Calendar of Events

Events Calendar

Doug & Inyoung Boyd Colloquium, The Growing Danger of Nuclear Weapons (and how physicists can help reduce it)

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Location: Room 330W and via Zoom
 

Speaker: Laura Grego, UCS/MIT

Abstract: While nuclear weapons might sound like Cold War relics, in truth the immense risks they pose to all humanity are still very much with us. In fact, trends indicate the risks may be growing with the abandonment of arms control agreements, the development of new types of strategic weapons, and conflicts involving nuclear-armed nations. Physicists have historically constructively engaged policymakers and their communities to help reduce nuclear dangers. This talk will explain the current nuclear crisis, provide feasible remedies, and introduce ways physicists can get involved.

Bio: Dr. Laura Grego is a senior scientist and research director in the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. A physicist by training, she works at the intersection of science and policy on the topics of nuclear weapons, missile defense, and space security. She was recently a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science and Engineering and was awarded the APS Leo Szilard Lectureship award in 2023. She is an associate editor for the journal Science and Global Security, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of its Panel on Public Affairs. She has authored papers on topics from cosmology to nuclear security issues and has testified before U.S. Congress and the United Nations. Dr. Grego earned a PhD in experimental physics at the California Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy at the University of Michigan.

Host:  Andrew Baker