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Beyond the grid
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
In this month’s issue of Nuclear News, readers will find coverage of the “other” areas where nuclear technology is pushing into new frontiers. From marine nuclear propulsion to nuclear systems that enable planetary exploration, the articles in these pages are a reminder that the influence of applied nuclear science extends far beyond the electric grid.
When many people hear the phrase “civil nuclear technology,” they still think first of power plants—an understandable association. Nuclear power has been one of the most reliable sources of large-scale electricity for decades. It is our storefront.
But nuclear technology has always been bigger than electrons.
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
