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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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Feb 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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.
Advanced Reactor Safety (ARS) SPeaker
Mr. Hastings leads teams responsible for licensing, risk-informed safety analysis and probabilistic risk assessment, quality assurance, nuclear safeguards and security, and government affairs, with a focus on establishing the regulatory basis for development and deployment of the Kairos Power high-temperature, fluoride salt-cooled reactor. Prior to joining Kairos Power, he consulted with advanced reactor developers and NGOs on the regulatory framework for advance reactors, risk-informed regulation and emergency planning, and source term development. He held previous positions with Generation mPower, Duke Energy, and NuStart.
Mr. Hastings is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Advanced Reactor Working Group for the US Nuclear Industry Council, Chair of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Advanced Reactor Regulatory Working Group, Vice Chair of the World Nuclear Association’s CORDEL Working Group, Chair of the CORDEL Small Modular Reactor Task Force, Chair of the US High-Temperature Reactor Technology Working Group, and appointed member of the US Chamber of Commerce Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee, as well as a member of numerous industry steering committees. He earned his BS in nuclear engineering from NC State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in North and South Carolina.
Last modified June 11, 2024, 2:39pm PDT