Reception to follow from 5:00pm - 6:30pm in the lobby in front of the William J. Perry Conference Room

About the event: Please join the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at Stanford University to celebrate esteemed Professor Rod Ewing's life of scholarship and service. Rod Ewing was the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security at Stanford, a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Stanford Doerr School, an FSI Senior Fellow, and starting in 2017, the Science Co-Director for CISAC. He was also a professor emeritus from the University of Michigan and the University of New Mexico. Professor Rod Ewing passed away on Saturday, July 13th, 2024, and he is survived by his wife, Helga Fuchs, and his family.

About the speakers:

Gordon Brown, Professor of Geology in the School of Earth Sciences

Gordon Brown specializes in environmental geochemistry and aqueous and surface geochemistry. He and his research group focus on chemical and microbiological interactions at environmental interfaces, which are defined as interfaces between solids and aqueous solutions, solids and gases, aqueous solutions and gases, solids and microbial organisms (including microbial biofilms), and solids and natural organic matter. They utilize molecular-scale methods, particularly those involving very intense x-rays from synchrotron radiation sources, to study the interactions of contaminants and pollutants, particularly heavy metals such as lead and mercury, metalloids such as arsenic and selenium, and actinides such as uranium, with mineral surfaces, with the aim of understanding reactions that can sequester or release these species or transform them into more or less toxic forms.

Sulgiye Park, Senior Scientist at Union of Concerned Scientists

Sulgiye Park is a research scientist at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Her research interests include 1) U.S. nuclear waste management and 2) utilizing geological resources to better understand North Korea’s nuclear weapons production capacity. In the former, she examines the key elements of the U.S. legal and regulatory framework on nuclear waste and how advanced nuclear reactors affect waste management. For the latter, she uses geological maps and geochemical literature to investigate how many nuclear weapons North Korea can build using indigenous resources. Other ongoing projects include understanding the U.S. strategic narratives around rare-earth elements, cooperation with China on resource management, and using open-source intelligence to analyze North Korea’s nuclear fuel cycle. While pursuing her fellowship, Sulgiye was an accelerator for Stanley Peace Foundation.

Cameron Tracy, Research Scholar at CISAC

Cameron Tracy is a Research Scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, where he studies the roles of scientific and technical knowledge in international security policy. His work addresses diverse technologies, ranging from hypersonic missiles to geologic repositories for the disposal of nuclear materials. Alongside this policy-oriented work, he conducts scientific research on the physical and chemical behavior of materials under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, and irradiation.

Dr. Tracy has published widely in both the physical science and social science literatures. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, Politico, and Vice News.

Previously, Dr. Tracy held fellowships at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. He also worked as a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He earned a PhD and MS in materials science & engineering from the University of Michigan, and a BS from the University of California, Davis.