by: Alexandria (Lexa) Molinari
Lexa Molinari (NPTS ’25) details her experience visiting Prague and Vienna during the J-Term global course
This winter, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in an experiential learning course with MIIS. For two weeks, I learned from faculty at Czech Technical University (CTU) about various aspects of nuclear energy that related to nuclear security and nonproliferation. In addition to classes, I had the privilege to visit and tour the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, CTU’s VR-1 research reactor, the GOLEM fusion reactor, the Czech National Radiation Protection Institute, and the Skoda Nuclear Machinery plant. This combination of theoretical lectures, hands-on activities, and technical visits allowed me to gain necessary knowledge and experience that are vital for a career in nuclear nonproliferation.
With my background in humanities, I had been worried about gaps in my scientific knowledge and technical training that could hold me back from being effective in my future career in nuclear nonproliferation and security policymaking. If I didn’t have a better understanding of the science behind nuclear energy, how could I possibly help write a truly comprehensive policy that addresses nuclear materials’ dual use risks? In answer to my worries, the CTU staff who taught us had identified gaps that most people who work on the policy-side of nuclear energy and nonproliferation have in their technical knowledge and prepared materials for us. They made more complicated aspects, such as nuclear reactor physics, more manageable and understandable. Their demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on activities helped me leave feeling more confident in my understanding of the topic.
We ended the program in Vienna, Austria, and in between admiring the cool architecture and busy streets, we attended lectures with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It was truly amazing to visit their offices and be surrounded by people from so many different cultures and perspectives. During our meetings with these organizations, we learned about potential opportunities for internships and jobs in the field and received advice for how to make ourselves better candidates for these roles. These experiences helped provide me with a better understanding of my next steps towards working in nuclear nonproliferation and gave me ideas for what sort of roles I want to work in.
This experiential learning course was amazing. In addition to Prague and Vienna being gorgeous places to visit, the depth of knowledge and understanding I gained from this are invaluable and irreplaceable. I fully recommend that any NPTS student looking for more technical knowledge and hands-on experience apply [this global course occurs every January]. It was a wonderful way to apply what I have learned in my courses to real-life situations and places.