Nuclear Engineering 24, Section 2
Detecting Illicit Nuclear Material (1 unit, P/NP)
Professor Edward Morse
Wednesday 3:00-4:00, 201 Giannini Hall, CCN: 64003

There is some risk of nuclear weapon materials becoming available to terrorists and other third parties. This seminar will focus on identifying the nature of this threat, discussing possible venues for illicit nuclear materials entering the United States and its allies, and possible means of detecting clandestine transportation attempts involving this material. The problem will be addressed as a public policy issue in addition to its physics basis. No special knowledge of nuclear physics is required, but some simple physical concepts will be presented. Emphasis will be placed on discussions and role-playing exercises.

Professor Edward Morse has been at UC Berkeley since 1978 and has been conducting experiments and theoretical research in fusion energy. He currently heads a multi-disciplinary team, named Domestic Nuclear Threat Security (DONUTS) carrying out research to improve domestic security by developing better methods of detecting nuclear material. This effort has been funded by a multi-year grant from the Academic Research Initiative, a partnership between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The initiative seeks to build the nation's intellectual capital in nuclear sciences.