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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.
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
April 1
Presented at the
Winter Conference
The Eugene P. Wigner Award recognizes an individual that has made outstanding contributions toward the advancement in the field of nuclear reactor physics.
Nominations can be made by any member of ANS. Nominees need not be ANS members.
The award consists of an engraved plaque and is presented at a division function at the ANS Winter Conference.
The award was established by the Reactor Physics Division (RPD) in 1990. The award is named after the late Eugene P. Wigner, a pioneer who helped nurture the nuclear age to technical maturity.
The principal sponsor has the responsibility of (a) securing the required letters of recommendation from the other two co-sponsors, (b) assembling the nomination package and (c) submitting it to ANS along with his or her own recommendation of the nominee by the deadline indicated in the call for nominations announcement.
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
The nomination should include evidence of the candidate's contribution in the form of written recommendations from the sponsors and others as appropriate, specifying the candidate's outstanding accomplishments and contributions that have benefited the field of nuclear reactor physics to the degree meriting consideration for the Eugene P. Wigner Reactor Physicist Award.
The selection of the Eugene P. Wigner Reactor Physicist Award is determined by critical review and assessment of submitted credentials and qualifications; hence, due care should be exercised in the preparation of the nomination package. In the process of review and selection, emphasis is placed on excellence of achievement in the field of nuclear reactor physics as evidenced by (a) outstanding original research, documented in referenced scientific journals or major publications, and by (b) outstanding leadership in reactor physics. The ANS Honors and Awards Committee is available for consultation and review as appropriate.
View Award