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.
Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
2022 ANS Annual Meeting
June 12–16, 2022
Anaheim, CA|Anaheim Hilton
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Jan 2022
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2022
Nuclear Technology
January 2022
Fusion Science and Technology
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A call to action
John C. Wagner
Like many of you, I have dedicated my career to the advancement of nuclear energy. We chose this path because clean energy changes lives. If we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, end energy poverty, develop a U.S. power grid that is secure and resilient, and ensure national security, nuclear must be a significant part of the mix.
But let us acknowledge the reality of our situation. Nuclear power plants continue to close. New reactor projects are too often delayed by cost overruns and red tape. Not having solved the politics for a permanent repository, spent fuel sits at shut-down reactor sites.
We find ourselves perpetually running the hamster wheel, building paper reactors, and grinding our teeth as critics cloud public discourse by regurgitating old fears and clinging to the tired tropes of a bygone era.
Spark a reaction in your classroom with nuclear science!
Engage your students in the fascinating world of nuclear science with standards-aligned resources that connect them to applications of nuclear processes. Students will explore the science behind creating energy with fission and fusion. They'll learn how to measure and use radiation--something they can't even see. And they'll apply what they learn to address real-world challenges.
Video | 5 Minutes
Educators can watch this short video to learn the best ways to implement the lesson plan resources in the classroom.
Candace Davison, assistant director of education and outreach at Penn State's Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, takes you from acquiring Geiger counters and radioactive sources to setting up the lab in your classroom.
Educator Lesson Plan | 135-180 Minutes
Students will explore the science behind nuclear power and apply what they learn to examine examples of the uses of nuclear power in electricity generation, space probes, and nuclear submarines.
Download Digital Lesson
Download Educator Guide
Through a series of investigations, students will explore the science behind measuring radiation and use what they learn to examine real-world uses of measuring radiation in detecting smoke in their homes, determining the properties of high-mass radioactive nuclei, and scanning shipments at seaports and airports.
Types of Energy
How does the energy stored in an atom's nucleus transform into the electricity that powers our lives?
Students will create a model of a nuclear power plant and explain the energy transformation in different parts of a nuclear reactor.
DOWNLOAD STEM PROJECT STARTER
Our Solar System and Beyond
How could nuclear fusion and fission change the way we power our lives?
Students will research the feasibility, advantages, and challenges of compact fission and fusion reactors as a source of power on Earth. They will support their work using data and calculations.
Download STEM Project Starter
Cells
How can a pill that uses radiation help doctors diagnose and treat diseases?
Students will research the uses of radiation in medicine and explore applications of radiation treatment. They will suggest how a radiopharmaceutical could be improved and propose an investigation to validate their design.
Last modified November 22, 2021, 10:43am CST
