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Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Bipartisan Fusion Energy Act pushes for regulatory clarity
Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) introduced the Fusion Energy Act (S. 4151) last month with a bipartisan group of cosponsors—John Cornyn (R., Texas), Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Todd Young (R., Ind.), and Patty Murray (D., Wash.). The legislation would codify the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems to streamline the creation of clear federal regulations that will support the development of commercial fusion power plants—and would require a report within one year on a study of risk- and performance-based, design-specific licensing frameworks for “mass-manufactured fusion machines.
“Congress must do everything in its power to ensure continued U.S. leadership in developing commercial fusion energy facilities,” said Padilla as he introduced the bill. “The Fusion Energy Act would provide regulatory certainty for investors as the NRC develops and streamlines frameworks for such facilities.”
18th International Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Analysis (PSA 2023)
Katrina M. Groth is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the associate director for research for the Center for Risk and Reliability at the University of Maryland. Groth’s research and educational activities focus on engineering safer systems through risk assessment and reliability engineering, with a particular focus on complex engineering systems. Groth’s research has enhanced system safety for applications including hydrogen fueling stations, hydrogen storage, gas pipelines, and nuclear power plants.
Groth has published over 75 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers, 30 technical reports, 2 patents, and multiple software packages. Her work has been cited over 3,000 times. She led the development of the HyRAM toolkit for hydrogen risk assessment, and led teams conducting analyses implemented in the U.S. and international hydrogen standards, NFPA 2 and ISO 19880-1. Her Human Reliability Analysis research has filled a critical gap in risk-informed decision making for nuclear regulators. Groth’s work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, PHMSA, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in projects totaling over $14M. She is the recipient of a 2021 NSF CAREER award, the 2021 David Okrent Award for Nuclear Safety, the 2022 Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award from the American Nuclear Society, and a technical leadership award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office. In 2021 she was an invited participant of the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium.
Prior to joining UMD, Groth was a Principal R&D Engineer at Sandia National Laboratories. She has a B.S in Nuclear Engineering, and an M.S. and PhD. in Reliability Engineering from the University of Maryland. Groth believes that risk assessment should be in every engineer’s toolbox. Throughout her career, Groth has been a dedicated mentor focused on increasing recruitment and retention of women and minorities in engineering. She is a trustee at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, where she is developing an exhibit on risk assessment.
Last modified June 6, 2023, 2:49pm EDT
