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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
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August 2026
Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
Walker Lee Cisler
Glenn F. Knoll
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (First Place)Mississippi State University Second PlaceUniversity of Florida (Second Place)Kansas State University (Honorable Mention)University of Lowell (Honorable Mention)University of Maryland (Honorable Mention)University of Missouri-Columbia (Honorable Mention)University of Wisconsin-Madison (Honorable Mention)
Robert W. Wiesener
Glenn E. Lucas
Sara A. Morabito
Long Island (Meritorious, Small)Eastern Carolinas (Meritorious, Large)Austria (Meritorious, International)Eastern Carolinas (Best Membership, Best Meetings and Programs)Eastern Washington (Best Public Information and Education)Idaho (Best Section Management)
Graham M. Leitch (Philadelphia Electric CompanyLimerick Generating Station)W. T. Ullrich (Tennessee Valley AuthorityBrowns Ferry Unit 3 Restart)
Ricardo C. DeBarros
Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant Belgian Reactor 3 (BR3) Dresden Nuclear Station Unit 1 Room 307, Gilman Hall (University of California, Berkeley)NS Savannah at Patriots Point ORNL's Graphite Reactor Penn State Breazeale Reactor
Bernice E. Paige
Gregory R. ChoppinNuclear Safety JournalSammuel Untermyer II
David K. Trubey
William S. Lee
H. "Peter" PlanchonJohn I. Sackett
GraduateUniversity off Tennessee - KnoxvilleBenan Basoglu, Agus Cahyono, Michael Corum, Andreas Ikonomopoulos, Thomas Radcliff, Michael TravisUndergraduateArizona State UniversityGerald Hunter, Mary Inman, Shawn PautzHonorable Mention - GraduateUniversity of Texas, AustinSteven Manson, Arnold PreeceHonorable Mention - UndergraduateUniversity of New MexicoBrian Hunt, Michael Lake, Julie Minton, Ned Alan Morley
Hans K. Fauske
Nikolai G. BasovHeinrich HoraJohn H. NuckollsChiyoe Yamanaka
Francois X. Cogne
Alvin M. Weinberg
Frank Bevilacqua
