Saturday, April 26, 2025

Lynda Williams (The Physics Chanteuse) Wikipedia Page

Lynda Williams is an American physicist, singer, writer, and activist known for blending science,
music, satire, and performance art. She created and popularized the persona The Physics Chanteuse in the 1990s, developing a unique genre of science cabaret combining physics, politics, and entertainment. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, CERN Courier, Physics World, Physics Today, and People Magazine. Williams is also an outspoken advocate for nuclear disarmament, environmental protection, space ecology, and STEM #MeToo activism. [1][2][3][4][5] [6]

Early Life and Education

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Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Auburn, California. Williams' sister was actress Bergen Williams, known for her role as Big Alice on the soap opera General Hospital. Lynda pursued an early love of performance, producing her first theatrical show in seventh grade and later competitively dancing at local clubs during her teenage years. Originally majoring in political science and journalism, she developed a strong interest in physics and astronomy after watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos and attending her first planetarium show. Inspired by Helen Caldicott’s anti-nuclear activism, Williams changed her academic focus and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at California State University, Sacramento (1987), with a minor in Physics. She later completed a Master of Science in Physics at San Francisco State University (1996).

Early Career and Performance Art

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Before launching her science cabaret career, Williams produced and performed in a series of multimedia and experimental theater works. These include:

  • The Go-Go Show (1986), a multimedia performance staged at Sanctuary nightclub and broadcast on Sacramento community television.
  • The Birth of Venus (1987), a multimedia science fantasy musical co-produced with Marco Fuoco, supported by a Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission grant.
  • UniLang (1988–1989), a two-woman street performance and gallery show written and performed with Pamela Consulo, staged in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Sacramento.
  • Rawar (1989), a solo show performed at Gallery So To Do in Berlin and Amsterdam during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
  • CyberStein (1991), an interactive, nonlinear movie and multimedia installation co-produced with Christopher Seguine, starring Bergen Williams.

Williams served as Assistant Manager of the New Genre Department at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1989 to 1992, overseeing video and digital production facilities and supporting student media projects before returning to graduate school in physics.

While in graduate school at San Francisco State University, Williams debuted her first science-themed stage production, Cosmic Cabaret, blending physics concepts with theatrical performance. The show combined original music, multimedia visuals, and science communication, laying the foundation for her later creation of The Physics Chanteuse.

Creation of The Physics Chanteuse

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While pursuing her Ph.D. studies in physics education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Williams developed the character The Physics Chanteuse in 1996 while attending an American Physical Society conference. She premiered the act at the Midwest Solid State Conference in October 1996, producing and performing custom science cabaret songs for attendees on topics in solid state physics. Building on her earlier experience producing Cosmic Cabaret at San Francisco State University, Williams created a new approach to science communication through original music, satire, and multimedia performance geared toward professional scientific audiences.

She subsequently performed at the United States Particle Accelerator School at UC Berkeley (1997), which led to a feature in Physics Today (March 1997). Her performances combined original science songs, parodies, multimedia projections, and live banter, targeting academic and conference audiences with insider humor and advanced scientific content.

Williams' work is recognized as one of the earliest and most influential examples of science cabaret as an artistic genre.

Major Performances and Appearances

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Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Williams performed widely as The Physics Chanteuse at scientific conferences, academic gatherings, and international events, including:

  • APS Particle Accelerator Conference, Vancouver
  • IEEE International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors
  • Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun Conference (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
  • AAPT National Conferences (New Orleans 1998, Sacramento 2004)
  • American Geophysical Union Meetings (2006, 2007)
  • CERN (Geneva) world premiere of Maxwell's Equations (1999)
  • Swedish Science Festival (Stockholm)
  • INSAP IV (International Conference on the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena, Palermo, Italy)
  • KipFest at Caltech (1999–2000) honoring Kip Thorne
  • Stephen Hawking’s 60th birthday celebration at Caltech (public event and private party, 2011)

Williams also appeared on major media platforms including Good Morning America, To Tell the Truth (TV game show), NPR, CBS Radio, and numerous print publications.

Science Communication and Activism

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In addition to performance, Williams has been an active science communicator, educator, and activist for more than 30 years. Her projects include:

  • Teaching physics and astronomy at San Francisco State University and Santa Rosa Junior College (2002–2022).
  • Producing planetarium shows such as Starship Earth: The Search for Life (2007) and Starship Earth: Future Evolution (2007).
  • Advocating for women, LGBTQ+, and minority inclusion in STEM fields, running organizations such as Women in Physics (WIP) and delivering talks like Beating the Odds: Women in Science.
  • STEM #MeToo activism, authoring the memoir-essay #AstroSH: Geoff Marcy and the Physics Showgirl in 2016.
  • Environmental and anti-nuclear activism, writing extensively on the risks of nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, space militarization, and environmental threats from corporate space ventures.
  • Opposing the Homeland Defense Radar – Hawaiʻi project, helping halt a major military radar installation.
  • Campaigning against SpaceX's plans to conduct ocean splashdowns near Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Selected Performances

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  • 1986 The Go-Go Show, Sanctuary nightclub and Sacramento community TV
  • 1987 The Birth of Venus, Sacramento
  • 1988–1989 UniLang, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin
  • 1989 Rawar, Berlin, Amsterdam
  • 1991 CyberStein, Climate Theater, San Francisco
  • 1995 Cosmic Cabaret, Climate Theater premiere
  • 1996 Midwest Solid State Conference, University of Nebraska
  • 1997 United States Particle Accelerator School, UC Berkeley
  • 1999 CERN world premiere of Maxwell's Equations
  • 1999 KipFest at Caltech
  • 2001 INSAP IV, Palermo
  • 2004 AAPT National Conference, Sacramento
  • 2006–2007 AGU Banquets, San Francisco
  • 2010 American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting
  • 2011 Stephen Hawking's 60th Birthday Party, Pasadena
  • 2025 Atomic Cabaret UK/European Tour (planned)

Selected Works

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Music and Albums

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  • Cosmic Cabaret (2000, album)
  • Parody Violation (1999, parody album)
  • Maxwell's Equations (1996, educational physics album)

Selected Songs

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  • "Big Bang"
  • "Black Hole Disco"
  • "Lovon Boson"
  • "Touch This" (MC Hammer parody inspired by Paul Hewitt)
  • "Carbon is a Girl's Best Friend" (solid-state physics parody)
  • "Supersymmetry"
  • "The Quark Song"
  • "Kip Warp" (written for KipFest and Stephen Hawking’s party)
  • "War in Heaven" (anti-space-war parody)
  • "US Out of UK" (peace activism song for Lakenheath Alliance, 2025)

Video Projects

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  • The Go-Go Show (video, 1986)
  • CyberStein (interactive nonlinear film, 1991)
  • "Forensic Entomology Song" (produced for AAFS, 2010)
  • US Out of UK (music video, 2025)
  • "Freaky Wave" (PBS GED educational song)

Selected Writings and Publications

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Published Journalism (Major Outlets)

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  • "Nuclear Threat Beneath the Seas" — Popular Resistance
  • "Nuclear Propaganda Exposed" — CounterPunch
  • "Public Should Weigh In on SpaceX’s Plans To Splash Down Near Hawaiʻi" — Civil Beat
  • "Homeland Defense Radar Will Not Protect Hawaiʻi" — Civil Beat
  • "Nuclear Power Will Not Solve Climate Change" — Common Dreams
  • "Missile Defense Boondoggle" — OpEdNews
  • "Billion Dollar Expansion of Missile Defense in Hawaiʻi" — Medium
  • "SpaceX Wants To Increase Launches Without Full Environmental Review" — CounterPunch
  • "Island Voices: Hawaiʻi Needs Input on SpaceX Ocean-Landing Plans" — Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Space Ecology and Environmental Essays

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  • "Space Ecology: The Final Frontier of Environmentalism" — Natural Living Magazine (2008) (blog post)
  • "Irrational Dreams of Space Colonization" — Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice (2010) (blog post)
  • "U.S. Gold Rush in Space" — Space Alert! (2016) (blog post)

Personal Essays

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"#AstroSH: Geoff Marcy and the Physics Showgirl" (2016) (blog post) [7] [8] [9] [10]

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/19/science/conversation-with-lynda-jeanne-williams-come-cosmic-cabaret-with-physics.html
  2. ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-30-ca-8497-story.html
  3. ^ https://www.wired.com/2008/02/astronomers-are-easygoing-says-physics-chanteuse/
  4. ^ People Magazine, November 2, 1998, "Songbird of Science" (no live link)
  5. ^ https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/58/7/54/406860/A-physics-songbag
  6. ^ People Magazine, November 2, 1998, "Williams Puts the Fizz Back in Physics," scan available.
  7. ^ https://popularresistance.org/nuclear-threat-beneath-the-seas/
  8. ^ https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/11/20/nuclear-propaganda-exposed/
  9. ^ https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/01/public-should-weigh-in-on-spacexs-plans-to-splash-down-near-hawai%CA%BBi/
  10. ^ https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/11/20/nuclear-propaganda-exposed/
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Thursday, April 24, 2025

 

Nuclear Threat Beneath the Seas: The Rising Danger of the Global Submarine Nuclear Arms Race

By Lynda Williams

Published in https://popularresistance.org/nuclear-threat-beneath-the-seas/

Right now, beneath the world’s oceans, approximately 30 nuclear-armed submarines patrol silently, virtually undetectable. These submarines represent humanity’s deadliest doomsday machines: stealthy, always on alert, and capable of launching thousands of nuclear warheads at a moment’s notice. At any given time, an estimated 10 to 15 of them are deployed, carrying roughly 500 to 900 warheads—enough to kill hundreds of millions and trigger a nuclear winter with potentially irreversible global consequences. With this capacity to destroy life on Earth many times over, the world’s nuclear states aren’t scaling back — they’re building more, pushing the Doomsday Clock ever closer to midnight.

The Current and Growing Nuclear Submarine Global Arsenal

Six nations currently operate nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), nuclear-powered vessels designed to launch ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads from beneath the sea, each with the kill power of thousands of Hiroshima bombs. The United States and Russia maintain the largest fleets, each fielding more than a dozen SSBNs capable of carrying hundreds of warheads, with several submarines on constant patrol. China, the United Kingdom, and France operate smaller fleets of four to six submarines, keeping at least one deployed at all times. India, a more recent entrant, has one operational nuclear-armed submarine with more in development. The cost of building and maintaining these underwater arsenals is estimated at $300–400 billion. Together, the current global fleet of about 40 SSBNs carries over 1,500 nuclear warheads—enough destructive power to kill hundreds of millions within hours and trigger a nuclear winter that could collapse the Earth’s biosphere. 


All six nations are now developing next-generation nuclear-armed submarines: the Columbia-class in the U.S., the Dreadnought in the UK, the SNLE 3G in France, the Type 096 in China, successors to the Arihant in India, and the Borei-A in Russia—at a collective cost of hundreds of billions of dollars. The other three nuclear-armed states—Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea—do not currently operate nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, though all three are exploring submarine-based nuclear delivery systems to varying degrees.



The US Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Tennessee. Credit: US Navy



New Nuclear Arms Race Under the Sea 


On March 20, 2025, the United Kingdom formally began construction of its new Dreadnought-class nuclear submarine at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presided over the ceremonial blessing, praising the program as essential for national security. Outside the shipyard, members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) protested the event, condemning the Dreadnought program as a reckless escalation of the global nuclear arms race. The Dreadnought will replace the UK’s aging Vanguard-class submarines and carry Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, each capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads with enormous destructive potential.

CND protests outside the BAE Shipyard, Barrow-in-Furness, Saturday, 22 March. Credit: CND


Although the submarines are built in England, they are based in Scotland, at HMNB Clyde (Faslane)—the home port of the UK’s entire nuclear-armed submarine fleet. Opposition to Trident is strongest in Scotland, where public opinion and the Scottish Parliament have consistently rejected nuclear weapons. Scottish CND, the country’s leading anti-nuclear organization, has organized decades of protests at Faslane, calling for disarmament and the removal of Trident from Scottish waters. For many Scots, the continued deployment of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil—against the will of its people—is not only a democratic violation but a threat to their safety and sovereignty. The issue remains a central point of tension in the ongoing debate over Scottish independence. For many Scots, the continued deployment of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil—against the will of its people—is not only a democratic violation but a threat to their safety and sovereignty. 

Meanwhile in the Pacific, the United States is dramatically expanding its nuclear infrastructure at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawai‘i. A $3.4 billion construction project is underway to build Dry Dock 5, which for the first time will enable Hawai‘i to host and service the Navy’s nuclear-armed submarines. Specifically designed for the maintenance and deployment of the next-generation Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines—the largest and most heavily armed submarines ever built by the U.S.—this marks a dangerous turning point for the islands, transforming Hawai‘i into an active nuclear-weapons port. This escalation is part of the Pentagon’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific region, aimed largely at countering China’s growing military presence. Critics warn this development will not enhance Hawai‘i’s security; instead, it will place residents, ecosystems, and future generations in direct danger by turning the islands into a priority target in any potential nuclear conflict.

Housing nuclear submarines does not enhance security—it increases risk. These vessels carry dozens of thermonuclear warheads, and their presence in densely populated areas like Faslane and Pearl Harbor makes those regions high-priority targets in any potential conflict. But that’s not the only danger. Accidents happen. Fires, collisions, and onboard system failures have occurred repeatedly in the history of nuclear naval operations. A torpedo strike or serious malfunction involving a fully armed Columbia-class SSBN near Pearl Harbor could release catastrophic amounts of radiation into the ocean, contaminate marine ecosystems, and render parts of the island uninhabitable for generations.

Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono signs her name on a pile at the Dry Dock 5 Anchoring Ceremony, March 24, 2024.  Photo by Justice Vannatta

Current Ports for US Nuclear-Armed Submarines, Expansions & Resistance

The U.S. Navy currently houses its nuclear-armed Ohio-class submarines at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia. In preparation for the arrival of the Columbia-class submarines, the Navy is expanding these facilities, including significant upgrades at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to accommodate the larger submarines. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is also undergoing extensive modifications, set to be completed by 2028. These expansions are part of the ongoing effort to bolster the U.S. nuclear arsenal—an approach that increases global risk, while the argument for nuclear deterrence remains a dangerous, outdated belief that only exacerbates global instability.

The Environmental Cost of Stealth: Active Sonar Assault on Marine Life

Nuclear submarines are engineered to be nearly undetectable—silent, mobile, and invisible to satellites and radar. This stealth makes them the most prized assets of nuclear deterrence strategy, designed to guarantee a second-strike capability even if a country’s land-based forces are destroyed. But their very elusiveness has triggered a massive and expanding global network of submarine detection systems composed primarily of sonar—Sound Navigation and Ranging—which floods the oceans with high-intensity sound waves and has a devastating impact on marine life.

Credit: NOAA FIsheries 

To track nuclear-armed submarines, nations have constructed vast undersea surveillance systems. The United States, Russia, China, and NATO allies operate continuous detection efforts across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, relying on networks of fixed sonar arrays, underwater drones, mobile surveillance ships, and anti-submarine aircraft. These systems—particularly those using active sonar, which emits powerful blasts of sound—flood the oceans with intense noise. These pulses bounce off underwater objects and return to the detector, allowing operators to locate submarines through echolocation. But they also bounce marine mammals like whales and dolphins, potentially causing damage to their hearing, impairing their ability to navigate, and in some cases, leading to death. Scientific studies have linked active sonar to mass strandings, behavioral changes, and hearing loss. Environmental organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, warn that submarine detection efforts pose “a hidden but severe environmental threat to marine life.” The Natural Resources Defense Council has challenged military sonar in court, while Greenpeace’s Defending Our Oceans campaign has called for an end to sonar use in sensitive marine habitats.

The Nuclear Triad and the Arms Race

Nuclear-armed submarines represent one leg of the nuclear triad, alongside land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and strategic bombers like the B-52 and the new B-21 Raider. Together, these three delivery systems sustain a global arsenal of over 13,000 nuclear warheads owned by nine countries, including Russia (5,889), the U.S. (5,244), and China (410) (SIPRI). The global nuclear arsenal, with the combined destructive power of 417,067 Hiroshima bombs, could cause 58.4 billion deaths—more than seven times the current global population—demonstrating the staggering overkill potential of the triad. This estimate is based on the average number of casualties from the 15-kiloton Hiroshima bomb (approximately 140,000 deaths), assuming similar effects from modern nuclear warheads.

The Nuclear Triad: 1. B-52 nuclear bomber (top), 2. Land-based Minuteman III ICBM (lower right) Source: U.S. Air Force; 3. Trident II SLBMs on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (lower left). Source: U.S. Navy.

The United States alone is investing $1.7 trillion in its Nuclear Modernization Plan., which includes new Columbia-class submarines, Sentinel ICBMs, and the B-21 Raider bombers, along with new or upgraded warheads. The cost of maintaining and modernizing nuclear arsenals is astronomical. Since the Manhattan Project in 1942, the U.S. has spent over $10 trillion (adjusted for inflation) on nuclear weapons development, maintenance, and cleanup (Brookings Institution). Globally, estimates suggest that over $20 trillion has been spent on nuclear weapons programs in the last 80 years.

The return of Donald Trump to the presidency has intensified global tensions, particularly within NATO and in conflict zones like Ukraine and Gaza. His threats to withdraw U.S. support for NATO and end military aid to Ukraine have destabilized European security, prompting some leaders to consider expanding their own nuclear arsenals  (The Guardian). The Doomsday Clock was moved to 89 seconds to midnight in January 2025—the closest it has ever been. As the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warns:

“Continuing on the current trajectory is nothing less than a form of madness.” Without urgent action through disarmament, diplomacy, and arms control, humanity risks slipping beyond the point of no return.



Rising Tide of Resistance

The resistance to these doomsday ships has been long and ongoing, with local groups such as Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in Bremerton, Washington, and the Kings Bay Plowshares in St. Marys, Georgia, actively opposing the operations of nuclear-armed submarine bases. Ground Zero, established in 1977 adjacent to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, engages in peaceful protests and civil disobedience to challenge the presence of nuclear weapons in their community. Similarly, the Kings Bay Plowshares, a group of seven Catholic peace activists, gained attention for their 2018 action at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, where they symbolically disarmed nuclear weapons to protest their existence. In response to escalating dangers posed by the expanding submarine nuclear arms race, a growing global movement is demanding disarmament. Organizations like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in the UK, Veterans For Peace in the U.S., the Australian Anti-AUKUS Coalition, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) are mobilizing to oppose the new nuclear arms race and advocate for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). As Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright of Veterans For Peace recently stated:

“The bottom line on nuclear weapons is that it will take only one nuke to kill us all! If any nation fires just one nuclear weapon at any target, then the U.S. and Russia will respond thinking the next nuke might be coming toward them. And that one nuke will trigger a nuclear weapons exchange that will be the end of our planet as we now know it.”

In April 2025, the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace is organizing a Peace Camp at RAF Lakenheath. This camp aims to protest the proposed return of U.S. nuclear weapons, specifically the B61-12 bombs, to the base. Echoing sentiments from the historic Greenham Common protests, the camp will feature workshops, vigils, and nonviolent direct actions. Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND, echoed this urgency during the protest at Barrow-in-Furness on March 20, 2025:

“Nuclear weapons do not make us safe. In fact, they are weapons of mass destruction that put us all at risk of annihilation. Britain should be leading the way towards disarmament, not escalating this deadly arms race.”

Protestors at Pearl Harbor during Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s March Visit. Image Credit Laulani Teal

According to Laulani Teale, coordinator of Hoʻopae Pono Peace Project in Hawaii,

“The construction of a war dock for nuclear submarines in the very home of our sacred shark goddess, Ka’ahupahau, who is the protector of O’ahu and the keeper of peace itself, should not be acceptable to anyone. It is time to end colonialism everywhere, before we all die of it.”

As we mark the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this is a pivotal moment for global action. These groups are calling for renewed international pressure, public education, and grassroots mobilization. The risks we face are immense, but so too is the potential for a unified global movement to prevent catastrophe.


Lynda Williams is a physicist, performance artist and activist based in Hilo, Hawaii. More of her reporting here. https://lyndalovon.blogspot.com/ Lynda is going on tour this summer in the UK with her one woman show ATOMIC CABARET commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the US Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 
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