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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
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October 2025
Latest News
Shifting the paradigm of supply chain
Chad Wolf
When I began my nuclear career, I was coached up in the nuclear energy culture of the day to “run silent, run deep,” a mindset rooted in the U.S. Navy’s submarine philosophy. That was the norm—until Fukushima.
The nuclear renaissance that many had envisioned hit a wall. The focus shifted from expansion to survival. Many utility communications efforts pivoted from silence to broadcast, showcasing nuclear energy’s elegance and reliability. Nevertheless, despite being clean baseload 24/7 power that delivered a 90 percent capacity factor or higher, nuclear energy was painted as risky and expensive (alongside energy policies and incentives that favored renewables).
Economics became a driving force threatening to shutter nuclear power. The Delivering the Nuclear Promise initiative launched in 2015 challenged the industry to sustain high performance yet cut costs by up to 30 percent.
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by RPD
Thursday, December 2, 2021|10:00–11:45AM EST |Columbia 2
Session Chair:
Pavel V. Tsvetkov (Texas A&M Un iversity)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Massimiliano Fratoni (University of California at Berkeley)
Student Assistant:
Erika Smith
A number of research reactors, test reactors and facilities are in operation or are being developed and built. They support important R&D programs towards current and future developments. Many of these facilities are at university campuses serving as both educational and R&D instruments. While the design space of research facilities is dominated by light water systems, the research capabilities are rapidly expanding towards advanced reactors. This panel will discuss ongoing and planned efforts involving research reactors, test reactors, and research facilities focusing on the significant opportunities offered by these systems in support of advanced reactor R&D.
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