During the 2011 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting in Washington, DC, a gathering of ANS members interested in social media and nuclear communications was held, with standing-room-only attendance. As the conversation went around the room, and people discussed their involvement in nuclear communications, a common thread held throughout: The participants felt a moral calling to advance nuclear science and technology through their work, and through their communications via social media. Most participants recounted an obligation that they felt to their community or their family, including the futures of their grandchildren.

Eric Loewen, president of the American Nuclear Society, kept up his rapid pace last week as he visited the ANS local section in Aiken, S.C., on February 15, and the one in Charlotte, N.C., on February 16. Loewen, as the featured speaker at the meetings of the two sections, presented his personal talk titled "Plutonium: Promise or Peril".

Do you know someone who has worked tirelessly toward integrating young members into the American Nuclear Society? Do you know someone in the ANS Young Members Group who has demonstrated continued overall excellence in many areas? Now is your chance to nominate that person for national recognition of their efforts.

This week we'd might as well call the Carnival the "Vermont Yankee" edition because of all the news coming out of that state about this reactor.

Europe's biggest nuclear project is chopped down from five reactors to two

Discovery Channel seeks America's top inventors, machinists, and engineers to compete for a huge grand pr1ze

On February 11, 1939, a Letter to the Editor titled "Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: a New Type of Nuclear Reaction" appeared in the science journal Nature. The letter provided the first theoretical explanation for the splitting of the atom, and coined a new term in physics: fission. The woman who co-authored the letter, and co-discovered the power of nuclear energy, is perhaps not quite as well-known as some of her contemporaries. Elise Meitner-how could hers not be a household name?

On January 19, the Federal District Court in Brattleboro, Vt., issued a court decision in favor of Entergy Corporation, regarding the continued operation of its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Entergy had sued the State of Vermont on several issues, but mainly on Act 160, a Vermont law that was crafted to block the continued operation of the plant. The plant needs a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) from the state in order to keep operating, but Act 160 says that the state's Public Service Board needs legislative approval before it could release its findings on the application for the CPG. Without the new CPG, the plant would have had to shut down when the original one expires, on March 21, 2012. The federal court's decision "permanently enjoined" the state from using Act 160 to deny a CPG to Entergy; the basis for that decision is the supremacy of federal law over state law.

The Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Yes Vermont Yankee

Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's operating license would have expired on March 21, 2012, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the license to 2032. Vermont's legislature and a vocal part of the state's population don't like the idea of Vermont Yankee's continued operation. So, when confronted with an unpopular federal agency's decision, what's a concerned state legislature to do?

By a 4-1 vote, the agency opens the door to $14 billion in new construction of two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors

This article is the first in a series of info-graphic presentations about nuclear energy. This graphic compares the energy density of nuclear to that of wind power.

Several weeks ago in the quiet community of Gaffney, South Carolina, I attended a public meeting held by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss the potential environmental impact of Duke Energy's proposed William States Lee III site. About 100 anti-nuclear activists also descended on the meeting.

On February 2, 2012, Time Magazine's Ecocentric blog published a post titled Exclusive: How the Sierra Club Took Millions From the Natural Gas Industry-and Why They Stopped that has rocked the environmental community and the established energy industry. The story included the shocking news that the Sierra Club had accepted donations from Chesapeake Energy or its executives totaling nearly $26 million during the period from 2007-2010.

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) Board of Directors has selected Robert C. Fine, JD, CAE as the Society's new Executive Director, ANS President Eric P. Loewen announced today. "We're in a new era in the nuclear science and technology community. Today's appointment of Bob Fine demonstrates our recognition that we are committed to be a part of this new direction," said Loewen.

Soon after declaring that it would end the Yucca Mountain repository project, the Obama administration created the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future to reevaluate the nation's nuclear waste program and policies. The commission was asked to recommend improvements to the waste program and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), and to make general recommendations on the path forward. The commission was specifically instructed to not address the Yucca Mountain project, or any specific project or site. The commission's final report was released this month.

The 90th weekly edition of the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Atomic Power Review.

U.S. News & World Report, an online news publication, features a "Debate Club" section wherein a topic is posed in the form of a question and experts submit opinions (or op-ed) in support or opposition to the question.

Mark your calendars now for the 2012 ANS Student Conference! This year's conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., with the theme: Nuclear Science and Technology: Past, Present and Future. The ANS Nuclear Cafe will be carrying more details and developments in the days ahead.

Safety checks by the IAEA haven't boosted public confidence