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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
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.
