$21 Million to Support a Stronger, More Diverse Nuclear Field

• MacArthur Foundation Awards $21 Million to 28 Groups for Diversity in Nuclear Energy Field
• American Nuclear Society Provides Repository Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

Editor Note: Monday 01/17/22 is Martin Luther King Day in the U.S. These announcements fit the theme of observing the values associated with remembering his work.

MacArthur Foundation Awards $21 Million to 28 Groups for Diversity in Nuclear Energy Field

The MacArthur Foundation has made grants for a total of $21 million to 28 organizations on 01/11/22 for its nuclear capstone project will cultivate diversity in the field, challenge nuclear deterrence theory, lead at the nexus of climate and nuclear issues, and support key organizations.

MacArthur’s nuclear capstone focuses on four areas of work:

• encouraging a diverse pipeline of talent in the nuclear field,
• challenging nuclear deterrence theory,
• providing leadership around the intersection of nuclear and climate issues, and
• supporting key organizations in the nuclear field.

“These grants represent our hopes that the nuclear field will continue to grow and evolve in ways that make it stronger and more effective,” said Valerie Chang, MacArthur’s Managing Director of Programs.

“We firmly believe that the areas of work touched by our capstone are fundamental to success in reducing nuclear threats in the decades ahead.”

“These grants represent our hopes that the nuclear field will continue to grow and evolve in ways that make it stronger and more effective.”

Following is the list of grants by program areas. 

Cultivate Diversity and New Voices

An initial four organizations will receive a total of $2.7 million to cultivate diversity and empower new voices and underrepresented communities in the nuclear talent pipeline.

MacArthur’s goal for these grants is to help generate increased attention, recognition, and influence of diverse voices including voices of women and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color experts in the nuclear field.

The Foundation also hopes to encourage new and strengthened policies and practices in the field that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Today’s set of grant recipients are:

• Girl Security
• Ploughshares Fund
• Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University
• Truman Center for National Policy

Innovate to Challenge Deterrence Theory

MacArthur will provide a total of $4.2 million to three organizations to support research to challenge nuclear deterrence theory.

The Foundation’s goal is the development of a body of research that seeds new thinking on challenging, and ultimately replacing, nuclear deterrence theory as the predominant lens through which we view nuclear weapons strategy. The grant recipients are:

• Chatham House
• Managing the Atom Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University
• New Venture Fund’s Horizon 2045 Project

Lead at the Nexus of Nuclear and Climate Risks

Four organizations will receive grants totaling $2.2 million to provide leadership at the nexus of nuclear and climate risks, with a focus on mitigating the security implications of nuclear power’s expansion as a climate solution.

MacArthur’s goals for this area of work are to model productive dialogue on the future of nuclear energy in the climate battle, elevate policy questions about nuclear energy in U.S. domestic and foreign climate policy, and reimagine the global nuclear governance system for a world with more nuclear energy. The grant recipients are:

• Council on Strategic Risks
• Good Energy Collective
• Partnership for Global Security
• Third Way

Preserve Support for Critical Work

With $9.6 million in grants, MacArthur will preserve support for a limited number of organizations critical to the nuclear dialogue.

The Foundation’s goal is to ensure the field maintains trusted and effective organizations at this challenging moment and into the future. The grant recipients are:

• Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Managing the Atom Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University
• Nuclear Threat Initiative
• Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
• The Stimson Center

Additional Grants

In addition to these grants, MacArthur has awarded $2.6 million in final grants to organizations previously involved with the Nuclear Challenges strategy. MacArthur will announce additional capstone grants in the months ahead, but the Foundation is not currently accepting proposals for funding under the Nuclear Challenges capstone project.

MacArthur announced in February 2021 that the Foundation would shift away from the Nuclear Challenges program strategy and implement a capstone project. At the conclusion of the capstone grants in 2023, MacArthur will exit the nuclear field.

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American Nuclear Society Provides Web Repository Of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Educational Resources

(Editor Note: This press release was issued in 2020. It is included here because of the continuing value of the resources on diversity in the nuclear industry available at the cited web page.)

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) has introduced a new curated list of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) educational resources to its website. These collected resources can help educate ANS members and the nuclear science and technology community on the many facets of DEI.

“ANS continues to strive to better represent and reflect the nuclear community as a whole,” said ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy. “We recognize that we have more work to do in fostering an inclusive Society.”

“We want all ANS members to know that the Society continues to hold discussions on diversity and inclusivity,” said Piercy. “Continuing that dialogue is essential going forward.”

“Providing this list is a step towards making ANS and the wider scientific and engineering fields more inclusive and welcoming,” said ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar.

“We encourage all ANS members, especially those not well-acquainted with the subject matters and issues, to visit the page and read the materials,” said Dunzik-Gougar.

Available at ans.org/diversityresources, the list will be continually updated with new resources. The categories currently covered include: Anti-Racism, Being an Ally, Workshops and Trainings, Recruitment Resources, Evaluation Resources, For Academia, For Families, For Our Communities, and General Information. To suggest additional resources, please email [email protected].

The Diversity and Inclusion in ANS (DIA) Committee inspired this effort and provides direction on the selected resources. The group was launched in 2018 to promote and support the participation of underrepresented and marginalized groups within the Society. Such groups include, but are not limited to, women, persons of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.

“As a Society, we strive for our members to be continually learning in both technical and social aspects of nuclear engineering,” said Lane Carasik, DIA Committee Chair. “The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion educational resource list supports this goal for ANS members to learn about DEI issues encountered by African Americans and other underrepresented and marginalized groups.”

The goals of the DIA Committee are to help the Society promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in nuclear science, technology, and engineering; and to attract and retain diverse and underrepresented groups into nuclear-related fields.

Learn more about the Society’s diversity and inclusion initiatives at ans.org/diversity. See also the ANS Statement on Diversity.

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