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
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2022) Plenary SPeaker
Professor
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
John Foster has worked in the area of advanced space propulsion for 30 years dating back to his undergraduate days as a summer intern at NASA Glenn on gridded ion thrusters. His research includes in-space propulsion technologies ranging from gridded ion thrusters to MPD thrusters as well as gas and liquid core nuclear thermal rockets. He worked on advanced propulsion for nearly 10 years as an employee at NASA before moving to the University of Michigan. At NASA GRC, he served as the ion thruster (HIPEP) principle investigator for the JIMO NEP mission. He also worked on an interstellar precursor high power ion engine as NASA GRC as well. He continued this research at Michigan and extended research effort into space nuclear power and propulsion systems as well. In parallel he has developed as a space nuclear power and propulsion design course. He has also carried out research relevant to space in situ resource utilization including water recycling/purification and plastics waste recycling using plasmas.
Last modified April 25, 2022, 9:31am EDT
