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Twelve Thousand Bombs: Nuclear Winter with Dr. Lili Xia
Tuesday, September 24 , 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CDT
The Twelve Thousand Bombs seminar series on nuclear weapons will continue this fall with four eminent scholars and public figures speaking at ISU. The series, sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, was inaugurated in 2023 and aims to raise awareness of nuclear weapons issues in the Bloomington-Normal community.
“Nuclear weapons will be on everyone’s radar this election cycle as Americans assess the fitness of the candidates to exercise the president’s nuclear authority,” according to Dr. Matt Caplan, the series organizer and professor in the ISU physics department. “With the U.S. preparing to spend $1.5 trillion modernizing its arsenal, nuclear weapons policy may be a defining feature of the next president’s administration. This is not an issue that can be overlooked this election.”
Dr. Lili Xia—Assistant Research Professor, Rutgers University
Professor Xia is a climatologist studying the impact that nuclear war would have on the global climate, and how atmospheric aerosols produced by a nuclear war can initiate a “nuclear winter.” Her 2022 Nature Food article shows how even a “small” nuclear war between nations like India and Pakistan can cool the planet enough to cause a global famine lasting years, potentially killing billions.
