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Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott 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!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
Steven A. Arndt (NRC)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 993-999
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 603-1991, “IEEE Standard Criteria for Safety Systems for Nuclear Power Generating Stations,” a technology neutral standard incorporated by reference in 10 CFR 50.55a(h), serves as the key regulatory requirement for instrumentation and control (I&C) safety systems in nuclear power plants in the U.S. Although the use of this standard and other IEEE standards have proven to be an effective method for the review and acceptance of I&C systems in the U.S., the NRC staff and a number of their stakeholders have indicated that relying on only conformance this standard to demonstrate safety may not provide the flexibility that many licensees and applicants desire. Although the U.S. has used IEEE standards since the beginning of the commercial nuclear industry as the primary reference for the development and licensing of I&C systems in nuclear power plants, other standards, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards are widely used by vendors that provide components to the nuclear industry. There is an interest in using IEC standards to provide effective methods for the review of digital systems as part of the NRC review process. This paper will discuss possible alternatives for updating the regulatory infrastructure to accomplish this objective.