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May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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On moving fast and breaking things
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
So much of what is happening in federal nuclear policy these days seems driven by a common approach popularized in the technology sector. Silicon Valley calls it “move fast and break things,” a phrase originally associated with Facebook’s early culture under Mark Zuckerberg. The idea emerged in the early 2000s as software companies discovered that rapid iteration, frequent experimentation, and a willingness to tolerate failure could dramatically accelerate innovation. This philosophy helped drive the growth of the social media, smartphones, cloud computing, and digital platforms that now underpin modern economic and social life.
Today, that mindset is also influencing federal nuclear policy. The Trump administration views accelerated nuclear deployment as part of a broader competition with China for technological and AI leadership. In that context, it seems willing to accept greater operational risk in pursuit of strategic advantage and long-term economic and security objectives.
12th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2021)
Technical Session
Wednesday, June 16, 2021|12:00–1:45PM EDT
Session Chair:
Nesrin Cetiner (MIT)
Alternate Chair:
Jamie B. Coble (University of Tennessee-Knoxville)
Session Organizer:
Staff Producer:
Janet Davis (ANS)
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Resilient Micro and Nano Silicon-Based Electromechanical Relays for Nuclear Power Applications
Benjamin Horstmann (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Kai Ding (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Md Ataul Mamun (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Carl Elks (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Gary Atkinson (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Umit Ozgur (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Vitaliy Avrutin (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.)
Paper
Advantages of a Digital Wide-Range Neutron Instrumentation System
Arnaud Duthou (Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear), Pierre Vignollet (Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear), Gael de Cargouet (Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear), Stéphane Fargues (Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear)
Presentation Video (Visible to Attendees)
Nuclear Cogeneration Plant of Electricity and Hydrogen Using Methane Steam Reforming
Junyi Li (Tsinghua Univ.), Zhe Dong (Tsinghua Univ.), Bowen Li (Tsinghua Univ.)
Natural Ageing of Solder Joints in Old Electronic Assemblies
Laurent Cretinon (EDF - DIPNN)
Survivability of Low-Voltage Cable Insulations in Small Modular Reactor Environments
C.R. Ferree (Analysis and Measurement Services Corp.), P.R. Ward (Analysis and Measurement Services Corp.), T. A. Toll (Analysis and Measurement Services Corp.)
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