When I was registering for the various events scheduled to take place during the ANS Annual Meeting this past June, I was quite excited to see that one of the three technical tours would be at Exelon's Dresden Nuclear Station, not too far from downtown Chicago where the meeting was taking place. Luckily, I made the cut for attendance and was issued a ticket for the tour when I checked in at the meeting desk.

The August 2012 edition of the technical journal Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) is available electronically and in hard copy for American Nuclear Society member subscribers and others.

On Friday, March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes in the recorded history of the world occurred on the east coast of northern Japan. The earthquake generated a major tsunami, causing nearly 20,000 deaths.

The August 2012 issue of Nuclear News is available electronically and in hard copy for American Nuclear Society members.

February 25-28, 2013 • Albuquerque Marriott, N.M.

Gale Hauck, engineering project manager at Westinghouse Electric Company, is the new chair of the American Nuclear Society's Young Members Group (YMG). YMG Secretary Elia Merzari caught up with her and asked her to introduce herself, as well as her plans for the YMG.

The American Nuclear Society's Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo wrapped up yesterday in Hollywood, Fla. The annual executive conference is attended by hundreds of professional nuclear operators, vendors, and regulators in a format that promotes the open sharing of ideas.

Realizing New Technologies for the Age of Fusion Energy

It's time to make plans to attend the American Nuclear Society's 2012 Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, this year held in San Diego, Calif., on November 11-15 at the Town and Country Resort & Conference Center.

The American Nuclear Society's annual Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo kicks off this weekend at The Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa, located at 3555 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood, Florida.  The conference will be held August 5-8.

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

The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia addresses scientific topics of broad and current interest that cut across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. "The Science of Science Communication" was a Sackler Colloquium interdisciplinary scientific meeting held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., on May 21-22, 2012. At this meeting, American Nuclear Society Past President Dr. Eric Loewen addressed the other "three R's" of [nuclear] education:  Radiation, Reactors, and Residuals.

In this video interview, American Nuclear Society President Dr. Michael Corradini outlines some major goals and objectives for the Society during his upcoming term.

Following the American Nuclear Society Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, June 28, Michael Corradini officially became ANS President and Eric Loewen transitioned to ANS Immediate Past President. ANS President Corradini presented a commemorative gavel to the ANS Immediate Past President at the conclusion of Dr. Loewen's term.

ANS President Eric Loewen presented many prestigious and well-deserved honors and awards during the opening plenary of the 2012 American Nuclear Society annual meeting in June.  Photos and links:

At the ANS Annual Meeting in Chicago held June 24-28, I attended the "President's Special Session on Low Level Radiation and Its Implications for Fukushima Recovery," and also the follow-on panel "Health Effects of Low-Level Radiation." The two sessions together could well have been subtitled "The Tragedy of LNT." In case you've forgotten, LNT stands for "Linear No Threshold"-the popular misconception that radiation risk is proportional to dose all the way down to zero.

It is certainly exciting times for NASA and the space nuclear community, as physical testing of nuclear thermal rockets (NTRs) and associated components has begun at NASA and the Department of Energy laboratories across the country. Nuclear thermal propulsion, as discussed in a previous article, is just one form of nuclear propulsion with extensive research behind it, and the only form with an extensive testing background. Near-term efforts by NASA will focus on preparation for ground and flight tests of a scalable Nuclear Thermal Rocket around 2020. However, the larger purpose of the recently restarted testing track is to develop an engine for manned travel to an asteroid, and eventually to our neighboring planet, Mars.

American Nuclear Society (ANS) President Eric Loewen, PhD, presented ANS Outreach Department Director Sharon Kerrick (retired) with a Presidential Citation in recognition of her outstanding career of service to the American Nuclear Society.  Kerrick received her award during the ANS President's Special Session at the ANS Annual Conference: "Nuclear Science and Technology: Managing the Global Impact of Economic and Natural Events," recently held in Chicago, Illinois.

On Thursday, June 28, the American Nuclear Society's Board of Directors formally adopted a position statement entitled U.S. Global Nuclear Leadership through Export-Driven Engagement. ANS position statements reflect the Society's perspectives on issues of public interest that involve various aspects of nuclear science and technology. The text of the June 2012 position statement is below, and the full list of ANS positions statements can be accessed via the ANS website by clicking HERE.

ANS Social Media Meet Up