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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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Reality of the road ahead
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
As 2025 winds down, it seems nuclear energy in the U.S. is now well on its way toward a renaissance, or resurgence, or whatever optimistic term you may use in your daily conversations.
New reactor designs, projects, and partnerships are being announced on a near-weekly basis; valuations of publicly traded nuclear companies are hovering near all-time highs; and AI’s thirst for reliable, clean electricity remains largely unquenched. The overall investment climate for nuclear energy has thawed dramatically. These days, it seems everyone from big Wall Street banks to individual investors is trying to get a piece of the nuclear action.
It’s the perfect time to talk about failure.
Yes, I know “nuclear failure” is not a topic on which we in the nuclear community like to dwell. For those of a certain age, it brings back bad memories of events beyond our control that shifted the trajectory of companies, careers, and lives for decades.
Arthur Motta
Kathryn McCarthy
Andy Prichard
James W. BehrensMadeline A. FeltusNarasimha Prasad Kadambi
Steven P. Nesbit
Brendan M. KochunasChristopher M. Perfetti
Stephen M. BajorekLake BarrettDaniel ChurchmanFrancesco D'AuriaBenoit ForgetEugene S. GrecheckDeborah Ann HillTravis W. KnightJun LiaoGuillermo Ivan MaldonadoJohn MattinglyFiona RaymentMatthew Wayne SunseriJoseph TurnageBao-Wen Yang
Best Section (tie)Missouri University of Science and TechnologyPennsylvania State UniversitySecond Place (tie)University of Illinois, Urbana ChampaignUniversity of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
James S. Tulenko
Brent Shumaker
Kevin G. Field
Samuel BaysStephen Rea
John H. Strumpell
Trinity Local Section (Best Overall)Arizona Local Section (Best Meetings and Programs)Savannah River Local Section (Best Public Information & Education and Best Membership)Idaho Local Section (Best Section Management)
Fan-Bill Cheung
Steven A. ArndtRichard J. Stattel
M. Grace Burke
Armour Research Foundation Reactor
Elena Tajuelo RodriguezAmy Welty
Theresa Cutler
Larry R. Baylor
Steven A. ArndtChristopher M. Crane (Posthumously)Donald R. EggettStephen E. KuczynskiElizabeth S. SoobyGrace Stanke Matthew D. WargonJeffrey C. KingArnold LumsdaineCorey K. McDanielWalid A. MetwallyCatherine M. PratJoshua L. Vajda
Trevor TaylorXingang Zhao
Steven Biegalski
Massimiliano Fratoni
Vivek Agarwal
Hisashi Ninokata
Inés Triay
Clarice Phelps
Joshua Vajda
Larry L. Wetzel
UNDERGRADUATEUniversity Tennessee, Knoxville - Radiological Assay of Burrowing AnimalsAuthors: Evan Godbehere, James Pierce, Kip Wheeler, and Jolyne WorthyNorth Carolina State University - Event Sequence Quantification and Consequence Development of the Full Scope Dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment for PULSTAR Research ReactorAuthors: Lauren Kohler, Noah Etter, Nolan Ritchie, and Mihai A. DiaconeasaGeorgia Institute of Technology - Investigating a Fast Static Fueled Molten Salt Reactor for WasteburningAuthors: Matthew Louis, Nathan Tanzosch, Jaden Minnick, and Alicia BorelTexas A&M University - Utilizing AP1000 TPBAR Optimization to meet Fusion Energy Tritium DemandAuthors: Aaron Rodriguez, Bryce Harris, Camden Ulteig, Marion Munoz, and William Reed
B.J. Marshall
Xiaodong Sun
Egemen Kolemen
Nathan Siu
Kelsey AmundsonPierre-Clement Simon
Kenneth Petersen
Abdollah Khanpour