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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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March 2025
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February 2025
Latest News
Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
2023 ANS Annual Meeting General Chair
Mark Peters is the Executive Vice President for National Laboratory Management and Operations at Battelle Memorial Institute with responsibilities for governance and oversight of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security national laboratories for which Battelle has a significant lab management role. Previously, he was the director of Idaho National Laboratory and president of Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC. He was responsible for management and integration of a large, multipurpose laboratory whose mission focuses on nuclear energy, national and homeland security, and energy and environmental science and technology. He managed this national laboratory of approximately 5,000 staff in multiple nuclear and nonnuclear experimental facilities, with an annual budget of over $1.4 billion.
He served two years as chairman of the National Laboratory Directors’ Council, an independent body that coordinates initiatives and advises the DOE and other national laboratory stakeholders. Prior to joining Battelle, he served as the associate laboratory director for Energy and Global Security at Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Peters serves as a senior adviser on nuclear energy technologies, research and development programs, and nuclear waste policy. As an expert in nuclear fuel cycle technologies and nuclear waste management, he is called upon to provide expert testimony to Congress and to advise in formulation of policies for nuclear fuel cycles, nonproliferation, and nuclear waste disposal.
In recognition of his distinguished contributions to engineering, in 2021, Dr. Peters was elected as a member of The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), for leadership and contributions in advancing U.S. nuclear energy capabilities and infrastructure. He was honored as a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in 2015, for outstanding accomplishments in the area of nuclear science and technology. He served on the ANS Public Policy Committee and the executive committee of the ANS Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division.
Dr. Peters also serves on several boards and advisory committees, including the Idaho Power Board from 2021 to present.
He received his doctorate in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Auburn University. He has received extensive management and leadership education and training, including completion of the Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Last modified January 19, 2023, 10:34am EST
