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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2024
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Fusion Science and Technology
February 2024
Latest News
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
Melanie A. Kulesz, Kenneth B. Kahn, Sama Bilbao y León (Virginia Commonwealth Univ), invited
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 793-799
As part of a research project funded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Nuclear Energy University Program (NU-12-VA-VCU_-0205-01), a study was undertaken to examine the best practice themes of Educate, Communicate, and Affiliate for underlying successful branding/re-branding campaigns. These themes were specifically examined to see if people’s perception of the nuclear fuel cycle could be influenced in a positive direction. The Educate theme corresponded with five key messages on nuclear energy, which were incorporated into an infographic. Communicate was enacted using the infographic, thereby assessing the role and impact of an infographic in influencing public perception of the nuclear fuel cycle. The testing campaign employed the use of the Net Promoter Score, which represents the blue ribbon standard most companies use to measure and understand customer’s preferences and experiences. The Net Promoter Score methodology includes segmenting a particular group of individuals in detractors, passives, or promoters. A baseline Net Promoter Score to measure energy customer’s preference for nuclear energy was initially established in a pilot test conducted by a team of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Executive MBA students. This team of students also developed the first version of the survey. Replication of results was undertaken by the research team using a survey methodology with a nationwide US sample.
Preliminary results provide strong evidence that use of an infographic can improve opinions to support, recommend, choose, and prefer nuclear energy relative to other energy sources. These results and implications are presented and discussed.