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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
2026 topic
TBD
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
March 1
Presented at the
Annual Conference
Monetary Award*
$1,000
The Special Award recognizes an individual or group for outstanding achievements in a specific area of work. The Board of Directors selects a different topical area for the award each year on the recommendation of the Honors and Awards Committee.
Nominees may be from any nation, but they must not be deceased at the time the awardee is selected. The nominee need not be an ANS member.
The award is presented at the ANS Annual Conference and consists of a plaque and $1,000 monetary award*.
*In lieu of a cash award, recipients can opt for travel reimbursement up to the award amount.
The Special Award was established in 1962 and has been awarded each year when eligible candidates are nominated and selected. The topics for the awards have come from the many varied areas of nuclear science and engineering fostered by the Society.
Past Topics
The selection of the topics should continue to reflect the wide variety of subjects in which ANS members are prominent contributors. Future awards should be made in areas different from those in which previous Special Awards have been given. The award topic should be of timely interest to the Society and should reflect current Society affairs and activities. The topic should not be tailored to suit a particular individual or team who would undoubtedly receive that award.
With the extensive collaboration on many projects by groups of people ranging from two or three up to several, nominations of teams or small groups can be expected and are certainly appropriate for many areas that might be selected for the award. Possible restrictions of the nominees for the award to individuals or to small groups are left to the discretion of the Honors and Awards Committee.
The criteria for selection of an award topic for the ANS Special Award is left up to the judgment of the Honors and Awards Committee. The basic criteria for the selection of an awardee can generally be outlined as follows:
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
View Award
