60 episodes

On July 16, 1945, in a New Mexico desert, the Trinity Test ushered in the Nuclear Age. No other piece of technology has penetrated the American consciousness like the nuclear bomb and found a place in everything from culture to medicine. This podcast explores how nuclear science has impacted and changed our world in both beneficial and destructive ways. We explore the intersection of nuclear science and society using interviews with historians, policymakers, experts in their fields, and first-hand accounts to weave a picture of your nuclear life.

My Nuclear Life Shelly Lesher

    • Science

On July 16, 1945, in a New Mexico desert, the Trinity Test ushered in the Nuclear Age. No other piece of technology has penetrated the American consciousness like the nuclear bomb and found a place in everything from culture to medicine. This podcast explores how nuclear science has impacted and changed our world in both beneficial and destructive ways. We explore the intersection of nuclear science and society using interviews with historians, policymakers, experts in their fields, and first-hand accounts to weave a picture of your nuclear life.

    The journey of a citizen scientist with Frank von Hippel

    The journey of a citizen scientist with Frank von Hippel

    Physicist and activist, Frank von Hippel discusses his career in arms control and what the future may hold for the world.

    Two corrections – 1) The Nuclear Weapons Freeze march was from the UN to Central park and 2) The banner in the Freeze march said 177 out of 195 towns voted for the Freeze in Vermont, not 193 out of 197.

    • 51 min
    The Black Sea Experiment: Data taking and legacy

    The Black Sea Experiment: Data taking and legacy

    Our team returns to the Soviet Union to take data on the Slava. We hear about the spectroscopy of a nuclear weapon and the legacy of the Black Sea Experiment.

    • 42 min
    Prelude to the Black Sea Experiment: Soviet Scientists Reach Out

    Prelude to the Black Sea Experiment: Soviet Scientists Reach Out

    This episode sets the stage for the Black Sea Experiment. We are introduced to Tom Cochran and Frank von Hippel, two people who had a hand in changing the way the US viewed arms control verification. This episode introduces seismic verification, used to verify nuclear tests for decades.

    • 38 min
    Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 2

    Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 2

    Shelly continues her stay in Tbilisi, Georgia and speaks to two Physicists, Giorgia Japaridz (Illia State Univ.) and Revaz Shanidze (Tbilisi State Univ). They discuss what life as a physicist was like under Soviet rule and after Georgian independence. Along the way we learn about scientists who protected nuclear material when security fled, why the Institute’s reactor was unique, and find out how to survive in post-Soviet times. This podcast is in collaboration with The Stanley Center for Peace and Security.

    • 52 min
    Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 1

    Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 1

    Spend time with Shelly and two guest as she travels to Tbilsi, Georgia. First she discusses storytelling and Georgian’s atomic Odyssey with Shorena Lortkipanidze from the Civil Council on Defense and Security (Tbilsi, Georgia). Next, Mariam Chabashvidi explains her love for computer programming after Georgian independence and how she became an invaluable member of the nuclear science team at the Institute of Physics in Tbilsi, Georgia. This podcast is in collaboration with The Stanley Center for Peace and Security.

    • 58 min
    The new face of the nuclear nerd - Miss America (2023) Grace Stanke

    The new face of the nuclear nerd - Miss America (2023) Grace Stanke

    Start the New Year off with a bang. Join Shelly & Miss America 2023, nuclear engineer, and fellow Badger Grace Stanke to discuss a range of topics.

    • 40 min

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