Ala Alrababah
Davis UWC Fellow
Dartmouth College
Major: Government and Economics

"My fellowship provided me with the chance to learn about arms control and nonproliferation from diplomats, scientists, and scholars. CNS encouraged me to produce my own work under the supervision of some of those experts.

A highlight of my summer was participating in a track II workshop on the technical dimensions of implementing a weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the Middle East. Thanks to CNS scholars, I had the chance to travel to Sandia National Laboratories for a week to participate in this workshop where I interacted with experts on arms control in the Middle East.

The surroundings in Monterey are really beautiful. Students at CNS like to quip that during the day, they save the world from weapons of mass destruction, while in the evening they enjoy the nice view from the beach. This scenery allows students to appreciate the world they are saving. One of my favorite parts about the summer was meeting the other student interns. I'm truly thankful for the friendships that I built here."

Phil Lai
Davis UWC Fellow
Brown University
Major: International Relations and Human Biology

"The Davis Fellowship at CNS is an incredible opportunity to really immerse yourself in the field of nonproliferation studies. I came in not knowing what to expect, but quickly discovered that nonproliferation is one of those fields that is so broad that there's literally something for everyone. The center itself is an outstanding resource, and everyone is really friendly and approachable. Monterey, of course, is absolutely gorgeous...I never thought I'd get sick of kayaking through kelp forests with sea lions but I almost did. My experience here this summer gave me my first good look at the intersection between policy and academia, and helped me start thinking about security in a whole different way."

Nicole Hoesterey
Intern
CNS Project: Nuclear Threat Initiative
Middlebury College
Major: International Politics and Economics

"The summer undergraduate internship at CNS introduced me to the field of nonproliferation studies, developed my research skills, and gave me valuable tools for professional development. Even though I came into this experience without much of a background in weapons of mass destruction specifically, by the end of the program I felt as if I was nearly an expert in the field! The lectures explored all the different aspects of the field, and my work on the Nuclear Threat Initiative website allowed me to explore topics I found interesting further in depth. I was even able to help with the development of a website to engage high school students around the globe in an interactive and exciting way to teach them about the risks of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons proliferation. I felt like my work contributed to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in a meaningful way and I was treated like a real part of the center.

The most positive experience of this internship was learning about all the different topics within nonproliferation from the lectures. If something particularly interested us from the lectures, we could pursue independent research on the topic, incorporate it into our tasks, or discuss it further with the lecturer. We received a very comprehensive introduction to the field of nonproliferation and learned some of the technical aspects along with the policy."

Naomi Egel
Intern
CNS Project: International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program
U C Berkeley
Major: Peace and Conflict Studies

"The undergraduate internship at CNS combines substantive work with educational lectures from leading nonproliferation experts. Through interning with IONP, I gained a clear understanding of the various types of treaties and organizations that have been established to address nonproliferation and disarmament challenges and their successes and challenges. I updated a database used by students and experts and I helped create an entirely new database. CNS is very much a leader in the nonproliferation and disarmament field and is constantly initiating new outreach, education, and coalition-building activities. It's a very exciting organization to be a part of. The staff members at CNS were also wonderful. They were friendly and welcoming and always made themselves available to answer questions or provide assistance.

I also really enjoyed CNS' emphasis on education: the almost daily lectures were a great opportunity to learn about various topics related to WMD (weapons of mass destruction) from some of the leading experts in the field. The lectures covered everything from the technical requirements of verifying disarmament to the political processes behind the drafting of certain treaties and through them I gained a much more thorough understanding of these issues."

Jonathan Lin
Intern
CNS Project: East Asia Nonproliferation Program
Carleton College
Major: English

"If you are a complete newcomer, CNS provides the opportunity for an immersive sampling of the nonproliferation field. You become acquainted with both the policy and technical dimensions of the work in the industry, taught by experts and scholars in very accessible and engaging ways. Those with a more substantial international relations or even nonproliferation background will also find the experience at CNS very rewarding, as the research being done here is innovative and specialized — often with a careful eye on contemporary global affairs and critical developments in the proliferation arena — and even as interns we are invited to wholly take part in understanding, unpacking, and solving the diverse challenges that occupy the field."

Zachary Kallenborn
Intern
CNS Project: Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program
University of Puget Sound
Major: Mathematics & Politics and Government

"My internship at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies was a great experience. It seemed like almost every day I met and learned from some new and fascinating expert in the field of nonproliferation or a related area. When I wasn't doing that, I was working in the Chemical and Biological Weapons Program where I conducted in-depth research on chemical weapons dumped at sea. My task was to hunt down information about the location and contents of the various dump sites, a task that required me to work with former military personnel, members of the press, and others. I also wrote/edited synopses of various public-health disasters involving chemical agents for use in a training and evaluation survey tool to help local, county, state, and federal responders respond to large-scale incidents.

In addition to my work, my days typically featured a lecture or two from either an expert with the Center or a visiting scholar. These lectures ran the gamut of nonproliferation issues — one day we might talk about passive methods of detecting nuclear material and the next we might discuss what it means for a group to be considered a "terrorist organization". These talks did not take place in crowded lecture halls, but rather in small seminar rooms usually with only us interns in attendance. In this way, we were not just passively absorbing fascinating information, but had the opportunity to constantly ask questions and further discuss the issues."

Ciara Sivels
Intern
CNS Project: Nuclear Spent Fuel Management Options
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Major: Nuclear Science and Engineering

"This internship is ideal for someone who wants to learn about the current issues of nonproliferation and the steps that are being taken to analyze and solve them. This is a very practical internship as nonproliferation issues can change daily. Having knowledge of the history of this field will greater enhance what one can gain from this internship.

Even with very little knowledge one will come out gaining valuable experiences. From the lectures to the projects with supervisors, there are constant opportunities to learn. This internship allows one to form a perspective on nonproliferation and further study those ideas."