Call for Papers

ANS Student Conference 2026

April 16–19, 2026  |  College Station, TX  |  Texas A&M University

EXECUTIVE CHAIRS

Graduate Executive Chair

Brindley Wade

Undergraduate Executive Chair

Kira Burt

Technical Committee Chair

Carlo Dal Colletto

Sessions Coordinator

Zach Lassater

Sessions Group Members

Tyler Barton

Cash Kneuper

Joseangel Lima-Tapia

ABSTRACTS AND PAPERS DEADLINE

SUBMISSION OF SUMMARIES AND ABSTRACTS: JANUARY 23, 2026

AUTHOR NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: FEBRUARY 6, 2026

FINAL SUMMARIES WITH REVISIONS DUE: FEBRUARY 20, 2026

FORMAT

Please submit summaries or abstracts describing work that is new, significant, and relevant to the nuclear field. This may include internship projects, senior design projects, and other student research. Summaries and abstracts are presented orally at the conference, and presenters are expected to register for the conference. Non–U.S. attendees requesting a visa invitation letter: registrar@ans.org.

  1. Use the provided templates for summaries and abstracts under “Resources.”
  2. Summaries and abstracts must be submitted as Adobe Acrobat PDF documents. After you save your document as a PDF, verify that it still meets the page-length requirements.
  3. Limit the title to ten words if possible. Limit listing of authors to three or fewer if possible.
  4. Do not use all capital letters for the title or any part of any authors’ names. For the title of the abstract or summary, Capitalize the First Letter of Major Words. Author names should be First Name or Initial(s) followed by Last Name.
  5. The names of all authors should be entered into the Authors page in the EPSR. List the authors in the same order in which their names appear on the abstract or summary. The conference program is derived from the information entered into the EPSR, not from the summary or abstract itself.
  6. Do not use page numbers, headers, or footers. Do not save your PDF as “read only.”
  7. Keep the bottom margin clear so there is space for the ANS-applied footer and page number.
  8. Full papers based on summaries or abstracts may be published elsewhere, but the summaries and abstracts become the property of ANS. Under no circumstances should a summary or abstract be published in any other publication before presentation at the ANS conference. It is the author’s responsibility to protect classified, export-controlled,or proprietary information. Summaries should be a maximum of four (4) pages and a minimum of one (1) page; references, tables, figures, and acknowledgements are counted as pages.

CONTENT

  1. Introduction: State the purpose of the work.
  2. Description of the actual work: Must be new and significant.
  3. Results: Discuss their significance.
  4. References: If any, must be closely related published works. Minimize the number of references.
  5. Do not present a bibliographical listing.
  6. If a disclaimer is required (e.g., related to the author’s employer), it is the author’s responsibility to include the disclaimer in the summary as either an end-of-summary note (preferred) or footnote. Please ensure such footnotes do not interfere with the bottom margin, and do not format disclaimers as headers or footers.


PRESENTATION OPTIONS

1) Standard-Length Presentation Option
Standard-length presentations are 15-minute presentations with 5 minutes for questions at the end of the presentation. Standard-length presentations are intended to focus on the entirety of the research process including objectives, methodology, results, and analysis of findings in a specific technical track.

2) Lightning Talk Option
Lightning talks are 8-minute talks with 2 minutes for questions at the end of the talk. Lightning talks are intended to highlight research goals and motivations, helping to identify gaps and opportunities rather than focusing on detailed results and analysis.

3) Poster Option
Poster sessions are visual, discussionbased formats where presenters can engage in conversation with other attendees about research topics. Poster content may vary widely depending on the objectives and findings of the research.

Each format has a limited number of available spots, and selection for your preferred option is not guaranteed. You may indicate interest in other options in the case that you are not selected for your preferred option.

TRACKS

DECOMMISSIONING & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Focuses on the safe dismantlement of nuclear facilities and the environmental impact of nuclear technologies. Topics include site remediation, environmental monitoring, waste cleanup, and stewardship of decommissioned sites.

ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, & POLICY

Covers the societal, educational, and legislative aspects of nuclear technology. This track explores public engagement, nuclear policy development, curriculum innovation, and efforts to inform and influence stakeholders and lawmakers.

FUEL CYCLE & WASTE MANAGEMENT

Examines the entire nuclear fuel cycle—from mining and enrichment to reprocessing and disposal. Topics include spent fuel strategies, advanced fuel concepts, and long-term storage solutions for nuclear waste.

FUEL CYCLE & WASTE MANAGEMENT

Examines the entire nuclear fuel cycle—from mining and enrichment to reprocessing and disposal. Topics include spent fuel strategies, advanced fuel concepts, and long-term storage solutions for nuclear waste.

FUSION ENERGY & PLASMA PHYSICS

Highlights research and development in fusion power and high-temperature plasma physics. This track includes magnetic and inertial confinement approaches, diagnostics, reactor design, and plasma-material interactions.

INSTRUMENTATION, CONTROL SYSTEMS, & CYBERSECURITY

Covers technologies that ensure the safe and efficient operation of nuclear systems. Topics include sensors, data acquisition, automation, digital control, and protection against cyber threats in nuclear facilities.

ISOTOPE PRODUCTION & MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Focuses on the production and application of radioisotopes for medicine, industry, and research. Includes radiopharmaceutical development, diagnostic imaging, cancer therapies, and isotope delivery systems.

MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Explores materials used in nuclear systems, including their performance under irradiation, high temperatures, and corrosive environments. Topics include advanced alloys, ceramics, and materials characterization.

MATHEMATICS, COMPUTATION, & AI APPLICATIONS

Emphasizes the role of computational tools and artificial intelligence in nuclear engineering. Topics include modeling and simulation, machine learning, uncertainty quantification, and high-performance computing applications.

CRITICALITY SAFETY

Dedicated to preventing accidental criticality events in nuclear operations. This track includes analysis, experimental methods, standards, and regulatory compliance for systems containing fissile material.

REACTOR SAFETY

Focuses on ensuring safe reactor design, operation, and emergency response. Topics include accident analysis, risk assessment, defense-indepth, and safety system performance.

NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION, SAFEGUARDS, & SECURITY

Covers efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and secure nuclear materials. Includes technologies and policies for monitoring, verification, international agreements, and physical protection.

OPERATIONS & POWER

Highlights the engineering and management of nuclear power plant operations. Topics include performance optimization, outage planning, plant modernization, and human factors in operation.

RADIATION PROTECTION & SHIELDING

Focuses on protecting workers, the public, and the environment from ionizing radiation. Topics include shielding design, dosimetry, ALARA principles, and radiation transport modeling.

REACTOR PHYSICS

Examines the fundamental behavior of neutrons in reactor cores. Topics include neutron transport, core design, reactivity control, and reactor kinetics.

SPACE & PROPULSION APPLICATIONS

Explores the use of nuclear systems for space missions. Includes nuclear thermal and electric propulsion, reactor designs for space power, and radiation shielding in space environments.

THERMAL HYDRAULICS

Covers the transfer of heat and flow of fluids in nuclear systems. Topics include reactor cooling, phase-change phenomena, system modeling, and experimental validation.

SUBMIT A PAPER OR ABSTRACT

https://epsr.ans.org/meeting/?m=462

PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Isabel Brinker
708-579-8290
ibrinker@ans.org