The Public Policy and Nuclear Threats (PPNT) Boot Camp is a multi-day workshop hosted by the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) at the University of California, San Diego. The program is designed to provide students with the necessary tools to contribute to the debate on nuclear security policy, addressing technical, legal, and policy aspects of nonproliferation. The boot camp features lectures, discussions, debates and policy simulations. Seminars are delivered by distinguished researchers; academics; policy officials; and specialists from the University of California system and other leading universities; the National Security Council; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories; the International Atomic Energy Agency; and federal government agencies such as DNDO (Domestic Nuclear Detection Office), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, dealing with nuclear policy, nuclear threats, detection, and safeguard issues.
“I was a bit apprehensive to attend an all nuclear policy summer school due to the fact that my research is purely scientific. However, after attending, I can say that it greatly improved the scope of my understanding of this field. I feel like a better scientist after attending the Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp.” – Amber Hennessy, Graduate Student, UC Irvine
The 2015 Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp was hosted by the NSSC and the Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation at UC San Diego from June 21 – July 1. This year’s cohort featured NSSC students from four partner institutions, as well as social science students and young professionals from Tufts University, Corvinus University of Budapest, UT Austin, Boston University, the MacArthur Foundation, and the World Institute for Nuclear Security. Participants engaged in lectures, discussion, simulations, and hands-on activities led by experts from academia, the national laboratories, government, and international organizations, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.
This year’s boot camp was co-hosted by PPNT Boot Camp Director, Bethany Goldblum, and IGCC Scholar in Residence, Ambassador Linton Brooks.