FINDING THE BALANCE:
National Security and Scientific Openness

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

National Academy of Sciences
Auditorium
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 1999
NAS Auditorium

8:15 a.m. REGISTRATION

9:00 WELCOMING REMARKS

9:15 RISKS AND BENEFITS OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

[This talk will present the broad themes that underpin the specific issues to be addressed during the symposium.]

9:45 THE NATIONAL LABORATORIES TODAY: NEW CHALLENGES AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES

[This talk will provide a factual context for the discussions by reviewing the types of work now done by the labs, and their conversion and diversification efforts since the end of the Cold War. The speaker will introduce three types of programs undertaken at national labs today, each of which involves international collaboration, but also poses somewhat different potential risks: general scientific research; research directly related to nuclear weapons; and targeted programs serving nonproliferation and arms control policy.]

10:30 BREAK

11:00 PANEL 1: BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AT THE LABS
(20-minute presentations, followed by discussion)

[Speakers will highlight major science programs at the labs that depend on international links and the contributions of foreign scientists. Presentations will include a range of activities from different fields, such as the energy research, high performance computing, biophysics and human genome, and environmental sciences.]

12:30 p.m. LUNCH

1:30 PANEL 2: RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS RELATED TO NATIONAL SECURITY
(20-minute presentations, followed by discussion)

[Speakers will address (1) the specific needs for international contacts of scientists dedicated to maintaining a robust U.S. nuclear weapons capability and (2) programs at the labs that, in support of nonproliferation and arms control, are dedicated to and designed for contact with scientists from sensitive countries. Potential topics include fundamental research tied to weapons programs, Stockpile Stewardship, Sandia's Cooperative Monitoring Center, the Russian lab-to-lab activities for nuclear and biological weapons, and the China lab-to-lab program.]

3:00 BREAK

3:30 PANEL 3: THE CURRENT CHALLENGE -- ENSURING SECURITY AT THE DOE LABORATORIES
(20- to 30-minute presentations, followed by discussion)

[Speakers will review the major recommendations of recent reviews of security at the DOE laboratories, such as the Cox Committee report, the Intelligence Community damage assessment, the PFIAB/Rudman report, and the SEAB foreign visitors program panel report. The purpose is to highlight those areas where changes in policy and practice would affect international contacts by the DOE laboratories.]

5:00 ADJOURN


TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1999
NAS Auditorium

8:15 a.m. REGISTRATION

9:00 PANEL 4: POLICY OPTIONS -- MAXIMIZING SECURITY BY BALANCING SECRECY AND OPENNESS (three to four 20-minute presentations)

[Speakers reflecting a range of views will assess the specific policies in place or being proposed to improve security at DOE's labs that would affect international contacts and cooperation. This panel and the discussion that follows will be a primary input into the steering committee's deliberations.]

10:30 BREAK

11:00 PUBLIC COMMENT AND DISCUSSION WITH THE PANEL

12:00 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS

12:15 ADJOURN