ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
2022 ANS Winter Meeting and Technology Expo
November 13–17, 2022
Phoenix, AZ|Arizona Grand Resort
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
Oct 2022
Jul 2022
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2022
Nuclear Technology
November 2022
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Air Force pilot program to enlist microreactor for 20-year Alaskan deployment
The Department of the Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency–Energy have released a request for proposals (RFP) for the construction and operation of a microreactor in central Alaska. The Department of Defense wants a 20-year supply of electricity and steam from a 1–5-MW microreactor, but the Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) Microreactor Pilot Program will go beyond a simple power purchase agreement and put the reactor through its paces with tests, at least annually, of the reactor’s walk-away safety and black-start capabilities. The final RFP is available at sam.gov.
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 2001 for more on Gail.
Last modified November 24, 2020, 11:21am CST
