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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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On moving fast and breaking things
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
So much of what is happening in federal nuclear policy these days seems driven by a common approach popularized in the technology sector. Silicon Valley calls it “move fast and break things,” a phrase originally associated with Facebook’s early culture under Mark Zuckerberg. The idea emerged in the early 2000s as software companies discovered that rapid iteration, frequent experimentation, and a willingness to tolerate failure could dramatically accelerate innovation. This philosophy helped drive the growth of the social media, smartphones, cloud computing, and digital platforms that now underpin modern economic and social life.
Today, that mindset is also influencing federal nuclear policy. The Trump administration views accelerated nuclear deployment as part of a broader competition with China for technological and AI leadership. In that context, it seems willing to accept greater operational risk in pursuit of strategic advantage and long-term economic and security objectives.
Technical Session|Panel
Thursday, April 8, 2021|2:00–3:00PM EDT
Session Chair:
Elizabeth S. Sooby
Alternate Chair:
Amanda M. Bachmann
Session Organizer:
Edward Chen (NC State Univ.)
Track Organizer:
Session Producers:
Khadija Mahbuba (NCSU)
Hosted by the ANS Young Members Group Experiencing some sort of disruption due to Covid may be the thing we all have the most in common. Whether it was transitioning to online classes, parenting while navigating online study, having your laboratory temporarily closed, or foregoing a highly anticipated internship, the possible disruptions seem countless and could certainly be overwhelming. Join us for a discussion on the research, academic, and scholarly disruptions that students, and even faculty, have faced over the last year. We're prompting our panelists to share what disruptions most influenced their day to day lives and career plans. In addition, we hope everyone can share their academic "Covid hacks" so to say, and express some alternative directions, coping strategies, and over-all words of affirmation and encouragement for managing these disruptions. We will kick off the panel with a few virtual polls for our attendees to gauge how everyone has been and continues to be impacted, to make for a customized and interactive discussion.
Amanda Bachmann
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Lane Carasik
Virginia Commonwealth Univ.
Katherine Montoya
University of Texas San Antonio
Anna Balla
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Christopher Kulah
Oregon State University
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