ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Sep 2025
Jan 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
To assist members with their outreach efforts, ANS offers a range of materials including Source Energy Equivalent fuel pellet cards, career brochures, fact-based nuclear science and technology hand-outs, and more. And be sure to check out our Nuclear Ambassadors program, which provides free outreach training and custom resources like PowerPoint presentations.
Contact askanything@ans.org for more information.
ANS aims to engage the general public in the conversation about nuclear. By organizing active outreach and public education events throughout the country, our members can enhance our mission with a unified voice.
What we support
ANS brings together a state-of-the-art curriculum, Navigating Nuclear, some of the country's most qualified nuclear experts, and a suite of virtual and in-person experiences to drive a national expansion of K-12 nuclear science and technology education.
Engineers Week (fourth week of February) is a time to celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world, Increase public dialogue about the need for engineers, and bring engineering to life for kids, educators, and parents.
Nuclear Science Week (NSW, third week of October) is an international, broadly observed week-long celebration to focus interest on all aspects of nuclear science. ANS has partnered with the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History to promote this important initiative.
Last modified March 19, 2024, 3:34pm CDT
