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PONI Capstone Conference Recap

poniblogger — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

By Eli Jacobs

This past Tuesday, PONI held its Capstone Conference, the fourth part of PONI’s conference series, at STRATCOM in Omaha, Nebraska. The event brought together junior and senior professionals from laboratories, the military, industry, academia, and policy circles to discuss pressing nuclear issues. It included a series of presentations by young professionals, as well as a lunch address by Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, and a keynote address by Lt Gen James Kowalski, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command.

Last day to register for the PONI Capstone Conference!

mark jansson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Registration for the 2011 PONI Capstone Conference on December 6 will close at the end of the day today. Here is the agenda, registration link, and event page. It's been a great year for the conference series and the capstone conference is always a lot of fun. Contact Mark Jansson with questions.

PONI Capstone Conference in Omaha – Register by Nov. 22!

mark jansson — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

We are just about set for the 2011 PONI Capstone Conference on December 6th at U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha. As the culminating event of the 2011 PONI conference series, the event aims to bring together experts from across the country to discuss some of the new ideas presented during the year. The conference agenda, comprised of a selection of some of the best talks given at preceding PONI conferences this year, will cover a number of important issues related to nuclear strategy, policy, and science. An evening reception and dinner – both covered by PONI – will follow the presentation panels.

PONI Fall Conference: Register by August 26th

mark jansson — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Just a quick note to remind readers who are interested in attending the fall conference at Livermore to register by this Friday, August 26th. The two-day event will feature panels on a variety of topics, including:

Stockpile Sustainment and the Future of the Nuclear Enterprise;
Nuclear Forensics Science and Technology;
Enhancing Monitoring and Enforcement to Counter Nuclear Threats;
Improving Nuclear Security while Expanding Access to Nuclear Energy: New Policy Approaches and Technical Advancements;
The Nuclear Disarmament Process: Challenges and Possible Solutions;
Assessing Legislative Politics and Ways Forward for Nuclear Policy; and
Exploring New Dimensions of Nuclear Strategy

We're still chasing smart people to serve as our panel moderators, but the agenda is otherwise set. There will be tours of some of the lab's facilities, an evening dinner and reception, and more than enough nuclear science and policy ideas to talk about. Check out the event page for details on the program and the conference. And click here to go directly to the registration site. Hope to see you there!

PONI Summer Conference: Register by July 3rd

mark jansson — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The summer conference at CSIS is less than a week away. Registration will be closing at midnight on July 3rd. Relevant links:

Please contact Mark Jansson at mjansson@csis.org with any questions.

Summer Conference Presentation Proposals: Due June 1st

mark jansson — Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The PONI Summer Conference presentation proposal deadline is June 1st. Those interested in delivering a presentation at the conference can reference the call for presentations posted on the event website.

The conference is designed to give center stage to up-and-coming experts in the field and to bring new insights to bear on broader discussions on nuclear strategy and policy. PONI conferences draw a mixed audience – junior and senior, policy and technical, liberal and conservative – and the topics covered are wide-ranging, from proliferation-resistant reactor technologies to arms control to deterrence.

Those interested in delivering a presentation at the summer conference should submit an abstract of no more than two pages that includes (1) a notional title of the presentation, (2) a brief overview of the issue to be addressed, and (3) a summary of the argument to be presented.

Travel assistance is indeed available for students and others lacking institutional support. To encourage a robust science-policy dialogue, a $500 honorarium is on offer for presentations that cover the technical aspects of nuclear forensics and detection and verification capabilities.

Contact Mark Jansson at mjansson@csis.org with any questions.

Recap: PONI's 2010 Capstone Conference

poniblogger — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

By: Kevin Kallmyer

On October 27, PONI hosted its annual Capstone Conference at Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The Conference featured the best and most intriguing presentations from the past year of PONI conferences. Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including U.S. nuclear strategy, U.S.-Russian arms control, nuclear proliferation and terrorism, and technical challenges facing the nuclear arsenal.

Recap: PONI Fall Conference

poniblogger — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

By Mark Jansson and Anna Newby

On September 22-23, PONI hosted its Fall Conference at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, the United Kingdom. The conference featured presentations on a range of topics, including how to meet new nonproliferation challenges, thinking differently about extended deterrence and security assurances, nuclear aspects of terrorism and counterterrorism, the future of the nuclear enterprise, and strategic stability. Presenters included both junior- and senior-level professionals from a variety of policy and technical fields, and their talks generated a wealth of interesting conversation and debate. This post summarizes parts of the discussion.

Summer Conference Reminders

mark jansson — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

By Mark Jansson

The PONI Summer Conference at Sandia is just over a month away and several important deadlines are approaching quickly, so please take note of the following.

Annapolis Conference Recap

poniblogger — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:30:57 -0400

PONI would like to thank everyone who attended this year’s Spring Conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The conference was attended on both days by over 110 people, including government officials, military personnel, academics, graduate students and midshipmen who each brought unique and interesting perspectives to the nuclear debate. An undeniable success, the conference showcased the networked community of young nuclear experts who will meet 21st century nuclear challenges. For those of you who unfortunately were not able to attend the Annapolis Conference, major themes discussed included: 1. Considerations for U.S. strategic posture 2. Proliferation dynamics and responses 3. Reconciling non-proliferation and arms control objectives with the need to sustain a credible capabilities through modernization 4. New nuclear capabilities and new challenges Through general discussions and break-out groups, new ideas were generated on how to deal with these challenges issues. Presenters also had the opportunity to further refine ideas for improvement and reform. PONI looks forward to continuing the discussion on nuclear issues at future conferences and helping bring together the leadership of both today and tomorrow.