In October, the Strauss Center and Woodrow Wilson Center hosted the inaugural Nuclear Studies Research Initiative conference just outside of Austin, Texas. The three-day event was held to launch an important new program to foster exchange, cross-fertilization, and mentorship for the new generation of scholars working on nuclear questions.

Leveraging the as yet untapped possibilities for collaboration, learning, dissemination, and debate, the conference included both historians and political scientists interested in nuclear issues.

Over the course of the conference, panels generated discussion and debate over new methods and sources, explored ways to close the gaps between disciplines and between scholars and policymakers interested in nuclear issues, and presented exciting new work from the emerging generation of scholars working on nuclear issues. James Steinberg, Dean of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and former Deputy Secretary of State, provided keynote remarks and emphasized the importance of nuclear issues and bridging the gap between practitioners and academics.

“The goal of the workshop was to bring together scholars and thinkers from across disciplines and generations to wrestle with some of the most important, consequential nuclear questions of the day,” said Strauss Center Director Frank Gavin.

The Strauss Center and Woodrow Wilson Center will continue to foster relationships between emerging and established scholars and practitioners with events, online mentorship, and other collaborative ventures.

Gavin stated, “To my mind, the effort was successful beyond our greatest hopes, inspiring cutting edge work and creating a new network of policy-oriented researchers thinking about nuclear questions.”

For more information about this project, please visit http://nuclearscholars.wordpress.com/