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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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Sep 2025
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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.
Visit Web Site
Kairos Power is a mission-driven company singularly-focused on enabling the world’s transition to clean energy through the commercial deployment of its fluoride-salt cooled, high-temperature reactor. Kairos Power is leveraging proven technologies and an iterative development and demonstration approach, while actively engaging utility stakeholders to deliver its cost-effective reactor design.
Kairos Power employees will be featured as key speakers in several sessions during the ANS Winter Conference. Visit the sessions below to learn more about which ones Kairos Power employees will participate in.
Advances in Design Through Advanced Reactor Development Program
Technical Session|Panel
Abdalla Abou-Jaoude (INL), Massimiliano Fratoni, Gregory M. Core (INL)
Panelists: James Vollmer (Terrapower - Natrium), Eben Mulder (X-energy), Per Peterson (Kairos Power), Josh Walter (Terrapower - MCRE)
2021 ANS Winter Meeting and Technology Expo
RPD
Friday, December 3, 2021|5:00–6:45AM (8:00–9:45AM EST)
SESSION
CEO Perspectives on Innovation in Nuclear Licensing: a game-changer to tackle climate change
Executive Session|Panel
Nuclear Innovation Alliance, Judi Greenwald (Nuclear Innovation Alliance)
Panelists: Simon Irish (Terrestrial Energy), Mike Laufer (Kairos Power), Jake DeWitte (Oklo), Harlan Bowers (X-energy)
Executive Track
Thursday, December 2, 2021|10:00–11:45AM (1:00–2:45PM EST)
Thermal Hydraulics Issues in Licensing of Advanced Reactors
Stephen M. Bajorek, Elia Merzari
Panelists: Stephen M. Bajorek (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission), Brandon P. Haugh (Kairos Power LLC), John C. Luxat (McMaster University), Robert P. Martin (BWXT), Chul-Hwa Song (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute), Chris Lohse (INL)
THD
Friday, December 3, 2021|7:00–8:45AM (10:00–11:45AM EST)
Additional Resources and papers that feature Kairos Power employees:
PAPER
LSTM Validation of Fiber Optics Distributed Temperature Sensing
Stella Pantopoulou (ANL), Darius Lisowski (ANL), Anthonie Cilliers (Kairos Power), Alexander Heifetz (ANL)
HFICD|Implications of ML and AI for I&C/HFE
Wednesday, December 1, 2021|1:20–2:45PM (4:20–5:45PM EST)
Advanced Nuclear Industry Prepared for Future Licensing and Deployment
Cyril W. Draffin (US Nuclear Industry Council), Jeffery S. Merrifield (Pillsbury), Peter Hastings (Kairos Power)
OPD|Advanced Nuclear Reactors and Power Systems - III
