SSP-100 (030) The Nuclear Legacy

William Standish, Associate Professor of Physics

What is the fallout from the Nuclear Age? Nuclear energy, fission and fusion weapons (and the vehicles to deliver them), radionuclides for research and medical use, waste and environmental degredation, proliferation of nuclear materials, and nuclear terrorism all come quickly to mind. Students in this seminar will consider how achievements in nuclear science and breakthroughs in technology have combined with actions of governmental and non-state entities to leave use this incredibly multifaceted legacy. Students will also evaluate and debate the efficacy of historical and proposed efforts to manage this legacy for the benefit of humankind rather than for its destruction.