Mercer Times

In 1974, Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs witnessed the launch of a program that would tackle some of the most pressing global issues relating to nuclear security. The Program on Science and Global Security (SGS) was founded that year as a response to the increasing global nuclear threat, following India's first nuclear weapons test, "Smiling Buddha." The program sought to address global nuclear arms control and advocate for the cessation of nuclear weapon development.

SGS has since engaged in extensive research, policy outreach, and education aimed at promoting a world free from nuclear arms. The program's impact spans multiple domains and stakeholders, including policymakers, activists, and the general public. It also remains deeply involved in guiding and shaping academic careers of countless Princeton students.

To mark half a century of these efforts, SGS will host an event featuring Frank von Hippel, one of its co-founders and a professor of public and international affairs emeritus. von Hippel, honored with the 2025 Göttingen Peace Prize, will discuss his memoir “Ending the Nuclear Arms Race: A Physicist’s Quest” at the event on 8th April. Registration for the event is open until March 24. As von Hippel reflected, his family history in nuclear policy and his experience at Stanford influenced his lifelong dedication to the field.

Co-founder Harold “Hal” Feiveson, alongside von Hippel, was also pivotal in the program's early advocacy work, which included mobilizing public scrutiny over U.S. nuclear policies. Their efforts stretched from supporting the Nuclear Freeze movement in 1982 to founding the peer-reviewed journal Science and Global Security in 1989.

The program's leadership has evolved, with direction initially shared by Feiveson and von Hippel until 2006, followed by Christopher Chyba until 2016. Zia Mian and Alexander Glaser currently co-direct SGS, continuing its legacy of impactful scholarship and outreach. Mian noted that SGS aims to engage with researchers, government officials, and nongovernmental organizations globally to inform nuclear policy and its implementation.

SGS has made significant strides in nuclear disarmament advocacy, in part through collaboration with Soviet scientists in the 1980s and its peace-focused initiatives in South Asia in the 1990s. Alexander Glaser and his students have also contributed to international accountability practices for nuclear disarmament through innovative research.

In recent years, SBS has expanded their approach by integrating storytelling and art into their methods. Collaborative films like “On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World)” explore nuclear threats in creative formats. This engagement with film and art follows SGS's mission to inform and educate on the critical issues of nuclear security.

"Plan A," an animated short developed by SGS, details potential impacts of nuclear conflict projections between major nuclear-armed states and reflects the program’s commitment to maintaining global awareness of these dangers.

The continued influence of SGS is amplified through its contributions to international treaties and partnerships, demonstrating the program's ongoing commitment to global nuclear security.

The upcoming SGS 50-year anniversary exhibition, “Close Encounters, Facing the Bomb in a New Nuclear Age,” further consolidates the program's role in confronting nuclear challenges through multidisciplinary approaches.