ANS Nuclear Cafe

Construction at Vogtle units 3 and 4 and VC Summer units 2 and 3 is not going as well as many nuclear advocates would like. I'm not surprised, but neither are most people who have been involved in complex construction and technology projects that involve a lot of moving parts and numerous interested parties. Nothing that happens at those projects will change my mind that atomic fission is a superior way to produce heat and boil water. There is little chance that events at those individual projects will convince me that there is something fundamentally wrong with the advanced passive reactor plant design.

Hands-on activity during a November 2011 ANS teachers workshop

The American Nuclear Society's Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information and the ANS Outreach Department will sponsor a one-day teacher workshop on Saturday, June 23, in Chicago, Ill. The workshop-Detecting Radiation in Our Radioactive World-is for science educators, including elementary, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, physical science, life science, environmental, and general science teachers. The workshop will be held the day before the beginning of the ANS Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The May/June issue of Radwaste Solutions contains feature articles on nuclear decontamination and decommissioning. The issue is available in hard copy and electronically for American Nuclear Society members (must enter ANS user name and password in Member Center).

The 107th Carnival of nuclear energy bloggers is up at Idaho Samizdat.

What is life going to be like after fossil fuels?

Southern Company has collected some interesting facts about its new nuclear construction project now underway at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia.

Here is an in-depth video interview with American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen. Portions of this interview have been featured before in articles at the ANS Nuclear Cafe, such as "ANS Special Committee on Fukushima focuses on communication", "ANS to hold teacher workshop in Phoenix, AZ," and others, as well as in other venues. Here is the complete, unabridged version of the interview.

A recent public meeting held by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) turned out to be a horrific way for a nuclear supporter to spend an evening. The NRC held the meeting to report its annual review of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's performance. The plant received the highest safety ratings, but that was not the focus of the May 23 meeting in Brattleboro, Vt.-to put it mildly.

The American Nuclear Society's 2012 Annual Conference-Nuclear Science and Technology: Managing the Global Impact of Economic and Natural Events-will take place June 24-28 in Chicago, Ill.. Discount registration is available through Friday, June 1.

The 106th Carnival of nuclear energy bloggers is up at Atomic Power Review

The 2012 Nuclear Energy Assembly wrapped up this Wednesday evening in Charlotte, NC.  The Nuclear Energy Assembly is the nuclear energy industry's annual conference, attracting leaders worldwide from all segments of the industry.

President Barack Obama today announced his intent to nominate Allison Macfarlane to be U.S. Nuclear Regulatory (NRC) commissioner and to designate her as NRC chair upon her appointment. Macfarlane is an associate professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University (GMU), a position she has held since 2006. Macfarlane served as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future from March 2010 to January 2012.

Aris Candris

Aris Candris, Ph.D., senior advisor and a member of the Westinghouse Electric Company Board of Directors, is the recipient of the 2012 Henry DeWolf Smyth Nuclear Statesman Award. Established in 1972 by the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Smyth Award recognizes outstanding and statesmanlike service in the development and safe management of nuclear energy science. The award commemorates a lifetime's achievement in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Ready for the next leap in your career? Who doesn't like extra letters after their name? Well then, why not get a Professional Engineer license?

On May 21, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Chairman Gregory Jaczko announced that he would resign his position as soon as his successor is confirmed (Jaczko resignation statement). The New York Times in its reporting of the story noted:  "The White House said it would name a successor 'soon,' but it is unlikely that anyone will be confirmed to succeed Dr. Jaczko for many months, ensuring continued turmoil at the deeply divided agency."

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Chairman Gregory Jaczko announced today that he would resign his position as soon as a successor is confirmed. Jaczko has served on the 5-member commission since January 2005 and was named chairman in May 2009. His current term as commissioner was set to expire in June 2013.

The May issue of Nuclear News magazine is available in hard copy and electronically for American Nuclear Society members (must enter ANS user name and password in Member Center).  The issue contains the following feature articles:

Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park is a carnival of terrestrial energy

The Carnival is the collective voice of blogs with legendary names which emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy.

This week's Nuclear Matinee takes a nostalgic look back to the dawn of the Atomic Age and an exciting new power source: "atomic energy."

The nation continues to chart an independent course