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Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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!
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Latest News
NWMO chooses vendors for Canadian repository
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization has selected five companies it is to work with to design and plan the organization’s proposed deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel. As the owner of the project, the NWMO will be working with WSP Canada, Peter Kiewit Sons (Kiewit), Hatch Ltd., Thyssen Mining Construction of Canada, and Kinectrics.
Dr. E. Gail de Planque made many contributions to the nuclear industry and was a pioneer for women in the nuclear professional. She joined ANS in 1971 and was the first female ANS President. As an internationally renowned expert in environmental radiation, she was also the first woman to serve as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Dr. de Planque was born on January 15, 1945. In 1967, she joined the Department of Energy’s Environmental Measurements Laboratory as a physicist in the radiation Physics Division. She served as deputy director of the laboratory from 1982 to 1987 and then as director until 1991, when President George H.W. Bush appointed her as NRC Commissioner, a position she held until 1995.
Positions that she held later in her career included director at the Energy Strategists Consultancy and president of the consulting firm Strategy Matters from 2000 to 2010. She also served as a director on the boards of several corporations including Northeast Utilities, Energy Solutions, and British Nuclear Fuels. Dr. de Planque was also an advisor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In addition she was a past president of the Pacific Nuclear Council and the International Nuclear Societies Council, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
Dr. de Planque earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Immaculata College in 1967, a master’s degree in physics from Newark College of Engineering in 1973, and a doctorate in environmental health sciences from New York University in 1983.
She was honored with several awards for her varied contributions, including writing more than 70 scientific publications, giving numerous international lectures on science and policy issues, and her leadership in the development of international standards related to thermoluminescent dosimeter. Some of the awards include the 2003 Henry E. DeWolf Smyth Nuclear Statesman Award, presented by ANS and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in recognitions for her distinguished service in multiple sectors of the nuclear enterprise. She was also an ANS Fellow.
Dr. Gail de Planque passed away on September 8, 2010.
Read Nuclear News from July 1988 for more on Gail.
