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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
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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.
The American Nuclear Society is developing a certification credential to help establish industry standards and bridge workforce gaps in the nuclear industry to address the growing demand for qualified professionals in the field.
The initiative was launched with the appointment of the ANS President's Special Committee on Certification in 2022. Following a six-month market analysis conducted in 2023, the committee recommended to the ANS Board of Directors that the Society should take a two-pronged approach to address the identified immediate workforce gaps, which includes the development of a Certified Nuclear Professional (CNP) credential and the creation of a certificate course professional development program.
The CNP credential is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2025 and the initial certificate course offerings will be available online in 2024.
The ANS Certification Committee is seeking 8-12 ANS members to volunteer to serve as item writers.
Item writer volunteers will participate in a two-day in-person workshop that will likely be held in Washington, DC, or the Chicago area this summer. Travel expenses will be reimbursed. During this workshop, volunteers will develop 180-200 multiple choice or matching type questions covering the various specific technical topics covered by the exam specification. There will be several virtual follow-up meetings through August 2024 to review and finalize the items. Item writer training will be offered virtually ahead of the in-person meeting.
If you are interested in volunteering, please complete this volunteer form by Tuesday, April 30. Selections will be made by Friday, May 10. Please contact us with any questions.
What are the objectives of developing a certification credential for the nuclear field?
The three primary objectives of the new credential are:
1.) To provide nuclear professionals a means for learning and/or demonstrating their knowledge of the fundamentals of nuclear science and technology to assist in their professional and career development.
2.) To offer employers in the nuclear industry a means for helping to qualify candidates by establishing a benchmark level of expertise and experience in the nuclear science and technology field.
3.) To enhance ANS’s stature within the nuclear science and technology field, especially among the commercial nuclear utility industry.
Who is the intended audience?
There are several target audiences for the CNP. First, working professionals lacking in-depth nuclear industry knowledge. Examples include professionals with a degree in something other than nuclear engineering; workers new to the nuclear industry; or executives that might not have a nuclear background, but want to become familiar with concepts and terminology. Second, professionals that have degrees in nuclear engineering. The certification may be viewed as an intermediate step between a four-year engineering degree and a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
How will the certification be earned?
Individuals seeking the CNP credential will need to meet a specific set of eligibility requirements and will then be required to pass a comprehensive exam. Upon achieving the credential, individuals will need to maintain the certification by obtaining the specified number of continuing education hours over a particular period of time.
What topics will the certification cover?
A job task analysis determined the following key knowledge areas that individuals must demonstrate competency (i.e., pass an exam) to obtain the credential:
When will individuals begin to sit for the exam?
Applications to sit for the CNP exam will be available in the summer of 2025.
What types of preparatory/study materials will be available?
Examinees will have access to the exam specification, which provides the content distribution of the exam. ANS will also offer a Nuclear Energy Essentials certificate course that provides a condensed introduction/review of fundamental concepts for interested candidates that come from a non-nuclear engineering educational background.
What topics will the certificate courses cover?
The ultimate goal is an extensive catalog of courses on a variety of topics. However, it will take several years to develop a large catalog. The first two topics that will be covered are nuclear energy essentials and licensing and regulatory concepts. The Nuclear Energy Essentials certificate will cover topics that range from the history and legacy of nuclear power to advanced reactor technologies, encompassing areas such as radiation safety, nonpower applications of nuclear, and ethics in nuclear. The Understanding Nuclear Regulations certificate will cover various regulatory frameworks, licensing processes, and international considerations.
The on demand courses are anticipated to launch in the late summer of 2024. ANS plans to launch 1-3 additional courses per year.
Are there any eligibility or maintenance requirements associated with the courses?
There will be no eligibility requirements or continuing education maintenance requirements. Upon completion of the course and exam, individuals will receive a certificate.
What will be the duration of the courses?
Course duration will vary by topic, ranging from 8-40 hours.
How will courses be delivered?
The courses will primarily be available as on demand, self-paced content. Some courses may include live or livestream content or experience opportunities. Certain course may be offered in-person in the future, potentially at ANS conferences.
ANS Special Committee on Certification Members
Rebecca Steinman (Chair), Steven Arndt, Robert Besce, Sunil Chirayath, Donald Eggett, Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, Christina Leggett, John Mahoney, Walid Metwally, Catherine Prat, Alexandra Siwy, Tracy Stover, Josh Vajda, and Matt Wargon.
Contact information
For questions or if you would like to volunteer to assist in these efforts, please email askanything@ans.org.
Last modified April 18, 2024, 4:54pm CDT
