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
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
2021 ANS Winter Meeting and Technology Expo
November 30–December 3, 2021
Washington, DC|Washington 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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Sep 2021
Jul 2021
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2021
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2021
Latest News
Matthew Denman: On Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Matthew Denman
Probabilistic risk assessment is a systematic methodology for evaluating risks associated with a complex engineered technology such as nuclear energy. PRA risk is defined in terms of possible detrimental outcomes of an activity or action, and as such, risk is characterized by three quantities: what can go wrong, the likelihood of the problem, and the resulting consequences of the problem.
Matthew Denman is principal engineer for reliability engineering at Kairos Power and the chair of the American Nuclear Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers Joint Committee on Nuclear Risk Management’s Subcommittee of Standards Development. As a college student at the University of Florida, Denman took a course on PRA but didn’t enjoy it, because he did not see its connection to the nuclear power industry. Later, during his Ph.D. study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his advisor was Neil Todreas, a well-known thermal hydraulics expert. Todreas was working on a project with George Apostolakis, who would leave MIT to become a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The project, “Risk Informing the Design of the Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor,” was a multi-university effort funded through a Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) grant. Todreas and Apostolakis were joined in this project by a who’s who of nuclear academia, including Andy Kadak (MIT, ANS past president [1999–2000]), Mike Driscoll (MIT), Mike Golay (MIT), Mike Lineberry (Idaho State University, former ANS treasurer), Rich Denning (Ohio State University), and Tunc Aldemir (Ohio State University).
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 August 24, 2021, 10:16am CDT
