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.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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
May 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
June 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
November 17–21, 2024
NOW COMES THE HARD PART…
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
Thank you for participating in the 2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo!
The Winter Conference TRANSACTIONS are now available to all who registered for the conference. Access to the TRANSACTIONS is linked to the account you used to register for the meeting.
You can also access the TRANSACTIONS by logging in to the ANS website. Then:
Click Subscriber Access from the left-hand navigation bar to go to the publication platform, epubs.
On the epubs platform, click TRANSACTIONS from the navigation bar.
On the next page, the 2024 Winter Conference TRANSACTIONS will be available.
ANS Winter Conference and Expo 2024 photos are available here.
Fireside Chat | Monday, November 18 | 8:00–11:30AM
Opening Plenary PanelMonday, November 188:00–11:30AM EST
Tuesday Plenary:Nuclear Power’s Role in Military Installation ResilienceTuesday, November 198:00–9:45AM EST
Dr. Rian BahranWhite House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)
Nancy J. BalkusU.S. Air Force
Walter LudwigU.S. Navy
The Honorable Rachel JacobsonU.S. Army
The excitement over nuclear technology has reached new heights. Not since the 60s have the prevailing winds been so strong at our backs.
A good set of policies driven by historic bipartisan support in Washington and increased interest at the state level. Long term electricity demand growth trends, propelled by AI/data centers and the re-shoring of domestic manufacturing, are real and increasingly appear durable.
Nuclear has finally reached the high ground. The hardest part of the journey, however, still lies ahead.
The industry faces a set of steep challenges as it moves from conceptual designs to detailed engineering, and from First of a Kind (FOAK) to Nth of a Kind (NOAK) costs, while navigating the NRC licensing process, new financing models, fuel availability and waste management issues, and the need for a rapidly growing nuclear workforce.
No challenge is insurmountable, but they will require the collective commitment of the entire U.S. nuclear enterprise—developers, suppliers, national labs, universities, investors, off-takers, high school science teachers—to succeed. Most of all, it will require the knowledge, experience, creativity and fortitude of every man and woman who in some way devote themselves to harnessing the power of the atom.
Kicking off barely two weeks after an historic election, this year’s ANS Winter Conference promises to be a unique opportunity to take stock of the hard technical challenges ahead and see the paths to success. Join us as we roll up our sleeves and get to the hard part.
Enhance your visibility at ANS Winter Conference & Expo by becoming a sponsor. All sponsors are recognized on the conference website, conference communications, at the Opening Plenary and on signage displayed throughout the conference. Sponsorship packages are limited, so reserve your sponsorship package early. View our prospectus for more information.