The Nuclear Policy Working Group (NPWG) is a research-based educational effort open to UC Berkeley undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs from any discipline. Members conduct multidisciplinary research on nuclear weapons policy, attend weekly interactive seminars with outside experts, and contribute to original policy-relevant publications. The group bridges technical and social science fields, covering topics like nonproliferation, arms control, and emerging security technologies.
Events They Host
Annual Nuclear Security Expert Panel Discussion
Campus-wide public panel events held annually, featuring outside experts on nuclear security policy themes. Past themes include: 'The Role of Nuclear Forensics in Nuclear Security Policy' (April 2013), 'Ethics in Nuclear Security Science and Policy' (April 2014), and 'The Power of the Public for Nuclear Nonproliferation' (April 2015).
Legal and Ethical Issues in Societal Verification Workshop
Collaborative workshop co-hosted with Sandia National Laboratories, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, and the NSSC, exploring legal and ethical issues around using big data and societal verification tools in arms control.
Workshop on the Application of Open Source Tools for Nuclear Nonproliferation
Two-day hands-on workshop co-hosted with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, featuring tutorials on satellite imagery, 3D modeling, and Google Earth for nuclear security applications. Instructors: Jeffrey Lewis and Melissa Hanham (MIIS). January 14-15, 2015.
Nuclear Science for Future Policymakers Workshop
A one-day workshop for social science undergraduates and graduate students covering radiation, nuclear weapons design, the nuclear fuel cycle, and the nexus of nuclear science and policy. Sponsored by the NSSC. January 13, 2015.
Public Policy and Nuclear Threats (PPNT) Boot Camp
A 10-day intensive multidisciplinary program featuring lectures, discussions, and simulation exercises with nuclear science and policy experts from academia, national labs, government, and international organizations.
NPWG Weekly Interactive Seminars
Regular seminars featuring guest lectures from outside experts on topics in nuclear security policy, nonproliferation, arms control, and related fields. Past speakers include representatives from Sandia National Laboratories, the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Harvard's Belfer Center, and others.
Film Screening: The Man Who Saved The World
National screening of the film about Stanislav Petrov and the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm. February 3, 2015, 6:30pm, 3106 Etcheverry Hall.
Member Experiences
NPWG@MSU Satellite Seminar
A satellite seminar hosted at Michigan State University, extending NPWG programming to another institution.