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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
Reimagining nuclear materials for the future of medicine
Nuclear medicine has come a long way since Henri Becquerel first observed the penetrating energy of radioactive materials in 1896. Today, technetium-99m alone is used in more than 40 million diagnostic procedures every year—from cardiovascular imaging and bone scans to cancer detection—making it the undisputed workhorse of nuclear medicine. That single statistic tells you something important: An enormous portion of modern diagnostic medicine rests on a surprisingly narrow foundation, one built around a small number of aging research reactors that were never originally designed for continuous isotope production.
Special Session|Panel
Tuesday, October 8, 2024|3:15–5:00PM MDT|Room 2 (Special Sessions)
The Net-Zero Nuclear (NZN) initiative, launched at COP28, has gained momentum in the industry, with more than 20 countries signing a Ministerial Declaration and over 130 nuclear energy and technology companies committing to the Industry Pledge to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. This session will outline the ambition behind the NZN initiative and consider nuclear energy's contribution to broader net-zero targets.
Panelists will share their plans to expand nuclear capacity and discuss how the industry can turn policy commitments into nuclear energy production. The session will highlight opportunities to scale nuclear energy, address the multiple challenges and roadblocks the industry must overcome, and the shift in approach needed to realize this ambition. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how the NZN pledge will shape future collaboration and accelerate the deployment of nuclear energy solutions on the path to net zero.
Michael Goff
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy
Rob Whittleston
AECL, Director, Technology, Innovation & Commercialization
Jhansi Kandasamy
INL Net Zero Director
Sama León
Director General, World Nuclear Association