UNM faculty featured in USA Today documentary on nuclear deterrence
October 26, 2026 - Carly Bowling
Two faculty members from The University of New Mexico were featured in the USA Today documentary, “Trust or security? The hidden cost of nuclear deterrence,” and the accompanying news story “Trinity test fallout haunts New Mexico as US expands nuclear plans.”
The documentary, produced by USA Today journalists Zulekha Nathoo and Lamar A. Salter, explores the impact of the Federal government’s push to modernize its nuclear stockpile by increasing plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The story features interviews with UNM's Carl Willis and Myrriah Gómez, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez, Tina Cordova of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium and Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch New Mexico. The video highlights the complex attitudes that exist surrounding the history, legacy, and economic impact of nuclear weapons in the state.
Carl Willis, a professor of practice and senior reactor operator in the School of Engineering’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, showed reporters UNM’s small nuclear reactor, which provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a safe and managed setting. He discussed nuclear technology and emphasized the importance of conducting rigorous science to understand the health and environmental impacts of any nuclear-related activities. Willis also explained that while perspectives on nuclear energy are often sorted into pro and anti stances, they can be much more dynamic, especially in a state so heavily impacted by nuclear legacy.
Myrriah Gómez is an associate professor in the Honors College, director of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, and the author of “Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos.” She provided historical context about the populations impacted locally by the Manhattan Project. Gómez explained that most of the people living near the project were Spanish and Tewa speakers, which helped those involved conceal its potential dangers from nearby communities. Her own grandfather worked as a laborer on site at the Manhattan Project, now Los Alamos National Laboratory, and later died of cancer. She said nuclear weapons have become ingrained in the state’s culture, due in part to the presence of two national laboratories.
The documentary can be viewed on YouTube or USAToday.com.
