Competitive Summer Program Brings Undergraduates to Monterey to Study Nonproliferation

“It’s a unique program,” said Masako Toki, senior education project manager and research associate with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). “We are living in a time of escalating nuclear threats. It is critical that we develop and support the next generation of professionals working to advance peace.”

Each year, 12 undergraduates from across the country are selected from among hundreds of applicants for the Summer Nonproliferation Undergraduate Fellowship at CNS. CNS is the largest nongovernmental organization in the world devoted to curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and is based at the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, California, with offices in Washington, D.C., and Vienna, Austria.

During the summer program, participants attend lectures with nonproliferation experts and get training and mentorship as they conduct their own research on issues related to the spread and control of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and regional security issues in the former Soviet Union, Eurasia, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. Fellows also learn about AI and nonproliferation, and open-source tools for nonproliferation.

“I’ve done several other internship programs and this has been the best one by far for my future career,” said Holly Dickison, an undergraduate at Smith College.

Participants were particularly excited about the accessibility of experts and the chance to dive into the complexities and nuances of international relations.

This year’s program was funded by the Tom and Sarah Pattison Fund, the Middlebury College Provost’s Office, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Donors Sarah and Tom Pattison attended the students’ final research presentations.

“Our generation has left a lot of challenges for your generation,” said Tom Pattison, who compared nonproliferation work to his experience as a doctor trying to get his patients to quit smoking. “The work we do in preventing conflict saves so many lives, and it’s hard work because you don’t get credit for prevention.”

“You had a lot of choices of what to do this summer,” said Sarah Pattison. “Thank you for choosing to do something to bring peace to the world.”

Summer 2024 Fellows

The fellows researched a wide range of topics for their final projects.

Madelyn Fackler

University of Georgia

The Nature of the Problem: Recontextualizing Prospects for U.S.-China Arms Control

Maya Watson

Middlebury College

Nuclear Power in Kazakhstan: Pros, Cons, and the Role of Public Opinion

Sircey Smith

Trinity Washington University

From Concept to Deployment: Exploring the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Small Modular Reactors

Thalia Miller

Wellesley College

Humanitarian Perspectives on Nuclear Testing: Addressing Historical Injustices to Indigenous Communities

Holly Dickinson

Smith College

Language & Barriers: The Impact of Gendered Language on Women’s Representation in Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Dana Leib-Perry

Middlebury College

Nuclear Futures: Iran’s Prospective Nuclear Outreach

Berkley Pelletier

American University

U.S. Nonproliferation Efforts Toward Israel and Taiwan, 1958–1988

Zander Gilmartin

Middlebury College

Pushed to the Brink: Mitigating Iranian Nuclear Actions of Concern since 2010

Sam Merriam

Middlebury College

Crimson Tides: Tracking Recent Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea

Josiah Durfee

Middlebury College

Russian Chemical Weapons Usage in Ukraine: Verifications, Explanations, and Implications

Oliver Song

Middlebury College

The Implications of Chinese-Kazakh Joint Venture Uranium Mining Companies on Sinophobia in Kazakhstan

Jessica Sobieski

University of Georgia

Amplifying Terror: A Comparative Study of the Use of CBRN Weapons by Non-State Actors in Africa