Brooke Morson was raised in Boston and attended Boston Latin School, the oldest public highschool in America. She is currently a Junior at Boston University studying International Relations with a focus in Environmental Sustainability and Development. The environment is something Brooke has been passionate about from a young age and has chosen to pursue her major to further climate engagement and education.Throughout college she has worked at Coughlin Betke, a Boston based larm firm, intending to pursue a legal degree to help implement climate policy with a solid foundation. Her major reflects her ambition to merge technology with climate policy, a future she intends to make a reality. Her studies are driven by her ambitions in form and educate people about the reality of climate change and potential solutions.
Blog
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Tallulah Lloyd, Grinnell College
Tallulah is a junior at Grinnell College double majoring in Economics and Biology. She is focused on using policy and science to find solutions to environmental crises, and she uses her majors to understand these issues from two different perspectives. She grew up in San Francisco, but spent third grade living in Costa Rica, which sparked her fascination with nature. Tallulah has worked on a variety of environmental issues in Uganda, Mexico and the US. She is also part Grinnell’s Student Environmental Committee. She is excited to join ACE because she believes access to clear, unbiased policy information is important part of creating positive change. In her free time she loves to dance, backpack, make art, and do martial arts.
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Clarisse Goetzen, University of California-Davis
Clarisse Goetzen (she/her/hers) is originally from San Diego, California and is now a third-year Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning major at the University of California, Davis. Clarisse first began to recognize the importance of environmental conservation early in her childhood, and was always determined to one day make a real difference. While at UC Davis, she joined the student-run, nonprofit organization CalPIRG in order to protect environmental health via raising community awareness on bee-killing pesticides, fighting for reductions in single-use plastics, and encouraging students to vote. In her free time, Clarisse enjoys drawing, embroidery, and visiting her favorite thrift stores.
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Sarah Ganz, Kenyon College
Sarah Ganz (she/her/hers) is a Sophomore at Kenyon College studying Environmental Studies and Psychology. Her studies motivated her to get involved with environmental clubs and organizations on campus that focus on climate solutions, educating students about local environmental initiatives, making Kenyon a more sustainable campus, and promoting environmental justice. With ACE, Sarah hopes to research Environmental Policy regarding sustainability on college campuses, environmental justice and the burden BIPOC communities face in regards to climate change, and climate solutions on a local and national level. In her free time Sarah enjoys running, yoga, spending time with loved ones, and she is currently training for the 2021 Chicago Marathon.
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Grace Austin, Brown University
Senior Fellow; Co-Leader of Environmental Policy
Grace Austin grew up in Cambridge, MA and is now a rising sophomore at Brown University with the intention of double majoring in Environmental Studies and Public Policy. In an effort to increase transparency around students’ rights on campus, Grace has been an active member of the Brown ACLU, and now serves as secretary of the chapter. Outside of the academic sphere, Grace enjoys biking, playing frisbee, and attempting to cook.
While campaigning for candidates in the 2020 U.S. Senate and presidential elections, Grace recognized the importance of communicating about political issues in an approachable manner. Listening to voters’ stories directly motivated Grace to ensure she produces accessible, engaging research that reflects a variety of perspectives and addresses pressing issues.
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Heather Thomas, Temple University
Heather Thomas grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and is now a sophomore at Temple University majoring in criminal justice. She has a passion for criminal justice and human rights and hopes to pursue law school, particularly criminal law, after graduation. She is constantly educating herself about current and past political issues as they pertain to human rights through her academic work as well as reading nonfiction books. A part of the ACE team, she will tie in her passions of human rights and equality to inform and engage voters about how important it is to be politically involved and what policies are most important. In Heather’s free time, she loves listening to music, baking, and hanging out with friends. She is also a volunteer for the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society and is currently fostering a cat named Valerie!
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Elise Smith, Columbia University
Elise Smith (she/her/hers) is originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts, and is currently an undergraduate at Columbia University studying American Studies and Sociology. Elise is hoping to attend law school upon completion of her undergraduate degree. She is passionate about human rights and criminal justice reform, ending mass incarceration, advocating for sexual assault survivors, and many other social justice initiatives. Elise is a member of the women’s rowing team at Columbia University, as well as being a member of Columbia University Women in Law and Politics, and the Columbia Athletics Pre-Law Society. She is currently working as an intern at the Yellow Heart Committee, a non-profit organization that works to support the holistic healing of trauma survivors, specifically survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Outside of academics, she enjoys hiking, running, getting coffee with her friends, and going to the beach.
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Logan Brenan, George Washington University
Senior Fellow; Leader of Economic Policy, Criminal Justice, and Democratic Reforms
Logan Brenan was born and raised in Philadelphia before going to high school in the DC area. After becoming immersed in the politics and culture of the area, he decided to attend college in Washington, DC. Currently, Logan is a Sophomore at the George Washington University. He is majoring in political science and minoring in the Spanish language. For fun, he enjoys road trips, reading, and playing squash with friends.
Logan’s experience working in politics started in January 2018 when he joined a campaign for County Executive. The primary process was one of the most competitive elections Montgomery County had ever seen. Out of over 100,000 ballots cast, the campaign he worked for won by a 77 vote margin. The campaign went on to win the general election. This experience imprinted on Logan the importance of elections and local government.
Logan is focusing his ACE Fellow research on democratic reforms and voting rights.
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Introduction to Nuclear History & the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was the code name for the confidential American led effort to develop a nuclear weapon during the Second World War. The initiative was spurred by intelligence reports that Germany had been developing nuclear weapons since the 1930’s and that Hitler was prepared to use them against the Allies.
First convened in 1939, President Roosevelt created the Advisory Committee on Uranium as a science-leaning research center to study uranium enrichment and nuclear chain reactions. In response to Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Army Corps of Engineers was diverted to supplement this research and the ACU eventually became the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), which had a significantly more militaristic bent.
President Roosevelt authorized the creation of the Manhattan Project in 1942 to bring together the various research initiatives under one umbrella. This pulled in J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was a leading expert on nuclear fission. The name “Manhattan Project” came from the OSRD’s Manhattan Engineer District, named after the borough in which it was located.
Manhattan Project research was relocated to the secretive Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, the creation of which was known as Project Y. In 1945, the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated in the New Mexican desert in what was called the Trinity Test. Scientists working under Oppenheimer created two distinct types of bombs: a uranium-based gun-type design called “Little Boy” and a plutonium-based implosion bomb named “Fat Man.” The success of the Trinity Test led to nuclear weapons becoming part of the US strategy to win World War II.
Once it became clear that Germany was close to surrender, the US delivered an ultimatum to Japan at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction.” Since part of the terms of surrender included the formation of a new democratic government with no role for the Emperor, the proposal was rejected.
On August 6th, 1945, “Little Boy” was dropped over Hiroshima. Three days later, “Fat Man” was dropped over Nagasaki. The bombs killed over 100,000 people combined and levelled the cities to the ground. Some historians have theorized that a desire to test the implosion type design factored into the decision to drop a second bomb.
While the Manhattan Project was effectively shuttered with the end of World War II, various agencies and committees were created to apply Manhattan Project-era technologies to other fields. These include the Atomic Energy Commision, the Department of Energy, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.