ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
NRC posts hearing request notice for Belews Creek ESP application
An opportunity to request an adjudicatory hearing for Duke Energy Carolinas’ early site permit (ESP) application for the Belews Creek site in Stokes County, N.C., has been announced by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The notice of the opportunity was published February 9 in the Federal Register. The deadline to file a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is April 10, 2026.
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.
Download Digital Lesson in English
Download Digital Lesson in Spanish
Download Educator Guide
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.
Download Digital Lesson
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.
Download STEM Project Starter
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).
