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Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
First concrete marks start of safety-related construction for Hermes test reactor
Kairos Power announced this morning that safety-related nuclear construction has begun at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., site where the company is building its Hermes low-power test reactor. Hermes, a scaled demonstration of Kairos Power’s fluoride salt–cooled, high-temperature reactor technology, became the first non–light water reactor to receive a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December 2023. The company broke ground at the site in July 2024.
General Chair:
Sean Bistany
Technical Program Chair:
Jonathan Balog
Technical Director:
Carolina Dutra
Logistics Director:
Alex Nellis
DEI Director:
Brandon Castillo
Program Director:
Joseph Brennan
Finance Director:
Casimir Morgan
Sponsorship Coordinator:
Ethan Kunz
Organizer Biographies
General Chair
Sean is a 1st year MS student in Nuclear Engineering performing research under Dr. Elia Merzari. He received his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering from Penn State in 2023. This past summer he interned with Constellation in the Nuclear Fuels department. Sean has been an active member of the ANS-PSU chapter holding the positions of Technical Director, President, and Historian/Govenour. In addition to the ANS-PSU chapter, Sean has been an active member and held leadership positions in the Alpha Nu Sigma, WIN, and INMM PSU chapters along with national memberships of WIN and INMM. Sean’s research focuses on computational thermal hydraulics.
Technical Program Chair
Jonathan is a 4th year Ph.D. Candidate in Nuclear Engineering and Rickover Fellow performing research under Dr. Arthur Motta. He graduated with B.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering with a minor in Engineering Mechanics from Penn State University in 2019. He has interned with the Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WEC). Jonathan has been involved in ANS since starting at PSU in January 2016, holding the positions of Conference Chair, Treasurer, and Historian/Govenor of the PSU ANS Student Chapter. In addition, he served as the Student Program Co-Chair for the 2022 ANS Annual Meeting and co-led the successful ANS Student Conference Bid. Jonathan has interests in materials science, additive manufacturing, and nuclear security. Outside of the classroom, he is an avid gardener, serving as the President of the PSU Community Garden and loves to support Penn State Soccer as well as Lacrosse!
Technical Director
Carolina is a Ph.D. Candidate in Nuclear Engineering at Penn State, performing research under Dr. Elia Merzari. She graduated in 2020 with a B.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil. Carolina has completed internships at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL). She plans to return to INL as an intern again this summer. Since 2018, Carolina has been involved with the American Nuclear Society (ANS). She previously served as the co-president and academic director of UFRJ's Nuclear Engineering Student Section (SEEN), affiliated with ANS's Latin American Section. At Penn State, she is the President of WIN and the event planner for Alpha Nu Sigma. Carolina's research interests include computational fluid dynamics and advanced nuclear reactors.
Logistics Director
Alex Nellis is a 1st year PhD student in Nuclear Engineering. He received his B.S. in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering from Penn State in 2023. Additionally, he is an NRC-licensed Reactor Operator at the PSU RSEC and has worked there since the start of 2022. An active member in ANS-PSU, he has been a member since his freshman year in 2019. Along with ANS-PSU, Alex is a member of the PSU WIN chapter and is the Vice President for the Alpha Nu Sigma chapter at Penn State.
DEI Director
Brandon is a 3rd year Majoring in Nuclear Engineering. He has been involved in ANS as outreach director and is the current president of the ANS Penn State Student Section. Brandon is also an active member of WIN and INMM. Currently Brandon is an undergraduate researcher under Dr Nieto Perez, experimenting with the use of liquid metals for fusion applications. This summer he will intern with Constellation.
Program Director
Joseph is a 4th year Majoring in Nuclear Engineering. He is an active member of ANS. Joseph is also an active member of INMM. Currently Joseph is an undergraduate researcher under Dr Scurti, experimenting with the use of fiber optics under radiation environments. This past summer he interned with Idaho National Lab working on thermal hydraulic simulations using pronghorn.
Finance Director
Casimir is a 2nd year student studying Nuclear Engineering. He has been involved in ANS as the vice president of the Penn State Student Section and is currently an active member of ANS. Casimir will intern with Constellation in fuel reliability and vendor oversight this summer.
