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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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A year in orbit: ISS deployment tests radiation detectors for future space missions
The predawn darkness on a cool Florida night was shattered by the ignition of nine Merlin engines on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The thrust of the engines shook the ground miles away. From a distance, the rocket appeared to slowly rise above the horizon. For the cargo onboard, the launch was anything but gentle, as the ignition of liquid oxygen generated more than 1.5 million pounds of force. After the rocket had been out of sight for several minutes, the booster dramatically returned to Earth with several sonic booms in a captivating show of engineering designed to make space travel less expensive and more sustainable.
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
March 1
Presented at the
Annual or Winter Conference
Monetary Award
$1,000
The W. Bennett Lewis Award recognizes individuals who have made major lifetime contributions in nuclear science and engineering towards minimizing environmental footprint, attaining long-term global sustainable energy and development, and having shown great foresight in elucidating these goals as recorded in archival publications. Nominees need not be ANS members. Not awarded posthumously.
The award consists of an engraved plaque and may be accompanied by a monetary gift to be decided by the DESD Executive Committee at its discretion. It is presented at a DESD function at either the ANS Annual or Winter Conferences.
This award was established by the Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences Division (formerly Environmental Sciences Division) in 2006 to honor Dr. W. Bennett Lewis, a visionary who understood the importance of providing a clean and abundant source of energy to support the world population for generations to come.
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
Nominations should include evidence of having made major lifetime contributions in nuclear science and engineering towards attaining long-term global sustainable energy and development and having shown great foresight as recorded in archival publications.
Nominations are submitted to the chair of the DESD Honors and Awards Committee.
View Award