ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Sep 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
May 4–8, 2025
Powering Today’s Ambitions to Reach Tomorrow’s Realities
Huntsville, AL|Huntsville Marriott and the Space & Rocket Center
Thomas M. Brown Ph.D. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Craig H. Piercy American Nuclear Society
Rae Ann Meyer NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Jason Turpin NASA's Space Nuclear Propulsion Project Office
Michael J. Barrett, Ph.D. NASA’s Glenn Research Center
Kurt Polzin, Ph.D. NASA's Space Nuclear Propulsion Office
Marsha McDanielIdaho National Laboratory
Les JohnsonNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
John M. Horack, Ph. D.Ohio State University
Travis Knight, Ph.D.University of South Carolina
L. Dale Thomas, Ph.D., P.E.University of Alabama in Huntsville
Koroush Shirvan, Ph.D.MIT
Davey Jones NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Joseph K. Miller BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC
Georgette Alexander-MorrisonX-energy Capture and Proposals
Christina A. Back, Ph.D.General Atomics Nuclear Technologies and Materials
Harsh S. DesaiZeno Power
NETS is the premier annual gathering of individuals from NASA, national laboratories, industry, and academia for discussions on space nuclear power and propulsion with an additional focus on new and emerging technologies to further space exploration capabilities.
Enhance your visibility at the NETS 2025 by becoming a sponsor. All sponsors are recognized on the meeting website and in promotional communications. All sponsors will also be acknowledged at the Opening Plenary and on signage displayed throughout the meeting. Sponsorship packages are limited, so reserve your sponsorship package early. Download the Prospectus
