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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
Jan 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.
Call For Papers Submit a Summary
Power Point Speaker Presentation Template
Presentation needs to be on a USB drive; if unable to use USB, contact your Session Chair. You will not be able to use your own laptop and must use the conference-provided laptop.
As back-ups to the USB drive, ANS recommends that you email your slides to yourself and upload them to the meeting platform.
Presenters will not be able to access the internet via the session-room laptop.
Paper presentations will be 15 minutes in length followed by a 5-minute discussion period.
Use of the conference’s PowerPoint template is optional.
To find or confirm your presentation time, use the Search the Program box in the Technical Sessions program. You can search by your name.
All presenters and panelists need to be registered for the meeting.
When you first check in to the conference at the registration/help desk, please tell the person who checks you in that you are a presenter.
To upload the slides to the meeting platform:
Must be registered for the Meeting to access the platform.
Click “Manage Your Papers” in the left-hand navigation bar (under your name) and then “Attachments/Add a New Attachment.”
To add your presentation, click “Add a New Attachment,” select the Presentation Slides (Admins) attachment type, add a document name, upload the file, and click “Add New Attachment."
On the day of your session:
Arrive to your assigned room (as listed in the program) at least 15 minutes before the start of the session.
Bring your slides on your USB drive to the session room.
Provide the Chair with a brief biography for introductions.
Do not ask the Session Chair to reschedule your paper within the session. Many attendees schedule their attendance at various sessions in accordance with the order of presentations listed in the program.
Technical session rooms will have the following equipment, which must remain in the room:
Laptop computer
LCD projector, screen, and laser pointer (LCD projectors will be able to project a resolution of 1024X576)
Microphone
VGA cable
Last modified August 18, 2023, 10:20am EDT
