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
Fuel Cycle & Waste Management
Devoted to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle including waste management, worldwide. Division specific areas of interest and involvement include uranium conversion and enrichment; fuel fabrication, management (in-core and ex-core) and recycle; transportation; safeguards; high-level, low-level and mixed waste management and disposal; public policy and program management; decontamination and decommissioning environmental restoration; and excess weapons materials disposition.
Meeting Spotlight
2022 ANS Annual Meeting
June 12–16, 2022
Anaheim, CA|Anaheim Hilton
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
Dec 2021
Jul 2021
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
December 2021
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
November 2021
Latest News
Maximizing decommissioning lessons learned
Larry W. Camper
The track record for the successful decommissioning of nuclear facilities, both nationally and internationally, is impressive. In the United States, we have decommissioned many nuclear facilities, including complex materials sites, uranium recovery sites, research and test reactors, and nuclear power plants. To date, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 10 nuclear power plants have been completely decommissioned for unrestricted use, and another 26 power reactor sites are currently undergoing decommissioning through either SAFSTOR or DECON, following NRC regulatory requirements. In addition, the Nuclear Energy Institute identifies three nuclear power plants that were successfully decommissioned outside of NRC jurisdiction. While such a track record is impressive, the nuclear industry must be vigilant in focusing on lessons learned in order to continue to make gains in efficiency, cost savings, improved environmental stewardship, and enhanced stakeholder confidence. In reviewing the outcomes of decommissioning over many years, a number of key lessons learned have emerged.
View Recipients
Downloads: Download Nomination Form
Nomination Deadline
March 1 &August 1
Presented at the
Annual Meeting &Winter Meeting
The Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes a public servant who has demonstrated leadership in energy policy formulation and public enlightenment and has made significant contributions to the betterment of humanity in the national or international sphere of public service. The recipient will be expected to present a brief acceptance address that could be published by the national news media.
The award consists of an engraved plaque which may be presented by the ANS President at the President’s Special Session during either ANS Annual or Winter Meeting. There is no predetermined frequency or time for presentation of the award.
Nominees need not be ANS members. The ideal nominee could be an individual in an elective or appointive position of government, an international agency, or other related public chartered organization.
The criteria for this award are quite broad and general and cannot be applied as a rigid standard to any one individual. The award is a suggestive award and each nomination is considered on the basis of the individual’s merits and contributions.
Recommendations for consideration for the award may be sent to the ANS Executive Director at any time. Recommendations made to the Executive Director are presented to the Honors and Awards Committee, where they are evaluated. The nominee must receive a majority of the total committee’s positive votes, with no more than twenty percent (20%) of the Honors and Awards Committee voting in the negative to be recommended for the award. A positive recommendation by the Honors and Awards Committee is then forwarded to the ANS Executive Committee for approval.
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
Nomination forms and supporting documents (in Word or Adobe Acrobat) should be emailed to honors@ans.org.
Hard copies can be mailed to:
Honors and AwardsAmerican Nuclear Society555 N. Kensington AvenueLa Grange Park, IL 60526-5535
The Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes a public servant who has demonstrated leadership in energy policy formulation and public enlightenment, and has made significant contributions to the betterment of humanity in the national or international sphere of public service. The recipient will be expected to present a brief acceptance address that could be published by the national news media.
View Award
