ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
June 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
2024 ANS Annual Conference
Catherine Prat is a Principal Engineer and Issue Manager with Westinghouse Electric Company. In her current role, she works across all business units to address a wide range of problems from design, manufacturability, supplier quality, and human performance. Prior to this role, she worked at Plant Vogtle for 6 years in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Nuclear Island mechanical lead engineer, supporting the Initial Test Program at Vogtle Units 3 and 4. Catherine has also served as a licensing engineer with a specialty in ITAAC and Part 52 licensing. Prior to moving to Vogtle, she worked on the GSI-191 resolution team for AP1000 and was a site engineer at Sanmen Units 1 and 2, helping to bring the first AP1000 plants online.
Catherine has been an active member of ANS for over a decade, in both student / local chapters and the national organization. She currently serves as the ANS Young Member Director on the Board of Directors and is an active member of the Certification Special Committee. She is on the Executive Committee for the Operations and Power Division and is a past chair of the Young Members Group.
Catherine earned her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering in 2014 and her M.Eng. in Nuclear Engineering in 2017. She also holds an SRO certificate (SNUPPS) and her PMP.
Last modified May 28, 2024, 2:06pm PDT
