ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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
May 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
June 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Nuclear moratoriums crumble around the world
The recent surge in positive sentiment about nuclear as the most viable answer to global energy needs and decarbonization goals has found governments around the world taking steps to reverse course on decades-old bans, moratoriums, and restrictions on new nuclear development.
ICRS 14/RPSD 2022 speaker
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
