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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Technical Session|Panel|Panels
Friday, April 17, 2026|10:45–11:45AM CDT|MSC 2404
Session Chair:
Andrew Nickell
Alternate Chair:
Vincent Su
Session Organizer:
Carlo Dal Colletto (TAMU)
This debate panel tackles one of the most persistent challenges in nuclear energy: what to do with spent nuclear fuel. Should the United States follow countries like France and pursue a reprocessing and recycling strategy that extracts remaining energy from used fuel? Or should we focus on developing a permanent deep geological repository like Yucca Mountain or alternatives? Both paths require enormous upfront investment, involve different long-term risks, and carry significantly different nonproliferation implications. This panel will give students a clear view of the technical, economic, and policy dimensions of this long-unresolved national challenge.
Kenneth Peddicord
Texas A&M University
Ashley Forbes
Encore Energy
Rodney Baltzer
Deep Isolation, Inc.
Peter Swift
NWTRB
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