In the 1960s and 70s, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were pushing the boundaries of nuclear weapons technology. But these breakthroughs came with a daunting question: Now that nuclear technologies existed, how could the world manage their risks and keep people safe?

Enter NARAC, the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center. Built on Livermore’s expertise in nuclear physics and supercomputing, NARAC was created to predict the spread of hazardous materials in the atmosphere during emergencies. From Chernobyl to Fukushima to Three Mile Island, NARAC’s scientists have worked on some of the hardest problems of our time—helping to assess risks, save lives, and inform critical decisions.

This episode dives into the origins of NARAC, its groundbreaking mission, and how it continues to prepare for the unthinkable.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series.

Executive Produced and Written by Lacey Peace.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle.

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle.

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell.

Narrated by Matthew Powell.

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance):

• John Nasstrom, Chief Scientist for NARAC at LLNL
• Lydia Tai, Health Physicist at LLNL
• Lee Glascoe, Program Leader at LLNL for the Nuclear Emergency Support Team
• Katie Lundquist, Model Development Lead for NARAC at LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.