Hannah Gardiner, a third-year Ph.D. student in Nuclear Engineering at UF, was invited to speak on the role of scientists and engineers in global security at the Science and Security Summit 2017, hosted by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The FAS is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan think tank focusing primarily on nuclear policy and international security.

Specifically, FAS works to reduce the spread and number of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism, promote high standards for nuclear energy’s safety and security, illuminate government secrecy practices, as well as prevent the use of biological and chemical weapons. She is also partnering with FAS to write a paper discussing possible ways to structure a summer course that would train faculty and other educators on how to create courses on nuclear nonproliferation, security, and policy issues at nuclear science and engineering programs.

In addition to Gardiner, two other graduate students were invited to present: Stephen Dahunsi from the University of Tennessee and Yanuar Ady Setiawan from Texas A&M. Three senior scientists and engineers in global security and safety: Dr. Rodney K Wilson (Director, Nonproliferation and Cooperative Threat Reduction Center at Sandia National Laboratories), Dr. Richard Meserve (President Emeritus, Carnegie Institution for Science), and Dr. John P. Holdren (Science Advisor to Former President Obama).

Gardiner’s presentation, which begins at the 2:07:15 mark, along with the other speakers, can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRMJPdGgVcg.

Gardiner works under Jim Baciak, Ph.D., and is currently involved with research that seeks to design an x-ray backscatter radiography system to measure in-field root system architecture. She hopes to pursue a career in public policy and science diplomacy after receiving her doctorate, specifically in the realms of nuclear security and nonproliferation.

She received an M.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida in May 2016 and her B.S. degree in Physics from Louisiana State University in May 2014.