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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Reimagining nuclear materials for the future of medicine
Nuclear medicine has come a long way since Henri Becquerel first observed the penetrating energy of radioactive materials in 1896. Today, technetium-99m alone is used in more than 40 million diagnostic procedures every year—from cardiovascular imaging and bone scans to cancer detection—making it the undisputed workhorse of nuclear medicine. That single statistic tells you something important: An enormous portion of modern diagnostic medicine rests on a surprisingly narrow foundation, one built around a small number of aging research reactors that were never originally designed for continuous isotope production.
Advanced Reactor Safety (ARS)
Plenary Session
Tuesday, June 18, 2024|8:00–9:45AM PDT|Palm A
Speakers Click on a photo to view the speaker's bio (if available)
For the opening Plenary for the Advanced Reactor Safety Conference, we have invited four distinguished leaders in advanced reactor safety to talk about where we go in the future. While the conference focuses on current and recent past work in ARS, we know there are issues and gaps that we as an ARS community need to address. The Panel includes Anna Gomez-Cobo the Head of the Safety Assessment Section at the IAEA who will talk about upcoming activities and interests at the IAEA, and Dr. Han-Gon Kim, President of the Innovative SMR Development Agency who will discuss issues related to SMR development in Korea. In addition, Anders Gilbertson, Senior Project Manager from the NRC division of Advanced Reactors, and Craig Stover, Senior Program Manager from EPRI’s Advanced Nuclear Technology Program, will discuss challenges in licensing and building the numerous advanced reactor designs being developed in the U.S.
Additionally, we will be honoring Dr. Ian Wall by presenting him with the Theo (Tommy) Thompson Award for lifetime contributions in the field of nuclear reactor safety.