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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
Breaking ground on a new approach to construction
The drive to Kairos Power’s reactor demonstration site in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is not only scenic—it’s historic. Nearly 85 years ago, roughly 30,000 construction workers transformed orchards and farmland into a key Manhattan Project site. Depending on your route, you may pass by one of the three gatehouses that were once military checkpoints controlling access to Atomic Energy Commission production facilities.
What is the competition?
The ANS Fusion Energy Division (FED) sponsors a student paper competition at each TOFE that awards monetary prizes for outstanding papers. Undergraduate and graduate authors are judged to the same criteria. Depending on the number of applicants, up to three awards will be given in total, and awarded to either undergraduate or graduate students. The certificate presentation will take place at the TOFE conference.
Who is eligible?
Both graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to submit papers to the competition. The student must be the first author of the paper. The student must have already submitted an abstract to the conference as part of the normal TOFE abstract review process.
When is the deadline?
Papers should be emailed to Lauren Garrison (lgarrison@cfs.energy) by midnight on Tuesday May 19, 2026.
How to submit your paper for the competition?
Students who wish to participate in the competition should submit their full paper to Lauren Garrison (lgarrison@cfs.energy). The paper can be in .docx or .pdf format. The email should include the subject "TOFE student paper competition." The body of the email should state what university the student is enrolled in.
What type of papers are eligible and how to format papers?
Papers submitted to the competition should be the same style and quality as that which would be considered for publication in a peer reviewed journal. Please use the formatting guidelines of Fusion Science and Technology (FS&T) to format your papers. There is no page limit or requirement, but as a rough guideline, papers are often in the range of 5-15 pages. We hope that any students who submit their papers to the competition will also seek to publish their papers in FS&T in the TOFE special issues. For publication in FS&T, the student will need to submit their paper for publication on the normal TOFE publication deadline and through the journal website, which is separate from this competition. After you submit your paper to the TOFE student paper competition, you can revise it or make any desired changes before you submit it to FS&T for publication.
How are papers judged?
The papers will be reviewed by experts in the field of fusion science and technology. A scoring rubric is used to evaluate the quality and clarity of the writing as well as the scientific merit of the research. We are looking for papers where the scientific method of the research is sound, the writing is understandable with correct grammar, and appropriate references of related works are cited.
Do you have additional questions?
Please contact Lauren Garrison (lgarrison@cfs.energy)
Last modified May 12, 2026, 1:27pm MDT
