Episodes
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.
Published 05/28/24
Published 05/28/24
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.
Published 04/30/24
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.
Published 04/30/24
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...
Published 03/27/24
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...
Published 02/27/24
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.
Published 01/30/24
What makes Edward Teller tick? Find out with physical chemist and author Istvan Hargittai on this episode.
Published 11/28/23
Physics Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland talks about all things lasers, how lasers relate to nuclear physics, and explains why she had to pay the long-distance bill to Sweden.
Published 10/31/23
Meet Dr. Ed Calabrese, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, School of Public Health & Health Sciences. Ed has spent years diving into the history of dose response and the Nobel Prize awarded to Hermann Muller for this work.
Published 09/26/23
How can you find the age of Plutonium? Why is it important? What are the applications? Find out the answer to these questions and more on this episode of My Nuclear Life when Cody Folden joins Shelly Lesher to discuss his paper in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry.
Published 08/29/23
My Nuclear Life and The Uncover Up visit the Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum. Join Shelly, Nathan, and Lee as they journey 75 feet underground to compare how the Canadian Government planned to prepare for their survival versus the Civil Defense measured intended for their citizens.
Published 07/25/23
Get ready for the summer movie by joining Oppenheimer biographer Kai Bird (author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer) as he discusses Oppie's life and science.
Published 06/27/23
What is the 3rd Nuclear Age? Wait, what about the 1st and 2nd? Join Shelly as she speaks to Stanton Senior Fellow Ankit Panda about how the world is grabbling with nuclear proliferation and what challenges we face.
Published 05/30/23
Chemical elements make up the matter we observe in the universe but how did they form? How did scientists figure this out and what is left to learn? Artemis Spyrou joins Shelly to discuss the evolution of the elements and the nuclear processes that govern stellar nucleosynthesis. Find the B2FH paper, Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us
Published 04/25/23
In December 2022, Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved ignition. Join Shelly as she speaks with Bob Rosner about what this milestone means to Stockpile Stewardship and to physics. Also - learn how cool it is to focus 192 lasers onto a tiny little capsule. Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us Article: Bulletin Article
Published 03/28/23
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to witness an above-ground nuclear weapons test? Shelly is joined by Jim Burkhart who was stationed on the Johnston Atoll in 1962 when the largest nuclear test in outer space was conducted. He will discuss this and other shots during his year "on island" as part of Operation Dominic. email us or visit our website mynuclearlife.com. Please leave a 5-star review on iTunes and subscribe to My Nuclear Life wherever you listen to podcasts.
Published 02/28/23
From his beginnings as a nuclear physicist to his Nobel Prize-winning work on neutrinos, Arthur McDonald sits down with Shelly Lesher in the studio. Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us
Published 01/31/23
Martin Pfeiffer aka @nuclearanthro joins Shelly to discuss the origin story of NORAD Tracks Santa and why it matters. Not suitable for children and may contain foul language. Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us
Published 12/24/22
Young scientists from the Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) Conference react to the nuclear weapon talks which opened the conference. Hear their thoughts about the role nuclear scientists play in the future of nuclear policy and disarmament. Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us
Published 12/15/22
With all the talk of nuclear weapons in Europe, learn about the US nuclear weapon triad with Dr. Steve Fetter. Recorded live during a nuclear physics conference, Drs. Fetter and Lesher discuss the US Nuclear Posture Review, the US Nuclear Triad, Nuclear Modernization, and the history of ICBMS.
Published 11/29/22
In this episode, we take you inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone with Dominik Orfanus founder of ChernobylX and lead tour guide, Lara Graldina. What is it like inside the "Zone"? Who lives there? What can you do to help? This and more on Episode 38. Note: This episode does not discuss the disaster itself. To hear about that event, listen to Episode 16 - The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Disaster with Adam Higginbotham. Send an email to ChernobylX to find out how you can contribute to...
Published 10/25/22
The St. Louis Baby Tooth Study has been reimagined. Using the original teeth collected from the children of the 1950s and 1960s Marc Weisskopf and his colleagues at Harvard are seeking to find new answers from old teeth. Shout out to Taz & Mookie Weisskopf who make their presence known on the recording. Note: For background on the Baby Tooth Study listen to Episode 36 first. Artwork from...
Published 09/27/22
Nina Gilden Seavey discusses how the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey helped persuade U.S. President Kennedy to sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which ended above-ground nuclear weapons testing in the US, UK, and the Soviet Union. In the process, citizen science was born and children sported cool buttons on their lapels.
Published 08/30/22
He was and served as the 39th President of the USA. But before his career in politics, Jimmy Carter was a Navy Nuke under Gen. Rickover. What did he do in the Navy? How did this time in the Nuclear Navy shape his policies? What would happen if someone who thought like a scientist gained access to the highest seat in the land? Find out in this episode when Shelly speaks to Jimmy Carter’s biographer, Jonathan Alter. Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife ...
Published 07/26/22