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
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
Latest News
ANS designates Armour Research Foundation Reactor as Nuclear Historic Landmark
The American Nuclear Society presented the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plaque last week to officially designate the Armour Research Foundation Reactor a Nuclear Historic Landmark, following the Society’s decision to confer the status onto the reactor in September 2024.
Glenn Murphy
Nuclear Technology | Volume 27 | Number 1 | September 1975 | Pages 11-14
Technical Paper | Education | doi.org/10.13182/NT75-A15930
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
With the realization that nuclear energy had a vast potential for peacetime development, universities throughout the country began to develop courses in nuclear energy. A pioneering educational effort was necessary because there were an inadequate number of trained faculty, no established curricula, no textbooks, and very little suitable equipment. Nevertheless, by the early 1950’s, several programs in nuclear science and engineering were beginning to provide instruction to potential nuclear engineers. At that time, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) established a nuclear committee to cooperate with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in nuclear education matters. With the financial support of the AEC, textbook material was developed, faculty training programs were instituted, and funds were made available for equipment. Because of the large interest shown in the field, many colleges and universities began to develop nuclear engineering curricula. After a few years, the need arose for general guidelines in curricular development. This led to the development of a Committee on Objective Criteria in Nuclear Engineering Education in which ASEE and the American Nuclear Society cooperated with the support of AEC. The committee report emphasized basic science, nuclear energy concepts, and nuclear technology, which have continued to be the significant components of a nuclear engineering curriculum. The last ten years have brought increased emphasis on BS programs, the introduction of extensive computer-based instruction, and an increasing emphasis on the engineering aspects of nuclear reactor power systems.