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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
Thursday, June 17, 2021|12:15–2:00PM EDT
Session Chair:
Paula Savioja
Alternate Chair:
Jeffrey C. Joe
Session Organizer:
Jamie B. Coble
Staff Producer:
Kathy Murdoch (ANS)
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XE-100 SMR Main Control Room Staffing: Analysis and Validation
Borja Hervás (Tecnatom), Héctor Martínez-Pinna (Tecnatom), Luis Rejas (Tecnatom)
Paper
Human Factors Validation of Fire Related Events
Borja Hervás (Tecnatom), Nuria Bernal (Tecnatom), Luis Rejas (Tecnatom)
Augmenting Field Operator Training Through Virtual Reality
Hanna Koskinen (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland), Jari Laarni (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland), Marja Liinasuo (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland), Tuisku-Tuuli Salonen (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd), Satu Pakarinen (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health), Kristian Lukander (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health), Tomi Passi (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health)
Cognitive Aging as a Human Factor: Age of Operator on Human Performance in the Nuclear Control Room
Anna C. Hall (Braveheart Solutions), Ronald L. Boring (INL), Tina M. Miyake (INL)
Managing Skill Fading and Maintenance for Critical Tasks
Chris SteCroix (HumanSystems), Andrew Morton (HumanSystems), Harold Angel (HumanSystems)
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