Lancaster University in England is the home of an unusual nuclear power simulator that can be used for both fusion and fission education.

Hash Hashemian
president@ans.org

Kindergarten classrooms, the control rooms of newly completed reactors, and the meeting rooms of ANS local sections all have one thing in common: they are only made useful once they are filled with hardworking and passionate people.

In March, I had the privilege of engaging with some of the people in these spaces: the students, regulators, lawmakers, and fellow scientists from across several states who are working to build up the nuclear industry every day. These interactions served as yet another reminder that people serve as the bedrock of our work to push nuclear energy forward.

The month began here in my home city of Oak Ridge, where I welcomed a group of kindergartners from Woodland Elementary School to tour both the headquarters of AMS and the Roane State Community College Nuclear Technology Lab.

Before the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011, nuclear power from 54 reactors provided about 30 percent of Japan’s electricity. In the wake of the disaster, Japan shut down every one of its reactors.

Recently, the country has been restarting its nuclear power plants. Among its current fleet of 33 operable reactors, fewer than half have been restarted. Nuclear power is currently providing about 8.5 percent of Japan’s electricity (with natural gas and coal accounting for more than 60 percent).

The Japanese government’s present energy plan, announced last year, calls for nuclear power to meet 20 percent of the country’s electricity needs by 2040. While the government views nuclear as a crucial asset toward meeting its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, public support for nuclear energy also continues to increase. A 2012 Pew Research poll—conducted one year after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster—indicated that 70 percent of the public opposed nuclear power. However, a 2022 poll by Nikkei Business Publications suggests that now, more than 50 percent of the public supports nuclear power—if safety can be ensured.

Contributing their expertise to these restarts in recent years are young nuclear industry professionals who were trained a decade ago in a mentorship/training program involving U.S. institutions.

This “Super Engineer Project” was sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry and Hokkaido University from 2015 to 2017. METI sponsored the project to improve the Japanese nuclear safety culture by learning from the U.S. safety culture.

The Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) is set to become the first maritime academy in the United States to offer a major in nuclear engineering technology. The college characterized it as “an important step in addressing workforce needs and advancing clean energy solutions” in a LinkedIn post announcing the major.

The University of Missouri’s President’s Distinguished Lecture Series featured a talk by William D. Magwood IV, director general of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and a former NRC commissioner, on May 13 at the Columbia campus’s Bond Life Sciences Center. Magwood speech was titled “The Next Nuclear Energy Era: Opportunities and Challenges.”

The Roy G. Post Foundation has announced the awarding of 87 scholarships totaling more than $500,000 for graduate and undergraduate students demonstrating excellent academic achievements, leadership qualities, and positive impacts in their communities.

The University of Texas–Austin has released a report, Cultivating Homegrown Nuclear Talent in Texas: Workforce Development Recommendations for Advanced Nuclear Development, which emphasizes general actions needed for the state to meet the near-term demand for workers in the nuclear industry.

The report was prepared by a group of more than 50 stakeholders from the nuclear power industry, educational institutions, labor groups, and state agencies based on the findings of the 2025 Texas Nuclear Workforce Development Workshop, which was convened at the University of Texas–Austin to align these stakeholders on actionable recommendations.

Three actions: To improve the workforce pipeline, the report recommends the following:

Earlier this year, Nuclear Waste Services, the radioactive waste management subsidiary of the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, hosted a group of five teenagers for a week of exposure to real-world work environments at its facilities in Calderbridge, Cumbria. The students learned about career opportunities and leadership responsibilities at the company while they engaged with senior management and performed activities with several NWS teams, including employees in the environmental, waste characterization, cybersecurity, human resources, and geological disposal facility grants departments.

The American Nuclear Society’s ANS Cares Committee recently hosted a webinar examining and exploring ways to overcome the common cost barriers to pursuing a nuclear education.

Tyler Folse, a nuclear engineer with more than 10 years of experience, is bringing his unique spin and sense of humor to the masses as he debunks common nuclear misconceptions online.

The Nuclear Company, which in April opened its primary engineering and construction office in Columbia, S.C., announced a partnership with the University of South Carolina’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, whereby the company will invest up to $5 million in the college over five years. USC is to match the private investment with funds from federal grants, industry partners, and other donors.

TerraPower announced yesterday that it has begun construction on the Kemmerer Training Center (KTC) at the site of the Natrium project in Kemmerer, Wyo. According to the company, the state-of-the-art KTC is the second facility to reach the construction milestone of the advanced nuclear project.

NuScale Power Corporation’s latest Energy Exploration (E2) Center has opened at South Carolina State University, in Orangeburg. E2 Centers are designed to provide visitors with hands-on experiences in simulated scenarios of operations at nuclear power plants. NuScale has established 10 such centers around the world. The company officially presented the fully installed E2 Center to SC State on May 21, after a collaborative setup and training process was completed.

ANS President Lisa Marshall recently sat down with Phil Zeringue, vice president of strategic partnerships at Nuclearn.ai to talk about the evolving state of education in the nuclear world.

The Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) has provided funding to 15 classrooms in southeastern Idaho to support local educators and encourage the next generation of workers to pursue technical careers, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management announced. The IEC, which is led by Amentum and includes North Wind Portage as a partner, was awarded a 10-year, $6.4 billion contract in 2021 to manage cleanup operation at the Idaho National Laboratory Site.

Penn State and Westinghouse Electric Company are working together to site a new research reactor on Penn State’s University Park, Pa., campus: Westinghouse’s eVinci, a HALEU TRISO-fueled sodium heat-pipe reactor. Penn State has announced that it submitted a letter of intent to host and operate an eVinci reactor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on February 28 and plans to engage with the NRC on specific siting decisions. Penn State already boasts the Breazeale reactor, which began operating in 1955 as the first licensed research reactor at a university in the United States. At 70, the Breazeale reactor is still in operation.

WM Symposia (WM), which hosts the Waste Management Conference every year in Phoenix, Ariz., has launched a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Educators’ Council to support educators as they prepare students for potential careers in the nuclear industry.

The Roy G. Post Foundation announced on February 6 that a total of $310,000 in scholarships will be awarded this year to college students in recognition of their academic achievements, leadership qualities, and positive impacts on their communities.

Lis Marshall
president@ans.org

Six months into my ANS presidency, the pace has been hectic yet good. I’ve taken nearly two dozen trips to student and local chapters; companies; and various regional, national, and international meetings, where I’ve spoken about the current and future path of nuclear: people-centered interactions that focus on the benefits and capacities of our technologies.

Perception, timing, and financing remain challenges. Perception can be addressed in our deeds, so I am heartened by continuing industry collaborations and subsequent communication to strengthen efforts in the arenas of energy security, environmental stewardship, and (inter)national leadership as we assist new-to-nuclear nations; leverage our outreach, educational, and policy instruments; and volunteer our expertise.

In November, I joined ANS’s delegation to COP29 Baku, Azerbaijan, where we strove be the voice of the nuclear community. Our presence at this and future Conferences of the Parties is necessary if we are to continue the momentum around nuclear science and technology.

The Nuclear Energy Institute has launched a new website that focuses on nuclear industry career awareness. NuclearWorks is designed “to allow students and potential job seekers the ability to identify career and/or education opportunities in the industry that align with their interests and skills/background,” according to Lori Brady, senior director of NEI’s Human Resources and Workforce Development.