Elliott 360 – Page 14

February 1, 2018March 7, 2018

Sharon Squassoni Joins Elliott

IISTP Welcomes New Faculty

The Elliott School welcomes Sharon Squassoni, incoming research professor of practice at the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP). A former senior associate for nuclear policy programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Squassoni has advised Congress as a senior specialist in weapons of mass destruction at the Congressional Research Service. She has also served in nuclear nonproliferation and policy planning positions at the State Department and at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. As a member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board, Squassoni was recently in the news for her role in the Bulletin’s announcement that it has moved its Doomsday Clock to 2 minutes before midnight, citing North Korea’s recent missile tests and the world’s lack of progress in confronting climate change. In addition to her academic credentials, Squassoni is also an accomplished cyclist, musician, and long-time Ashtanga yoga teacher. Read more about Squassoni in a recent Q&A with the incoming professor.

Q: When did you start becoming interested in science?

A: I’m a political scientist who has always gravitated toward technical issues and always really enjoyed working with experts who had technical backgrounds. I’ve been fortunate to work with some terrific physicists, chemists and engineers for decades and more recently, on the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Q: What, from your perspective is the greatest short-term and long-term threat facing the US and/or the world?

A: I’ve devoted my professional life to reducing risks from nuclear weapons. Those pose some obvious short- and long-term threats to the future of humanity. I’d say, however, that the longer term threat really is from climate change. In addition, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and bioengineering will challenge our capacity to manage them in ways that we may not yet understand.

Q: In your your Twitter profile, you are a self-described mom, yogi, cyclist, and musician. Can you elaborate on some of your hobbies?

A: Yoga is a longtime habit and I’ve been teaching Ashtanga yoga for almost twenty years now. I’d have to say that my favorite poses generally find me upside down and balancing precariously. My favorite place to cycle on the road is out in the Maryland countryside but my true love is cyclocross. From September to December, you can find me at most cyclocross races within a 50-mile radius of DC. As for musical instruments, I play the flute and piano and a bunch of other things badly.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about working at GW?

A: I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and experience and research with students and other professors in the Institute and more broadly, within the Elliott School.

February 1, 2018March 6, 2018

GWU Climbs Kilimanjaro

Leaving on May 29th, 2018 and heading for the top.

Mount Kilimanaro — A group of George Washington University students are fundraising for a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, a mountain more than three-and-a-half miles tall in Tanzania. (Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

Eighteen students from George Washington University will be taking on the challenge of a lifetime: summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro and raising thousands of dollars for charity. Two Elliott School undergrads are among the group of 18: Casey Sajna, sophomore, international affairs and global public health, and Austin Simpson, freshman, international affairs.

Simpson, who is originally from Riverside , California, says he learned of the opportunity through a co-worker at an internship he held. “Kilimanjaro is one of the ‘Seven Summits’, the tallest peak on each one of the seven continents,” Simpson said. “It’s a right of passage that I’ve dreamed of accomplishing. When I found out that I could do it and give back to a charity, it seemed perfect,”

According to GW Team leader Phoebe Elizaga, a sophomore majoring in biology and chemistry, “the whole experience of getting a team together and fundraising with participants who are passionate and excited about the cause has been unreal so far.”

Casey Sajna, from Osceola, Wisconsin, has previous experience tackling high peaks. During a study-abroad experience in Switzerland, she went climbing in the Alps. Now, she is training for Kilimanjaro by “going to the gym and running to try and build up stamina….one thing that I learned from Switzerland is that just training to climb up is not enough. You need to train your muscles to be able to also go down the hill, I know personally; I was really hurting the next day since I had not strengthened those muscles as well!”

The Kilimanjaro journey is organized by Choose a Challenge, a UK-based student-charity-challenge company that each year takes some 1,500 young adults on expeditions, raising nearly $5 million annually for a wide variety of charities. The GW Team will be raising funds for The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation for childhood cancer. The foundation provides financial and emotional support to patients and families affected by childhood cancer and funds pediatric cancer research.

According to Elizaga, the combination of doing something personally challenging while simultaneously contributing positively to society makes this trip special. “Each and every donation we receive makes a positive impact on the lives of children with cancer. It will be amazing to know that once everyone reaches the fundraising goal, we will have made a tangible difference for those patients and families.” For more details about the GW group’s climb, check out their story on GW Today.

December 1, 2017March 6, 2018

Peace Institute Initiates Mentorship Program with Elliott School

The US Institute of Peace (USIP) selected five GW students, four from the Elliott School, to participate in a novel, year-long mentorship initiative. The students competed for the spots, including writing a 500-word essay in addition to providing their transcripts and resumes.

Founded in 1984 by Congress, USIP works towards a world without violent conflict by engaging with government leaders and grassroots organizations such as local NGOs. USIP projects involve some 50 countries afflicted by conflict.

USIP’s mentorship program helps individuals from diverse backgrounds break into the fields of conflict resolution and peacebuilding by pairing students directly with a USIP mentor.

USIP President Nancy Lindborg noted, “USIP is pleased to provide an opportunity for top graduate students to learn from seasoned professionals as an investment in future scholars and practitioners.”

“The program only began four weeks ago, yet I’ve already learned so much! Perhaps the most intriguing thing I’ve learned thus far is about a project my mentor contributes to in Colombia,” says Grayson Shor, an Elliott MA candidate. “The program uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to monitor various aspects of the FARC demilitarization and the government’s response. As I’ve worked on a similar project in Myanmar, my mentor and I geeked-out over the design and the likely impacts of the project by comparing similar situations between Colombia and Myanmar.”

Having the opportunity to take online courses through USIP has expanded Shor’s academic opportunities, as well, although he emphasizes the value of the person-to-person connection. “As I learned in my first USIP Global Campus online course, peacebuilding cannot simply be learned in the classroom. I hope to learn first-hand through attending events and meeting with my mentor to learn about USIP projects.”

How does Grayson rate his experience in the USIP mentorship initiative? “Ten out of ten!”