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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Jan 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2026
Nuclear Technology
December 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
November 2025
Latest News
Meta’s new nuclear deals with Oklo and TerraPower: The details
Tech giant Meta is making big bets on TerraPower and Oklo. With the former, the hyperscaler could support the deployment of up to eight new reactors. With the latter, it could be as many as sixteen.
For both start-ups, Meta hopes its demand bolsters supply chains, the workforce, and the nuclear industry generally. For itself, the company is aiming to secure more generation to cleanly power its AI ambitions.
Chicago-Great Lakes Local Section Event
February 27, 2025|6:00–7:00PM (7:00–8:00PM EST)
Available to All Users
Join the ANS Chicago-Great Lakes Local Section for a presentation on the advancements in nuclear energy through the Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR) project at Abilene Christian University (ACU).
The presentation will focus on the MSRR's critical role in addressing global challenges, the advantages of using molten salt as a medium for energy production, safety features, the development timeline, key milestones, and future prospects for both Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The presentation will be followed by an interactive Q&A session into the MSRR's potential impacts on society and the environment.
Please register for this hybrid event and indicate whether you will be attending virtually or in person at the ANS Headquarters office (1111 Pasquinelli Dr., Suite 350, Westmont, IL 60559).
About the PresenterLester Towell, Director of Operations, ACU NEXT Lab, earned his bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from Abilene Christian University in 1990. For the next four years, he served in the US Navy as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, FL where he taught Reactor Principles and Physics. In 1995, Towell joined the Computer Information Systems department at Howard Payne University and moved to the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab at ACU in 2020 as the licensing manager for the first university advanced reactor in the country.
