Kissinger Center Hosts 2021 Summer Academy for Undergraduates in Washington, DC
The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs welcomed 16 undergraduate students and recent graduates from across the United States and Canada to participate in its Kissinger Summer Academy on Nuclear Weapons and American Grand Strategy in July 2021. This week-long course featured lectures from leading academics and policymakers, and students had the opportunity to take part in a wargame on the final day of the proceedings. Designed to provide an emerging generation of thought-leaders and policymakers with the tools to understand our nuclear past and shape our nuclear future, the course engaged Kissinger Summer Fellows in learning about the nuclear revolution, competition, US nuclear strategy, arms control, and how technology and strategy have shaped the nuclear age.
The 16 Kissinger Summer Fellows engaged in discussions with Ambassador Eric Edelman (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies), and Dr. Sue Mi Terry (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Professor Robert Soofer (Georgetown University), Professor Keir Lieber (Georgetown University), Tim Morrison (Hudson Institute), Dr. Austin Long (The Joint Staff), and Dr. Lindsey Sheppard (Center for Strategic and International Studies). Designed to provide an emerging generation of thought-leaders and policymakers with the tools to understand our nuclear past and shape our nuclear future, the course featured lectures by Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab) on how nuclear weapons technologically work, and by Professor Francis J. Gavin and Professor Hal Brands (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) to learn about the nuclear revolution, competition, US nuclear strategy, arms control, and emerging technologies.
The Kissinger Summer Academy was made possible by the America in the World Consortium and the Nuclear Studies Research Initiative (NSRI), which has been generously supported by both the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the MacArthur Foundation.
The 16 Kissinger Summer Fellows engaged in discussions with Ambassador Eric Edelman (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies), and Dr. Sue Mi Terry (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Professor Robert Soofer (Georgetown University), Professor Keir Lieber (Georgetown University), Tim Morrison (Hudson Institute), Dr. Austin Long (The Joint Staff), and Dr. Lindsey Sheppard (Center for Strategic and International Studies). Designed to provide an emerging generation of thought-leaders and policymakers with the tools to understand our nuclear past and shape our nuclear future, the course featured lectures by Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab) on how nuclear weapons technologically work, and by Professor Francis J. Gavin and Professor Hal Brands (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) to learn about the nuclear revolution, competition, US nuclear strategy, arms control, and emerging technologies.
The Kissinger Summer Academy was made possible by the America in the World Consortium and the Nuclear Studies Research Initiative (NSRI), which has been generously supported by both the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the MacArthur Foundation.
Student Perspectives
“The Kissinger Summer Academy offered an opportunity to dive deeper into US Grand Strategy and take a course dedicated to nuclear weapons, an opportunity I haven't had, even as a graduate student. The diverse experiences of the other scholars and the guest speakers created engaging conversations, which made these issues accessible and relevant. I highly recommend this course to students who are interested in nuclear weapons, regardless of their previous experiences.” -- Jessica Budlong, Nuclear Fusion Project
"The summer academy presents a unique opportunity to engage with critical questions at the intersection of nuclear technology and society. Each participant brings a different perspective to the table; I learned so much through the discussions, presentations, and readings. On the whole, I gained a better understanding of nuclear policy and its important implications for global affairs in both contemporary and historical terms." -- Keshav Raghavan, Yale University