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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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January 2026
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December 2025
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November 2025
Latest News
What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
August 1
Presented at the
Winter Conference
Monetary Award
$500
The Mark Mills Award is presented to the student author who submits the best original technical paper contributing to the advancement of science and engineering related to the atomic nucleus.
The award consists of an engraved plaque and a monetary award of $500. The award is presented at the ANS Winter Conference.
The award is for an original piece of work, which should be of publishable quality by a graduate student. The submission for the award should be a paper with an abstract in a form and of suitable length for publication in a reputable engineering or scientific journal. A paper, which has been published or submitted for publication, is eligible if nominated by the faculty advisor of the student with the appropriate forms and data. If the student and their advisor or others jointly author the paper, it may be eligible for the award if the student was primarily responsible for the original contribution and their advisor so certifies with the submission.
To be eligible for the award, the student must have been registered in a graduate degree program in a recognized institution of higher learning for one (1) year prior to the award, and their faculty advisor must make a certification of this fact on the nomination form. Thus, this competition is open to a graduate student completing the work on which their paper is based from a minimum of 4 months prior to the award to a maximum of 16 months prior to the award. A thesis is not acceptable. Multiple nominees by a nominator, nomination of past recipients of the award, and multiple-year nominations of the same paper are prohibited.
This award was established by the Society in 1958 as a memorial award to the late Mark Mills in recognition of his significant contributions to nuclear science and engineering.
The Honors and Awards Committee of the Education and Training and Workforce Development Division (ETWDD) administers this award. That committee establishes the detailed evaluation criteria, solicits the nominations, and determines the recipient. The national Honors and Awards Committee is available for consultation and review of criteria and procedures as appropriate.
View Award
