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Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
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Commercial nuclear innovation "new space" age
In early 2006, a start-up company launched a small rocket from a tiny island in the Pacific. It exploded, showering the island with debris. A year later, a second launch attempt sent a rocket to space but failed to make orbit, burning up in the atmosphere. Another year brought a third attempt—and a third failure. The following month, in September 2008, the company used the last of its funds to launch a fourth rocket. It reached orbit, making history as the first privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
Kenneth Petersen is an executive consultant to the nuclear power industry, providing strategy, management, and technical consulting related to nuclear fuel and special nuclear material. Prior to his retirement in November 2021, Petersen was Exelon Generation Company’s (EGC’s) vice president for nuclear fuels. In this role, he provided governance and oversight for all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle for Exelon’s fleet of 21 operational reactors and three retired reactors. He led Exelon’s fuel purchasing, nuclear core design and related safety analyses, and spent fuel management.
Petersen has nearly three decades of experience purchasing nuclear fuel, and during his 12 years as ECG’s vice president for nuclear fuels, he oversaw the company’s $1 billion annual budget for nuclear fuel procurement and managed a nuclear fuel contract portfolio valued at over $5 billion. His fuel supply responsibilities included the development of risk management metrics and strategic decisions related to fuel, inventory levels, and pricing mechanisms. In addition, he developed nuclear core design and safety analysis skills. He played a key role in the technical aspects of utilizing fuel in the reactors and was a major industry advocate for accident tolerant fuel designs, including coated fuel rods, high burnup, and high enrichment.
Petersen’s long history with spent fuel and special nuclear material includes his involvement with executing the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Standard Contract and, subsequently, EGC’s litigation and eventual settlement with the DOE. He also had governance and oversight over the installation of EGC-constructed independent spent fuel storage facilities. Petersen earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin and began his career Commonwealth Edison upon graduation in 1988.
Read Nuclear News from June 2023 for more on Ken Petersen.
Last modified September 6, 2023, 2:09pm CDT
