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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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NN Asks: Is the U.S. ready for nuclear construction to accelerate?
Craig Stover
Yes, but . . .
The United States is better positioned today for nuclear construction than it has been in decades. Some of that comes from the experience gained at Vogtle and V.C. Summer. I was part of the team that helped start the V.C. Summer project in 2008, and at that time we were trying to build a nuclear construction workforce from scratch. We learned a lot through that effort, and many of those lessons learned have since been studied, documented, and shared.
The nuclear industry is also benefiting from the wave of investment that started growing around 2020. Over the last five or six years, there has been a serious effort across the country to get ready for new nuclear builds. The U.S. government and the private sector are investing billions of dollars in new nuclear. Much of that work is happening before widespread commercial deployment contracts are signed. This is real, and we need to prepare.
Power up the learning in your classroom with digital lesson plans, project starters, career resources, and more that introduce students to nuclear processes and the surprising ways they benefit society!
Explore the vast world of nuclear science with your students to uncover the diverse applications of this field and debunk some common misconceptions about nuclear. From fission, to fusion, to building their own atoms, students will learn nuclear processes and applications while developing key STEM skills.
Video | 10 Minutes
Watch as Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, Immediate Past President of the American Nuclear Society and Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Idaho State University, demonstrates ways to make this digital lesson bundle even more tangible and engaging for student scientists!
Lesson Bundle | 45 Minutes
In this digital lesson bundle, students will investigate the various types of radiation and the role that each plays in our lives. Students will discover how wave and particle radiation differ and what ionizing radiation is. They will learn about the radioactive decay of isotopes and use this information to balance nuclear decay equations.
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Educator Lesson Plan | 45 Minutes
In this activity, students will summarize the unique characteristics of radiation and how it is used to treat cancer through a Think-Pair-Share activity.
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In this activity, students will be introduced to the concepts of mass defect and nuclear binding energy. They will explore the idea of nuclear binding energies in the context of fusion as they calculate the amount of energy released in a fusion reaction using Einstein’s published E=mc2 equation.
Students will learn to use the periodic table as a tool to predict a nuclide’s properties. After a quick vocabulary refresher, students will engage in an interactive “Heads Up” game, working in groups to use the periodic table to correctly guess the term shown on a card.
Students first will watch a video explaining fission and fusion. Then, students will apply their knowledge of fission and fusion as they engage in a kinesthetic “Four Corners” activity, voting with their feet as they compare fission and fusion.
How does radiocarbon dating help detect art forgeries?
In this activity, students will investigate radioactive decay, half-life, and the process of radiocarbon dating.
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How are radioactive isotopes used in nuclear batteries?
Students will compare and contrast different types of nuclear processes and design a future prototype for a small-scale nuclear battery that will address one of three design problems.
How can radiation solve problems and benefit humans?
In this lesson, students will be introduced to how radiation, such as gamma radiation, can be used to help solve problems by examining the quest to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes using the Sterile Insect Technique: (SIT).
