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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Sep 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
October 5–9, 2025 | Nashville, TN | DoubleTree, Downtown Nashville
General Chair
Paul Cantonwine (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Technical Program Co-Chairs
Kurshad Muftuoglu (Electric Power Research Institute)
Kallie Metzger (Westinghouse)
Marketing Chair
Rich Augi (GNF)
Finance Chair
Matthieu Aumand (Framatome)
SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS: FEBRUARY 7, 2025
AUTHOR NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE (ABSTRACTS): MARCH 7, 2025
FULL PAPERS DUE: MAY 9, 2025
AUTHOR NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE (FULL PAPERS): JUNE 12, 2024
FINAL FULL PAPERS (CAMERA READY) DUE: JULY 7, 2025
TopFuel 2025 is the leading international conference on new developments in nuclear reactor fuel performance. Held annually and rotating between Asia, Europe, and the US, this event gathers experts from around the world. The theme for the 2025 meeting is “Fueling the Future – Building on our Legacy.” It reflects our commitment to advancing nuclear fuel technology while honoring the achievements that have brought us to this point. This year, the conference will continue to emphasize Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel performance while also expanding to include Advanced Reactor fuels. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the latest innovations, share research, and collaborate on the future of nuclear energy.
Maximum of one page identifying title, authors, affiliations, and three paragraphs (total fewer than 500 words) describing the key concepts of the paper. A wide range of topic areas are highlighted on p. 2. The abstract template is on the TopFuel web page. Additionally, please follow these formatting/submittal guidelines:
Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit full papers that are 3-10 pages in length. Full papers must describe work that is new, significant, and relevant to the conference. The limit for full-paper submissions is 10 pages. If a paper over 10 pages is accepted, page charges are $100/page for p. 11 and above. Authors of accepted papers must agree to register and attend the conference and present their papers. Papers that are not presented in person at the conference will not appear in the final conference publication.
I. Operation and Experience
II. Advances in Designs, Materials, and Manufacturing
III. Evolutionary and Innovative Advanced Technology Fuels (ATF)
IV. Modeling, Analysis, and Methods
V. Transient Fuel Behavior and Safety Related Issues
VI. Used Fuel Storage, Transportation, and Re-Use Closed fuel cycles and strategies
VII. Innovations in Experimental Methods, Instrumentation and Test Facilities
VIII. Advanced Reactor Fuel Designs and Performance
ORGANIZED BY ANS IN COOPERATION AND THE SUPPORT OF:
https://epsr.ans.org/meeting/?m=435
Isabel Brinker 708-579-8290 ibrinker@ans.org