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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.
Robert D. BuschNolan E. Hertel
Sara A. Pozzi
Robert F. Penn, Jr.
Jack Law
Ernest J. Moniz
Mr. Bradley J. AdamsMr. Jeffrey L. Bradfute, PE, MBADr. William E. BurchillDr. Alex R. Burkart, PEDr. Mark B. ChadwickProf. Igor JovanovicDr. Stuart A. Maloy PhD, PEDr. Robert P. Martin, PEDr. Kathryn Ann McCarthyDr. Todd S. PalmerDr. Jean C. RagusaDr. Monica C RegalbutoDr. Xiaodong Sun
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (Best Section)University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Second Place)University of New Mexico (Third Place)Oregon State University (Honorable Mention)
Mark W. Noakes
Sacit M. Cetiner
Nicholas R. BrownPaul K. Romano
Michael W. McCrackenJoshua L. Vajda
Steven A. ArndtHarsh S. Desai
Terry Todd
Northeastern Section (Best Recruiting Program)Savannah River Section (Best Meetings and Programs)Idaho Section (Best Public Information and Education)Idaho Section (Best Local Section Management)Idaho Section (Best Overall Meritorious Local Section)
Lawrence E. Boing
Ronald L. BoringRizwan Uddin
Dylan Hoagland & Raffi A. YessayanYan-Ru Lin
Robin William Grimes
USS Enterprise (CVN-65), Aircraft Carrier
Madeline A. FeltusRaluca O. Scarlat
Matthew R. DenmanKatrina M. Groth
Christina A. BackCarol L. BerriganDaniel L. ChurchmanMichael L. CorradiniPaul T. DickmanDaniel J. DoranJames (Vince) V. GilbertDeborah Ann HillAlyse S. HuffmanMark T. Peters
Fan Zhang
Anna S. Erickson
Mohamed S. El-Genk
Lawrence H. Heilbronn
Caroline Delbert
John C. Browne
Elia Merzari
Kristine L. Svinicki
Tennessee-85 students and the Secretary of Energy
D. V. Rao
Stanley H. Levinson
UNDERGRADUATETexas A&M University - A Modular Molten Salt Reactor for DesalinationAuthors: Sebastian Tchakerian, Phillip Olivarez, Robert Kollman David Swindall, and David Nguyen Advisors: Mauricio Eduardo Tano Retamales and Karen Vierow KirklandUniversity of Florida - Micro-HTGR for Military InstallationsAuthors: Cindy Marie McCabe, Jonathan Simoes Arnaud, Cesar Arturo Pozas, Steven Lester, and Micah TroyerAdvisor: DuWayne SchubringUniversity of Tennessee - Knoxville - Production of Carbon-14 Radioisotope using an Aluminum Nitride Target in HFIRAuthors: Austin Welsh, Christopher Busch, Kayla Noelle Sims, and Madison Kathryn TippetAdvisor: Jason Hayward GRADUATEColorado School of Mines - Design of a Low Enrichment Uranium Nuclear Reactor to Power a Future Martian ColonyAuthors: Jacob Tellez, Joffrey Dorville, Conner Glatt, and Jeffrey C. KingAdvisor: Jeffrey C. King
Francesco D'AuriaChul-Hwa Song
Omar HurricaneRyosuke Kodama
Karl N. Fleming
Kenneth L. Peddicord
Imre Pázsit
Steven P. Hamilton
Harsh S. Desai
Ben Holtzman
Jose N. Reyes, Jr