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  Isotopes & Radiation
  Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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  2025 ANS Annual Conference
  June 15–18, 2025
  Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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  July 2025
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  June 2025
  Fusion Science and Technology
  July 2025
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  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
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ICRS 14/RPSD 2022 speaker

Lawrence W. Townsend, PhD

Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus

The University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Professor Townsend has over four decades of experience researching nuclear interactions of cosmic rays and their implications for space radiation shielding and crew protection and is among the top 1% of cited researchers in the world-wide aerospace science community. He has a BS in Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy, an MS in Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, and PhD in Physics from the University of Idaho. He served as a nuclear submarine engineer officer (1970-1977). From 1981 - 1995, he was a NASA Research Scientist/Senior Research Scientist. In 1993, he received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. In 1995, he retired from NASA and joined the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, retiring in 2017. He is an ANS Fellow, an HPS Fellow, and Associate Fellow of the AIAAA. In 2020 he was elected to membership in the International Academy of Astronautics.

Last modified July 29, 2022, 10:42am PDT