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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!
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Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting Plenary Session Speaker
Dr. David Kropaczek of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the CASL Director and Deputy Technical Director for the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program. He joined ORNL in 2018 after having served as CASL Chief Scientist and Professor of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University. Dr. Kropaczek has over 30 years of experience in the field of nuclear energy with a focus on computational methods development in the areas of nuclear fuel cycle optimization, reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics for both PWRs and BWRs. Previous experience included positions in both R&D and leadership within Westinghouse, General Electric, and most recently, Studsvik Scandpower as CEO. He is a newly elected Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.
Last modified October 21, 2020, 10:32am EDT