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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
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
Submit Your Resume
The Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department is the largest within Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering — offering an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Nuclear Engineering. The department further offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree and a first of its kind hybrid doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.
All core courses are taught by highly skilled and talented individuals dedicated to each and every student. Their breadth of research expertise includes, but is not limited to: plasma physics for space exploration, nano-radioisotope for medical applications, neutron transports, thermal fluid science and molten salt chemistry for advanced reactor and nuclear fuel cycle, and nuclear safeguards for protecting our future safe and clean energy.
Students within the department have access to the latest, world-class tools and technologies via our academic and research laboratories. Research opportunities are readily available to both graduate and undergraduate students.
The VCU-Nuclear Engineering graduate program is now ranked 18th by the U.S. News & World Report for 2020-2021. We encourage you to visit our booth for more information about all our Nuclear Engineering program has to offer.
THURSDAY, APRIL 8
Visit Booth11:00 – 6:00 PM EDT: Live Q&APassword: GoRAMS2021
FRIDAY, APRIL 9
Visit Booth11:00 - 6:00 PM EDT: Live Q&APassword: GoRAMS2021
SATURDAY, 10 APRIL
Friday, April 9, 2021|3:30–4:30PM (4:30–5:30PM EDT)
