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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
American Nuclear Society condemns attack on UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant
Washington, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) issued the following statement:
"The American Nuclear Society condemns today's drone attack on the outer perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates. The IAEA has confirmed that radiation levels are normal and no injuries have been reported. The safety systems performed as designed, a demonstration of the layered protections built into robust modern nuclear facilities. Incidents like this reinforce the importance of the IAEA's calls for maximum military restraint around nuclear power reactors, and of full adherence by all combatants to the IAEA's seven pillars for nuclear safety and security during armed conflict."
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2026)
APL Research Scientist, Space Science
Johns Hopkins APL
Ralph L. McNutt Jr., Ph.D. is an APL Research Scientist for Space Science at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and one of the nation’s leading voices in planetary science, deep-space exploration, and advanced mission architecture.
A physicist by training, Dr. McNutt has played pivotal leadership roles across some of NASA’s most ambitious missions. He serves as Project Scientist and Co-Investigator for NASA’s MESSENGER mission to Mercury, Principal Investigator for the PEPSSI instrument aboard New Horizons to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Co-Investigator for Solar Probe Plus (now Parker Solar Probe), and has contributed to both the Voyager and Cassini missions. He has also been a leading advocate for the development of an Interstellar Probe, advancing concepts for humanity’s first mission beyond the heliosphere.
Throughout his career, Dr. McNutt has supported numerous NASA science and technology definition teams, strategic review panels, and mission planning efforts, helping shape the future of solar system exploration and the role of advanced nuclear power and propulsion in enabling it.
He has authored more than 150 scientific and engineering papers, over 250 technical abstracts, and delivered more than 150 professional and public presentations. He earned his B.S. in Physics from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined APL in 1992 after previous roles with MIT, Sandia National Laboratories, and Visidyne, Inc.
Known for his visionary thinking and ability to connect technical innovation with humanity’s long-term future in space, Dr. McNutt continues to shape how we think about exploration beyond the planets—and beyond the Sun itself.
