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
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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-2025) PLENARY SPEAKER
Dr. Michael J. Barrett is director of the Space Flight Systems Directorate at NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. He assumed this position December 2021 and is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the space technology development and missions assigned to the center with an annual budget of approximately $400 million. Glenn is engaged in research and flight systems development in support of the nation’s space propulsion, space power, space communications, microgravity sciences, and materials development programs.
Prior to this appointment, Barrett served as chief of Glenn’s Power and Propulsion Project Office and as project manager of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for the agency’s lunar Gateway. In this position, Barrett was responsible for a cross-agency team of 120 personnel and the management and technical oversight of the $375 million PPE development contract with Maxar Technologies.Before serving as chief of the Power and Propulsion Office, he served as deputy chief for the Space Technology Project Office at Glenn from 2013 to 2019. He also held several project management and chief engineer roles, including the solar electric propulsion module on NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, the Orion spacecraft’s Crew and Service Module, the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed, the High Ice Water Content Research Flight Project, and Orion’s main propulsion system. Barrett began his aerospace career at Lockheed Martin as a propulsion systems engineer before transitioning in 1991 to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he worked in various capacities supporting space shuttle, the International Space Station, and other advanced engineering programs.
Barrett took a sabbatical from NASA from 1995 to 2002 to complete his graduate studies and take a position on the engineering faculty at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Barrett lectured, led research teams, and taught laboratory classes in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, propulsion, experimental methods, mechatronics, and systems design.
Barrett holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, and he earned his master’s and doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston. He also holds an executive certificate in management and leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Senior Expert Level Federal Acquisition Certification for Program/Project Managers. He has received numerous agency awards during his career including NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal.
Last modified March 4, 2025, 9:15am CST