Aug 12, 2025
Masako Toki
On August 1, 2025, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) hosted its annual Pattison Event, bringing together the 2025 CNS Summer Undergraduate Nonproliferation Fellows, CNS staff and faculty, and long-term major program supporters Sarah and Tom Pattison. The afternoon program showcased the fellows’ original research on pressing nonproliferation, counterproliferation, and disarmament issues, followed by engaging discussions and a celebratory closing.
The event began with informal lunch conversations, giving the fellows an opportunity to share their experiences and career aspirations with the Pattisons. The formal program opened with remarks by CNS Senior Project Manager Masako Toki, followed by a welcome from Dr. Jeff Dayton-Johnson, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Middlebury Institute. CNS Founding Director Dr. William Potter then introduced the Pattisons, who expressed their admiration for the fellows’ dedication and intellectual rigor in addressing some of the most urgent global security challenges. They also underscored the important role that civil society members and youth can play in the field of nuclear disarmament. Joining virtually from Vermont, Middlebury College Provost Dr. Michelle McCauley offered a warm welcome and words of encouragement.
Over the course of the afternoon, eleven fellows presented their summer research projects, reflecting the breadth and depth of the program. Several focused on nuclear challenges in the Middle East, including evolving Israeli preemptive strategies, the ethics of U.S. and Israeli counterproliferation operations, and technical estimates of Iranian missile production capacity. Others examined nuclear weapons doctrines and policies, from Russian strategic deterrence to debates over France’s nuclear role in Europe. Additional projects explored NATO nuclear hosting narratives in Germany and Belgium, Japan’s potential endorsement of a U.S. No First Use policy, and the use of rhetorical signaling by non-nuclear states to influence alliance dynamics. One fellow addressed emerging risks from dual-use biotechnologies, while others examined enduring technical and policy challenges such as siting permanent nuclear waste repositories. Across these diverse topics, many projects grappled with how military actions, alliance politics, and technological change are reshaping nonproliferation norms worldwide. For the full set of fellows’ presentation slides, please visit this page.
Summer Fellows Presenting Researches
The audience engaged the fellows in dynamic Q&A sessions after each group of presentations, exploring the policy implications of their findings and the innovative methodologies they employed. Discussions highlighted the interconnected nature of nuclear policy, regional security dynamics, and emerging technologies.
The program concluded with a closing ceremony recognizing the fellows’ hard work and the contributions of the Pattisons in making the Summer Undergraduate Fellowship possible. The event underscored the program’s role in cultivating the next generation of nonproliferation experts—individuals equipped not only with rigorous analytical skills, but also with a deep commitment to reducing global nuclear dangers.
Summer Fellows at Award Ceremony
Acknowledgments
The 2025 program is generously supported by the Tom and Sarah Pattison Fund and the Middlebury College Office of the Provost. For more information about the Summer Undergraduate Nonproliferation Fellowship Program, please visit the project website. For further inquiries, you may also contact CNS Senior Project Manager Masako Toki.