2007 Intern Spotlight: Nadine Abdallah

Nadine Abdallah

Name: Nadine Abdallah
Home Institution: Earlham College
Major: Biology

“Working at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies this summer has been a wonderful experience for me. Working at the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program, as well as having the opportunity to attend various lectures and seminars, has helped me further my knowledge and interest in topics of Non-Proliferation. Everyone I worked with in the office was great, and they were extremely friendly and helpful as I worked on my assigned project. My work consisted of participating in the planning for an exercise on health emergency response and preparedness for Monterey County, as well my main research project, which I started last summer, to map past Chemical Weapons dumping operations conducted since the First World War. I have learned so much through the research that I have done and the seminars I have attended, and even from informal conversations around the office and the Institute.

I very much enjoyed living in Monterey, a beautiful city full of history and great sites; although the weather was something I needed to adapt to, as I have never experienced cold summers before. My time here has taught me a lot, on more than an academic and educational level, and has even sparked my interest in possibly pursuing a graduate degree here at MIIS. The idea of having a center dedicated to educating and spreading awareness and pursuing non-proliferation is very admirable, idealistic, yet unfortunately quite rare. It would be great to see this mission grow and spread across more places, and even though the situation in our world today may seem quite grim, there are many people who want to take part in this effort and make a difference. This fellowship has been a wonderful opportunity for me, and I would definitely recommend this program to future applicants.”