GW Joins Nuclear Science and Security Consortium

Associate Dean Emily Hammond will educate students and researchers from eight universities about nuclear law and policy.

March 31, 2016

Photo of nuclear plant cooling towers.

The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Energy Security Administration has awarded a grant of $25 million to a consortium of eight universities, including GW, for research and development in nuclear science and security. Emily Hammond, Associate Dean for Public Engagement and Professor of Law, will work with three other researchers from the Elliott School of International Affairs, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Columbian College's Department of Chemistry to create educational programs using the $1.7 million that GW will receive.

"I'm proud of the depth and breadth of expertise in nuclear energy here at GW; this is truly a cross-disciplinary effort and it is exciting to be part of such a diverse and intellectually dynamic team," Associate Dean Hammond said about GW joining the consortium, which will be led by the University of California, Berkeley. "The grant positions GW to collaborate with a number of other universities' nuclear research efforts." 

Associate Dean Hammond will primarily focus on educating nuclear scientists about law and policy in their field. She will teach a course this fall with Allison M. Macfarlane, a former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and current GW professor. Other GW researchers include Philippe Bardet, a nuclear engineer, and Christopher Cahill, a nuclear chemist.

The team of faculty is also developing the curriculum for a summer boot camp that will bring nuclear scientists and engineers from across the consortium to Washington, D.C. The students will make the most of their time in the nation's capital by visiting Capitol Hill and relevant agencies to supplement their classroom experience.

"The nuclear energy and security fields are tightly intertwined with law and policy issues," Associate Dean Hammond said. "I hope that our nuclear scientists and engineers will gain law and policy literacy through the boot camp, and I look forward to learning what issues are of most relevance to them."