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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
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September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Copper melting behavior at extreme temperatures could inform fusion materials
Using SLAC’s electron camera, researchers recorded timestamps of solid copper atoms (orange) as they melted (yellow) after being blasted with laser heat. This graphic shows how copper atoms changed over a period of several femtoseconds (millionths of a billionth of a second), notated here as fractions of a picosecond. Instead of the predicted collapse, the researchers saw a gradual melting. (Image: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has announced researchers have conducted experiments testing how copper melts under extreme conditions, such as those it might be exposed to in a fusion machine. The results, published in Nature Communications, found that a copper thin film was more resilient to melting than models had predicted, uncovering molecular dynamics that had been missing from calculations.
“These results greatly improve the simulations we use to predict which materials have the best shot at surviving the extreme conditions of future fusion reaction chambers,” said Mianzhen Mo, the SLAC staff scientist who led the research.
A Message from the Honors and Awards Chair
Nominations for the 2026 Winter Conference and Expo awards are now being accepted. Anyone can submit a nomination however, nominations from ANS Members are especially solicited since volunteer leaders are often in an ideal position to evaluate the contributions of potential nominees. Self-nomination is not permitted.
We urge you to submit a nomination if you know a deserving professional who is eligible and qualified in one of the fields served by the Society. Your nomination of highly qualified individuals is the key step in recognizing their contributions and ensuring that the ANS Honors and Awards program is aware of their achievements.
We look forward to receiving your nominations for highly qualified colleagues. Please click on the links below to learn more about each award, access nomination forms, and review past recipients. If you have any questions about a specific award, please contact honors@ans.org.
Sincerely,
H.M. Hashemian, PhDChair. Honors and Awards Committee
National Awards
Division Administered Awards
