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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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May 2026
Jan 2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
April 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Nuclear Energy Strategy announced at CNA2026
At the Canadian Nuclear Association Conference (CNA2026) in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 29, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson announced that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is developing a new Nuclear Energy Strategy for the country. The strategy, which is slated to be released by the end of this year, will be based on four objectives: 1) enabling new nuclear builds across Canada, 2) being a global supplier and exporter of nuclear technology and services, 3) expanding uranium production and nuclear fuel opportunities, and 4) developing new Canadian nuclear innovations, including in both fission and fusion technologies.
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Downloads: View Letter|Intent to Participate and Guidelines|Judges' Evaluation Form
Intent and Report Deadline
June 19, 2026
Presented at the
Winter Conference
Travel Assistance
$1,000
(for each team)
The Student Design Competition promotes excellence in the design aspects of nuclear engineering education at universities.
Any university is eligible to submit solutions to nuclear engineering design problems, but participants must have a university affiliation and a faculty member as an advisor. Each university must review solutions by its students and select the best from each category (Graduate and Undergraduate) for submission. Four finalist teams will be selected for presentation at the ANS Winter Conference. Graduate and undergraduate teams will be evaluated in the same competition. A maximum of two Graduate Finalist teams will be selected.
The names of the finalists and their schools are announced prior to the ANS Winter Conference.
Certificates are presented to each finalist in the undergraduate and graduate categories. Travel assistance (up to $1,000 per school) is provided to students to attend the ANS Winter Conference for the competition. Students presenting at the conference must be ANS members and must register for the meeting (Student rate provided). Students are encouraged to sign up for the Student Program which provides complementary registration.
The Education, Training, and Workforce Development Division established this competition in 1975 to promote excellence in the design aspect of nuclear engineering education at universities. A key feature of the program is industry participation in the judging of the annual design problem.
This award is administered by the Education, Training, and Workforce Development Division (ETWDD) who establishes the evaluation criteria and determines the recipients.
A call for submission of nuclear engineering-related design problems is issued in February, the intent to participate, and the actual reports must be submitted by the published deadline. The final judging to select the top two design projects in both the Undergraduate and Graduate categories is completed in September. These four project teams are then invited to make presentations at the ANS Winter Conference for final judging.
The ANS Honors and Awards Committee is available for consultation and review of criteria and procedures as appropriate.
For more information, please visit the Education, Training, Workforce and Development Division website or the Student Sections website.
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