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
Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls
Improving task performance, system reliability, system and personnel safety, efficiency, and effectiveness are the division's main objectives. Its major areas of interest include task design, procedures, training, instrument and control layout and placement, stress control, anthropometrics, psychological input, and motivation.
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
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
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2023) Plenary SPeaker
JPL Director
Interplanetary Network Directorate
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Suzanne Dodd is the JPL Director for the Interplanetary Network Directorate. She has over 30 years of experience in spacecraft operations, including project manager roles on the Voyager Interstellar Mission, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array. Most recently she lead the Operational Missions Office of the Astronomy, Physics & Space Technology Directorate. Suzanne worked at Caltech for 11 years as the Spitzer Space Telescope Science Center Manager and the Manager of the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, NASA's multi-mission center of expertise for long-wavelength astrophysics. Suzanne as also worked in the area of mission planning and uplink on the Cassini Mission to Saturn, the Mars Observer Project, and the Voyager Uranus and Neptune Missions.
Suzanne has a BS degree in Engineering and Applied Science from Caltech, a BA degree in Math/Physics from Whitman College, and a MS degree from the University of Southern California in Aerospace Engineering. She is the recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Public Service Medal, NASA Silver Achievement Medal and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
Last modified December 6, 2022, 2:33pm MST
