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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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August 2026
Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
Technical Session|Technology Research and Development
Thursday, April 30, 2026|1:00–2:00PM EDT|Room 306
Session Chair:
Nicholas Brooks
Alternate Chair:
Stephanie Manasterski
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Harnessing Cloud and AI to Accelerate Space Nuclear Technology Development
1:00–1:06PM EDT
Juan Carlos Lopez (Microsoft), Nelli Babayan (Microsoft)
Paper
Innovative UZrCN Synthesis by Nitrogen Heat Treatment of UZrC
1:06–1:12PM EDT
David Sanches (INL), James Zillinger (INL), Sarah Hamilton (INL)
ZrC Grain Growth at Conditions Relevant to Space Nuclear Propulsion
1:12–1:18PM EDT
Katherine Montoya (ORNL), Bryan Conry (ORNL), Wesley Jones (ORNL), Ryan Heldt (ORNL), Brandon Wilson (ORNL), Eddie Lopez-Honorato (ORNL)
Advancing Space Nuclear Fuel Development: A Comprehensive Strategy from Prototyping to Production
1:18–1:24PM EDT
Sabrina McCoy (BWX Technologies), Ryan Swanson (BWX Technologies)
Comprehensive Uncertainty Quantification Approach for First of Kind Space Reactors Neutronics Modeling
1:24–1:30PM EDT
Chase Lawing (BWX Technologies), Ryan Swanson (BWX Technologies), Andy Rivas (BWX Technologies)
Applying a Comprehensive Uncertainty Quantification Framework to U.S. Government Space Reactor Designs: Insights from Propulsion and Power Reactors
1:30–1:36PM EDT
Assessing Reactivity Uncertainty in Space Reactors Under Nuclear Data Limitations: Covariance Inconsistency, Missing Benchmarks, and Validation Gaps
1:36–1:42PM EDT
Ryan Swanson (BWX Technologies), Chase Lawing (BWX Technologies), Andy Rivas (BWX Technologies)