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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Extracting efficiency
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
May is a month when we pause—briefly—to recognize something that too often goes unsaid: the extraordinary performance of the existing U.S. nuclear fleet. Capacity factors remain above 90 percent (with a median of 91.29 for the three-year period 2023–2025—see Nuclear News, May 2026, p. 24), an impressive figure delivered at a scale unmatched anywhere else on the globe. That level of sustained output is not an accident of design; it is a daily achievement. It reflects the discipline, professionalism, and pride of the men and women who operate and maintain these facilities, often without fanfare.
In this issue, you will also read about the important work researchers at our national laboratories are doing to extract even greater efficiency from the plants we already have. That effort deserves more attention, because it points to a fundamental truth: the fastest, most reliable way to expand nuclear generation in the United States is not solely through new builds—it is by maximizing the assets already on the grid.
June 15–19, 2014
The U.S. Role in a Global Nuclear Energy Enterprise
Reno, NV|Grand Sierra Resort
The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, located at 2500 East Second Street, Reno, NV 89595, will be the location for the 2014 ANS Annual Meeting, where all meeting activities and technical sessions will take place. The special room rate for the meeting is: $159.00/per night (single / double rate). Reservations can be made online at:Grand Sierra Resort To register by phone for a guest room: 800-501-2651. Attendees must identify themselves as part of the American Nuclear Society to receive the group rate
Assistant General Chairs:
Jon Carmack (Department Manager, Idaho National Laboratory)
Kathryn A. McCarthy (Director, LWRS Tech Integration Office, Idaho National Laboratory)
General Chair:
John J. Grossenbacher (Laboratory Director and President, Idaho National Laboratory)
Assistant Program Chairs:
Martin B. Sattison (Division Director, Idaho National Laboratory)
Jeff Brault (Consultant)
Program Chair:
Eric A. Burgett (Associate Professor, Idaho State University)
Embedded Topical
Program Chairs:
Sue Aggarwal (President, NMNT International Inc.)
Steve Tibrea (Manager R&D Engineering, Savannah River National Laboratory)
David C. Moody (Manager, Department of Energy SRS)
Honorary Chair:
Thomas Sanders (Associate Lab Director, Energy Tech Initiative, Savannah River National Lab)
Heather MacLean Chichester (Nuclear Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory)
Kurt A. Terrani (Staff Scientist-Weinberg Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
General Chairs:
Lance Snead (Distinguished Research Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Todd R. Allen (Deputy Laboratory Director, Idaho National Laboratory)
Technical Program Chairs:
Dr. Donna Post Guillen (Distinguished Staff Engineer, INL)
Horst-Michael Prasser (Paul Scherrer Institute)
Prof. Jong Hyun Kim (Professor, KAIST & Consulting Executive EPRI)
Dr. Kurshad Muftuoglu (Principal Engineer, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy)
Prof. Seungjin Kim (Associate Professor, PSU)
Dr. Elia Merzari (Nuclear Engineer, ANL)
