On February 8th, the TEES Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives (NSSPI), along with the Texas A&M Student Chapter of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), sponsored the first Panel on Interdisciplinary Nuclear Security (PINS). The event focused on the current geo-political situation surrounding the state of North Korea, featuring invited speakers who are experts on both the technical and policy issues surrounding this complex topic.
The panel was moderated by Dr. Andrew Ross, who is a professor and the director of the Certificate in National Security Affairs in the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and consisted of Dr. William Charlton, current John J. McKetta Energy Professor and the director of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr. Brandon C. Prins, professor of political science at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Students and faculty from both the Department of Nuclear Engineering and the Bush School attended the panel.
The panelists gave an overview of the history of the North Korean situation, the details of the current threat, and discussed the different solutions and strategies that are available to the current U.S. administration in dealing with North Korea. They also responded to many questions from the audience.
NSSPI and the Texas A&M Student Chapter of the INMM plan to continue the PINS by inviting more experts to speak on topics of interest for nuclear security in the future.
