By Wayne Laib

The push for books

Happy Thanksgiving! The topic for the American Nuclear Society's Special Award in 2011 is "Innovations in Small Modular Reactors."

What does it mean to be a nuclear engineer? That question is not as

On November 15, Audeen Fentiman testified before the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC).  The BRC was established by U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in January 2010 to provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the nation's used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. The BRC  will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

Marcus

Gail Marcus will be signing copies of her new book, Nuclear Firsts: Milestones on the Road to Nuclear Power Development, at the ANS Winter Meeting in Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel. The schedule for the signings is:

As we gather to discuss innovations and the next steps forward in nuclear development, I am taking advantage of our new ANS blog site to talk about some communications initiatives undertaken by the Society. As nuclear professionals, we have an obligation to share our technical understanding and scientific perspective with policymakers, educators, students, and the public-and we also need to be sure that we are communicating effectively with each other so that we can speak to today's energy issues with a unified voice.

The November issue of Nuclear News will soon be available electronically to ANS members. The issue contains a special section on nuclear nonproliferation, featuring the following articles:

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) will be participating on Saturday and Sunday, October 23-24, at the grand finale Expo of the USA Science & Engineering Festival, to be held on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.

The November/December issue of Radwaste Solutions will soon be available electronically to ANS members. This issue includes the fifth annual Buyers Guide, which is a directory of companies that provide products or services that relate directly to work at Department of Energy cleanup and remediation sites and civilian decommissioning projects, as well as to radioactive waste management in both the utility and specialized nonpower/nongovernment segments of the nuclear industry. This year's Buyers Guide includes information on nearly 400 companies listed in more than 150 categories.

Notes & Updates from the ANS Professional Divisions

ANS sponsors or cosponsors the following upcoming meetings:

It is sometimes a little hard for me to believe, but I have been involved in nuclear engineering education for more than 16 years. For many of those years, I was a student, climbing my way up to achieve a doctorate in nuclear engineering. Now I am an educator, which in many ways is just a different kind of student.

The September/October issue of Radwaste Solutions will soon be available electronically to ANS members. This issue includes the following three feature articles on environmental remediation:

American Nuclear Society (ANS) members can renew their memberships online via the ANS website -- click here to get started!

Notes & Updates from the ANS Professional Divisions

Retired Entergy CEO Mike Kansler

Retired Entergy Nuclear CEO Mike Kansler garnered industry recognition at the 2010 American Nuclear Society's Utility Working Conference on August 9, 2010. Kansler, a 30-year industry veteran who served at Entergy for nearly a dozen years, received the Utility Leadership Award.  Given only to industry leaders, Kansler's achievements in his career earned him this national utility distinction.

ANS President Joe Colvin

As the American Nuclear Society President, I am pleased to welcome you to the ANS Nuclear Cafe.  The Society has opened the ANS Nuclear Cafe to communicate timely information and perspectives on all things nuclear.   This online forum will include ANS member perspectives on a range of nuclear topics and activities, as well as highlight the resources and benefits of the Society to nuclear professionals.