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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
November 16–19, 2020
Nuclear is good for you
Virtual Meeting|Online
On behalf of the American Nuclear Society, we thank you for joining us this week for the 2020 ANS Winter Meeting!
Even though this year’s Winter Meeting is virtual, we are pleased to bring you a most exciting, informative, provocative, and educational conferences covering every facet of nuclear science and technology.
The theme of this year's meeting is “Nuclear: Good for You.” Our aim is to highlight the myriad ways that nuclear science and technology contributes to improving our environment, health care, and overall human flourishing.
Of course, the central component of any good ANS meeting is lively and engaging scientific and technical exchange, and this year is no exception with 3 plenary sessions, 35+ panel sessions, 100+ technical sessions, and 440+ paper presentations. Two virtually-colocated conferences are also included with your registration: Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) 2020 and The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL).
We will be exploring the larger questions of how we as a community communicate the "nutritional value” value of nuclear technology to society at large. With our meeting occurring two weeks after election day, we will also explore the coming debates on energy and climate from all sides of the ideological spectrum.
Finally, we are hosting a special Division Networking night on Monday in addition to our popular Trivia Nights being held on Tuesday and Wednesday. While it will never replace the face-to-face interaction and fellowship of an in-person ANS meeting, perhaps it can tide us over until we see each other again, hopefully in June 2021!
November's Winter Meeting promises to be one like no other. Register today!
Mary Lou Dunzik-GougarANS President
Craig H. PiercyANS Executive Director/CEO
