Illinois State University
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Stewart Prager \nThis talk is part of the Twelve Thousand Bombs seminar series. \nThe series on nuclear weapons included four eminent scholars and public figures speaking at ISU. The series\, sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies\, was inaugurated in 2023 and aims to raise awareness of nuclear weapons issues in the Bloomington-Normal community. \n“Nuclear weapons will be on everyone’s radar this election cycle as Americans assess the fitness of the candidates to exercise the president’s nuclear authority\,” according to Dr. Matt Caplan\, the series organizer and professor in the Department of Physics. “With the U.S. preparing to spend $1.5 trillion modernizing its arsenal\, nuclear weapons policy may be a defining feature of the next president’s administration. This is not an issue that can be overlooked this election.”
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/colloquium-at-illinois-state-university/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241023
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241024
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240731T143353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241024T143032Z
UID:3062-1729641600-1729727999@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Actionable Ideas for Nuclear Threat Reduction | University of Alabama
DESCRIPTION:Abstract \nIn this talk\, I will give a brief overview of the resurgent role of nuclear weapons in national security strategies\, the threat that they pose to the public\, and potential risk mitigation approaches. Recent events\, including the U.S. withdrawal from arms control treaties and the pursuit of new nuclear weapons capabilities in the nine nuclear weapons states\, suggest we may be facing a revived nuclear arms race with its dangerous consequences. In this context\, during the past three years\, a group of US physical scientists has held more than 100 colloquia on nuclear weapons\, reaching more than 4\,000 attendees\, and recruited over 850 scientists to the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction through which scientists educate themselves and then help educate Congress about the renewed risks of nuclear war and the possibilities for reducing those risks. Members have engaged in several advocacy campaigns aimed at reducing the threat of nuclear weapons by preventing the resumption of explosive nuclear testing\, extending the New START treaty\, and promoting the adoption of a no-first-use policy. \nSpeaker: Dr. Angela Di Fulvio
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/university-of-alabama/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241109
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240724T202421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240724T202421Z
UID:3056-1731024000-1731110399@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Auburn University
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: \nDr. Stewart Prager \nMore information will be available closer to the event.
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/auburn-university/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241203T033000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241203T043000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20240924T174954Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241126T144846Z
UID:3106-1733196600-1733200200@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:How to Avert the Coming Arms Race | University of Saskatchewan
DESCRIPTION:Abstract \nChina\, Russia\, and the United States are ramping up their nuclear weapons capabilities in a replay of the Cold War. We survived the nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union largely by luck. The close calls of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the War Scare of 1983 frightened leaders in both countries\, and led to landmark arms control and arms reduction agreements. Intervention by scientists and the public played a major role. Triggered by the U.S. withdrawal from the Nixon-era Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty\, Russia and China are deploying new weapons to circumvent U.S. ABM capabilities\, while the U.S. is modernizing its land\, sea\, and air-based nuclear weapons. Here I describe four major elements of a possible initiative to turn around this situation and assure strategic stability\, while reducing nuclear arsenals. 1) Limit Ballistic Missile Defenses\, 2) Eliminate silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles\, 3) Ban sub-strategic nuclear arms in Europe\, and 4) Ban nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles. This talk was sponsored by the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction\,  https://physicistscoalition.org/. We invite all scientists to join us. \nAbout the Speaker \nRobert J. Goldston is a Professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University. He received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard University\, and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton University. He was director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)\, 1997 – 2009. He is Associated Faculty with the Program on Science and Global Security\, and was acting director in Spring 2015. Goldston won the American Physical Society “Excellence in Plasma Physics” award in 1988 and chaired the American Physical Society Physics Policy Committee 2007–2009. He won the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award in 2001\, the Nuclear Fusion “Most Outstanding Paper” prize for 2012\, and was named a “Leading Global Thinker” by Foreign Policy Magazine in 2014. He is a long-time U.S. representative on the ITER Science and Technology Advisory Committee. He serves on the board of the Council for a Livable World. \nUse this link to attend
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/colloquium-on-nuclear-threat-reduction-university-of-saskatchewan/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Krasnoyarsk:20250124T150000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Krasnoyarsk:20250124T170000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250115T143824Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250115T143824Z
UID:3191-1737730800-1737738000@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:University of Alberta | Oppenheimer and the Legacy of the Manhattan Project: Current Challenges in Nuclear Arms Control
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\nEighty years ago\, Robert Oppenheimer led an industrial-scale effort with more than 130\,000 employees\nto create the nuclear fission weapons used to end World War II. With the United States and its allies facing\ntotalitarian aggressors in the European and Pacific theaters\, many elite scientists\, engineers and technicians\nsupported the Manhattan Project through their scientific and technological innovations. \nToday\, nine countries possess nuclear weapons. Nuclear non-proliferation diplomacy is increasingly difficult.\nImportant arms control treaties have been terminated: The Intermediate Nuclear Force Treaty\, the Iran\nNuclear Deal and the Open Skies Treaty. Most recently\, Russia has paused its participation in the inspection\nregime of the New START treaty. \nThe colloquium will review consequences of nuclear war and nuclear terrorism and explain the system of\narms control treaties that have been put into place to contain this threat. We will then review the challenges\ndifferent arms control agreements have been facing. \nSpeaker \nDr. Matthias Grosse Perdekamp
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/university-of-alberta-oppenheimer-and-the-legacy-of-the-manhattan-project-current-challenges-in-nuclear-arms-control/
CATEGORIES:Colloquia
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T131500
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250218T185214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T223255Z
UID:3243-1740744000-1740748500@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:US Policy and Nuclear Threat Reduction Challenges in 2025
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: This webinar will share expert views on current and emerging crises and opportunities for nuclear threat reduction efforts in the United States\, and introduce the near-term nuclear policy advocacy goals of the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction. \nREGISTER HERE\nTopics and Speakers:   \n\nModerator – Zia Mian\, Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security\, and member of the Steering Committee Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction.\nUS nuclear weapons programs –  Hans Kristensen\, Director of the Nuclear Information Project\, Federation of American Scientists\nThe US Iron Dome program – Laura  Grego\, Senior scientist and Research Director\, Global Security Program\, Union of Concerned Scientists\nOpportunities for arms control talks – Xiaodon Liang\, Senior Policy Analyst\, Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament\, Arms Control Association\nPhysicists Coalition advocacy goals for 2025 – Stewart Prager\, Professor emeritus of astrophysical sciences\, Princeton University\, and chair of the Steering Committee\, Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/us-policy-and-nuclear-threat-reduction-challenges-in-2025/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T131500
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250306T215535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T215535Z
UID:3275-1740744000-1740748500@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Webinar:US Policy and Nuclear Threat Reduction Challenges in 2025
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/webinarus-policy-and-nuclear-threat-reduction-challenges-in-2025/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250623T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250623T143000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250627T140735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250627T141131Z
UID:3346-1750683600-1750689000@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Webinar: “Golden Dome”: A Costly\, Destabilizing\, and Ineffective Missile Defense System
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nIn May 2025\, President Donald Trump approved the Defense Department’s architecture and implementation plan for “Golden Dome”—a multilayered missile defense system incorporating ground-\, sea-\, and space-based components designed to protect all U.S. territory from any scale of missile attack by any country. In this webinar\, three physicists specializing in missile defense will examine why the proposed system would be technically ineffective\, carry projected costs in the hundreds of billions of dollars or more\, and exacerbate global arms race dynamics. They will also discuss how “Golden Dome” could heighten crisis instability and ultimately increase the risk of nuclear war. \nSpeakers include \n\nDr. Laura Grego\, Senior Scientist\, Union of Concerned Scientists\nDr. Fred Lamb\, Research Professor\, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign\nDr. Igor Moric\, Research Scholar\, Program in Science and Global Security (SGS)\, Princeton University\nDr. Zia Mian (moderator)\, Co-Director\, Program in Science and Global Security (SGS)\, Princeton University\n\n\nREFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  \nIgor Moric Slides  \nFred Lamb Slides  \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/webinar-golden-dome-a-costly-destabilizing-and-ineffective-missile-defense-system/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250731T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250731T143000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250807T152824Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250808T132800Z
UID:3412-1753966800-1753972200@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Webinar: The Russell-Einstein Manifesto at 70: Scientists Advancing Peace and Global Security
DESCRIPTION:  \n \n\n\nOn 9 July 1955\, Bertrand Russell delivered a public statement in London on the dangers of nuclear weapons. It was cosigned by Albert Einstein\, in his last public political act\, and has come to be known as the Russell-Einstein Manifesto. The Manifesto led in 1957 to the founding of the Pugwash Conferences for Science and World Affairs\, which received the 1995 Peace Nobel Prize. This presentation will introduce Pugwash\, its work during the Cold War\, and its current status and priorities at a time of grave nuclear dangers and challenges. It will highlight some ways scientists today can act on the Manifesto’s call. \nSpeakers: – \n\nKaren Hallberg\, Secretary General\, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs\nMatthew Evangelista\, President White Professor of History and Political Science Emeritus\, Cornell University\nTalia Weiss\, Physics Ph.D. student at Yale University\, Director of International Student/Young Pugwash (ISYP)\nZia Mian (moderator)\, Co-Director\, Princeton Program on Science and Global Security.\n\n\nResources: \nKaren Hallberg Slides \nMatthew Evangelista Slides \nTalia Weiss Slides \nAdditional Readings: \n\n\nZia Mian\, Out of the Nuclear Shadow: Scientists and the Struggle against the Bomb\,  Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists\, January 2015\nFetter\, R. Garwin\, and F. N. von Hippel\, Nuclear Weapons Dangers and Policy Options\, Physics Today\, April 2018\nZia Mian\, Stewart Prager\, and Frank N. von Hippel\, Once More Into the Breach: Physicists Mobilize Again to Counter the Nuclear Threat\, Arms Control Today\, May 2021\nZia Mian\, Stewart Prager\, and Frank von Hippel\, Confronting the bomb – Physicists have rallied against nuclear weapons for 80 years — and must do so again\, APS News\, March 6\, 2025
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/webinar-the-russell-einstein-manifesto-at-70-scientists-advancing-peace-and-global-security/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251103T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251103T140000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20250929T162640Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T165550Z
UID:3556-1762173000-1762178400@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:U.S. Government Assessments of Nuclear War and Nuclear Terrorism Risks: Findings of a National Academies Study
DESCRIPTION:  \n \n\n\nAbstract \nA recent congressionally-mandated study by the National Academies of Sciences\, Engineering\, and Medicine examined U.S. government methods for assessing nuclear war and nuclear terrorism risks\, how those assessments are used to develop strategy and policy\, and their limitations and gaps. In this webinar\, the co-chairs and director of this National Academies study will discuss how US nuclear war and terrorism assessments are generated and some findings and key recommendations. These include a need for the methods used to create nuclear war risk analyses to consider a broader scope of pathways and outcomes\, and possible weaknesses in how U.S. Strategic Command generates its daily “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure” assessment for each nuclear-armed adversary. The findings also highlight the need for the current limited assessments of the consequences of nuclear explosions resulting from strategic deterrence failure to include other physical and environmental effects of nuclear weapons\, as well as psychological\, societal\, and political consequences of nuclear weapons use. \nThe report is available for free download at: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27745/risk-analysis-methods-for-nuclear-war-and-nuclear-terrorism-phase \nSpeakers: \n\nDr. Jenny Heimberg\, Study Director of the Committee on Risk Analysis Methods for Nuclear War and Nuclear Terrorism\, and Acting Director of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control\, National Academies of Sciences\, Engineering\, and Medicine.\nWilliam C. Ostendorff\, Co-Chair of the Committee on Risk Analysis Methods for Nuclear War and Nuclear Terrorism\, and former Principal Deputy Administrator of the US National Nuclear Security Administration\nDr. M. Élisabeth Paté-Cornell\, Co-Chair of the Committee on Risk Analysis Methods for Nuclear War and Nuclear Terrorism\, and Professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering\, Stanford University\n\nSpeakers’ full biographies: \nDr. Jennifer (Jenny) Heimberg has worked at the National Academies of Sciences\, Engineering\, and Medicine since 2011. She is currently the acting director for the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC). Most recently\, she was the inaugural director for the Strategic Council for Research Excellence\, Integrity\, and Trust\, an effort initiated and led by the President of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition\, she has directed studies related to nuclear risks\, nuclear security\, nonproliferation\, and nuclear environmental cleanup. Other topics include reproducibility and replicability in science (Reproducibility and Replicability in Science\, 2019) and estimating the costs of climate damages (Valuing Climate Damages: Updating the Estimation of the Social Cost of Carbon Dioxide\, 2017). Prior to coming to the National Academies\, she worked as a program manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL). She received a BS in physics from Georgetown University\, a BSEE from Catholic University of America\, and a PhD in physics from Northwestern University. \nDr. M.-Elisabeth Paté-Cornell is the Burt and Deedee McMurtry Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford\, a Courtesy Professor of the Stanford Department of Aero-Astro\, and a Senior Fellow (by courtesy) of the Stanford Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies. Her specialty is engineering risk analysis\, with applications to complex systems (space\, medical\, offshore oil platforms\, cyber security\, etc.). Her work has been based on probabilistic and stochastic models\, and on Artificial Intelligence. She has been a member of the Army Science Board\, of the Air Force Science Board and of the Board of the Navy Post-Graduate School\, which she chaired. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering\, the French Académie des Technologies\, and the NASA Advisory Council. She was a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (2001 to 2008). She holds a BS in Mathematics and Physics in Marseille (France)\, an Engineering degree (Applied Math/CS) from the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (France)\, and from Stanford University an MS in Operations Research (OR) and a PhD in Engineering-Economic Systems (EES). She is the author or coauthor of more than a hundred publications including several Best Paper awards. From the Society for Risk Analysis (of which she is a Fellow and past President) she was awarded the 2002 Distinguished Achievement Award and the 2025 Distinguished Educator Award. She received the Ramsey Medal of Decision Analysis from INFORMS in 2010\, an Honorary PhD from the University of Strathclyde\, Scotland\, in 2016\, and the IEEE Ramo medal for Systems Engineering and Science in 2021. \nBill Ostendorff currently serves on the board of directors of Sandia National Laboratory\, Global Laser Enrichment and Cavendish Nuclear USA. He also serves on INPO’s Advisory Council and chairs the Decommissioning Nuclear Safety Review Board for Three Mile Island Unit 2. From 2016-2021\, he served as the Class of 1960 Distinguished Visiting Professor in National Security at the US Naval Academy. Mr. Ostendorff has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on three occasions in both Republican and Democratic administrations. He served as Principal Deputy Administrator at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in the Bush administration (2007-2009) and as a Commissioner at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2010-2016) in the Obama administration prior to joining the Naval Academy faculty. From 2003 to 2007\, he served as counsel and staff director for the Strategic Forces Subcommittee with oversight responsibilities for the Department of Energy’s Atomic Energy Defense Activities as well as the Department of Defense’s space\, missile defense and intelligence programs. Mr. Ostendorff was an officer in the United States Navy from 1976 until he retired in 2002 with the rank of captain. Entering the Rickover Nuclear Navy\, he served on six submarines. During his naval career\, he commanded a nuclear attack submarine and a nuclear attack submarine squadron. Mr. Ostendorff earned a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the United States Naval Academy and law degrees from the University of Texas and Georgetown University. He is the recipient of the US Nuclear Industry Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the American Nuclear Society’s Eisenhower Award.
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/methods-nas/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T123000
DTSTAMP:20260415T184111
CREATED:20260203T161745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T165638Z
UID:3696-1769770800-1769776200@physicistscoalition.org
SUMMARY:Assessing 80 Years of Diplomatic Efforts for Nuclear Disarmament: Marking the Legacy of UN General Assembly Resolution 1\, 1946
DESCRIPTION:  \n \n\n\nJanuary 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1(1)\, the first resolution to be adopted\, which established a UN Commission tasked to “make specific proposals for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons.” The resolution placed the newly created United Nations\, international diplomacy\, and international law at the heart of the debate over how to address the challenge of nuclear weapons posed to humanity. This webinar will reflect on eight decades of multilateral efforts to advance nuclear disarmament. These include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)\, which entered into force in 1970 and contains unmet obligations to end the arms race at an early date and achieve nuclear disarmament\, and which 191 states have joined. There is also the much newer Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)\, which entered into force five years ago\, in January 2021\, and has already been accepted by 99 states. The discussion will cover current and imminent challenges for multilateral nuclear diplomacy\, the crisis of nuclear arms control\, and prospects for the upcoming spring 2026 NPT Review Conference\, which follows back-to-back Review Conferences in 2012 and 2015 that failed to reach agreement\, as well as expectations for the first TPNW Review Conference\, to be held in late 2026.  \nSpeakers:\n– Izumi Nakamitsu is United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.\n– Patricia Lewis\, a physicist\, is past director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and co-chair of the TPNW Scientific Advisory Group (TBC).\n– Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova is Director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and Japan Chair for a World without Nuclear Weapons.\n– Zia Mian (moderator) is Co-Director of the Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security and a co-founder of the Physicists Coalition.
URL:https://physicistscoalition.org/events/assessing-80-years-of-diplomatic-efforts-for-nuclear-disarmament-marking-the-legacy-of-un-general-assembly-resolution-1-1946/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR