Claire Nader (born July 18, 1928) is an American

social scientist Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

and a sister of

Ralph Ralph (pronounced or ) is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Old High German ''Radulf'', cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms are: * Ra ...

, Laura, and Shafeek Nader.Annie Birdsong
Ralph Nader's Childhood Roots
, Green Party of Ohio

Biography

She is a graduate of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

and holds a Ph.D. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, awarded by

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, Department of Public Law and Government. Her dissertation was entitled "American Natural Scientists in the Policy Process: Three Atomic Energy Issues and Their Foreign Policy Implications". In 1956, she became an instructor in the department of social sciences at New York City Community College. Next she served as a research assistant for the Council for Atomic Age Studies from 1961 to 1963. During the 1960s she worked with Alvin Weinberg at

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1943, the laboratory is sponsored by the United Sta ...

(ORNL), where she conducted

civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...

research related to the potential societal aftereffects of a

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...

attack. She was the first social scientist at ORNL, where she was director of Science in Society Studies in the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies from 1963–1966. After leaving ORNL she extended her interests and became known in community activist issues relating to corporate and government policies as they affect local communities. She served as a chairman of the board of directors of the

Council for Responsible Genetics The Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG) was a nonprofit NGO with a focus on biotechnology. History The Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An early voice concerned about the social and ethica ...

Board of Directors and Emeriti
, Council for Responsible Genetics website from 1994–1996, is a trustee of Safety Systems, and was an editor for Sage Publications. Nader is the President of the Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest which seeks to advance the ability of citizens to participate and shape the quality of democracy in their community.

Selected publications

* Claire Nader.
The Technical Expert in a Democracy
''

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...

'', May 1966. * Claire Nader (1968). "A Letter in Health Physics" in ''Health Physics'', Printed in Northern Ireland, Pergamon Press. Vol. 14, pp. 379–381. * Claire Nader (1969). Technical Experts in Developing Countries, i
Science and Technology in Developing Countries
eds. C. Nader and A. B. Zahlan. Cambridge University Press. * Claire Nader (1975)
The Dispute Over Safe Uses of X-Rays in Medical Practice
in "

Health Physics Health physics, also referred to as the science of radiation protection, is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards, while making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. H ...

" Vol. 29, No.1, pp. 181–206. * Claire Nader (September 1975). "The Need and Desirability for Problem-Focused Research on The Interrelationships Between Science and Technology and Values and Ethics" April 29, 1975. Also AAAS Interdisciplinary Workshop on the Interrelationships Between Science and Technology and Ethics and Values. * Claire Nader (1976). "The Energy of Waste and the Problem of Informed Choices," in ''Energy and the Environment Cost-Benefit Analysis'', R.A. Karam and K.Z. Morgan, eds. Energy – An International Jr. New York: Pergamon Press, pp. 625–629. * Claire Nader (1977). "Comment" in Toxic Substances and Trade Secrecy, Technical Information Project, Washington, D.C., pp. 63–66. * Claire Nader (June 1978). "Cultural Factors: Unresolved Issues in the Conflict Between Individual Freedom and Social Control" New York Academy of Sciences Conference on Public Control of Environmental Health Hazards. * Claire Nader (1979)
Controlling Environmental Health Hazards: Corporate Power, Individual Freedom and Social Control
''Annals of New York Academy of Sciences'', Volume 329, Public Control of Environmental Health Hazards. Pages 213–220, October 1979. * Claire Nader and Laura Nader (1985). A Wide Angle on Regulation, in ''Regulatory Policy and the Social Sciences'', R. Noll, ed. University of California Press, pp. 141–160. * Claire Nader (1986)
Technology and Democratic Control: The Case of Recombinant DNA
in ''The Gene Splicing Wars''. American Association for the Advancement of Science, eds., R.A. Zilinskas and B.K. Zimmerman, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. * Claire Nader (February 1989)
Changing the Way We Look at Science and Technology
in ''Politics and The Life Sciences'' Vol. 7, No. 2. * Claire Nader (2022). ''You Are Your Own Best Teacher! Sparking the Curiosity, Imagination, and Intellect of Tweens''. Washington, D.C.: Essential Books, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nader, Claire Living people Ralph Nader 1928 births American women political scientists American political scientists American people of Lebanese descent Place of birth missing (living people) People from Winsted, Connecticut People from Oak Ridge, Tennessee Smith College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Writers from Connecticut