Posted on July 26, 2024 by College of Sciences
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CONNECT Hosts Simulated Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Exercise
By Ryan Schoensee
On July 3, The College of Sciences' Consortium on Nuclear Security Technologies (CONNECT) hosted an undergraduate research experience. At the event, undergraduate science, engineering, and liberal arts students came together for a simulated arms control treaty negotiation exercise.
The exercise was hosted by Matthias Hofferberth, associate professor in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts Department of Political Sciences and Geography, who helped students engage in experiential learning on how treaties on non-proliferation are developed. Two international and non-proliferation law experts, Kathleen Doty, advisor, Treaties and Agreements Global Security, Technology, and Policy and Aubrey Means, National Security Specialist, from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory also helped lead the exercise.
In the fictional scenario, students teamed up to represent three different countries. The overall objectives were to increase global security and provide robust arms control mechanisms. Students also received a lecture on international law and arms control to prime them for the negotiations. Each country was given a short background and the objective to discuss the following:
- The type of nuclear weapon(s) they want to regulate
- How the treaty will be conducted
- What verification and enforcement mechanisms are provided
"As a physics student, I am very used to following an equation to find an exact outcome when I am solving problems, so it was an interesting challenge to try and create a treaty that three different countries needed to agree on," said Mary Kelly '25, a senior studying physics at UTSA. "I assumed it would be a straightforward situation, but I was surprised at how many assumptions we all made about each other without being aware of it and how those biases influenced how we interacted and made the treaty."
"It was nice to see how the more scientific side and the political side have to work together," added Kelly.
CONNECT educates and trains the next generation of professionals with strong backgrounds in nuclear science, fissionable fuels fabrication and processing, nuclear materials characterization, nuclear forensic signatures, nuclear technology, and data and visual analytics, each collaboratively brought to bear on expanding the innovation envelope of nuclear security. Additionally, investigators in CONNECT are engaged with non-proliferation policy. CONNECT was recently awarded $5M for a total of $8M in funding from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
— College of Sciences
