ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
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.
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2024) Plenary SPeaker
Anastasia (Stacy) Mclaughlin is the Senior Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering Programs within the Weapons Production Directorate (ALDWP) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Laboratory is a principal contributor to the United States Department of Energy mission to maintain the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. LANL uses innovative science, technology, and engineering to enhance global nuclear security and protect the world. Los Alamos has an annual operating budget of approximately $3.9 billion, roughly 14,100 employees, and a 40-square-mile site featuring some of the most specialized scientific equipment and supporting infrastructure in the world.
As Senior Director, Stacy leads the non-defense nuclear programs within ALDWP to support national security and deep space endeavors. These programs provide world-class services in nuclear material research, process, and technology development and manufacturing capabilities that support nuclear non-proliferation, plutonium-238 science, manufacturing for NASA and Americium recovery occurring at the Los Alamos’s Plutonium Facility.
Stacy has over 25-years of technical and management experience working throughout the DOE/NNSA weapons complex in program and line management, quality engineering, non-destructive plutonium assay, plutonium processing and engineering, and hazardous waste management. She began her laboratory career as an undergraduate student at LANL in 1994, becoming a consultant, then a technical staff member, and advancing through multiple national security management positions to her present position.
Stacy earned a bachelor’s of science in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Riverside, and a master’s of engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.
Stacy is a native New Mexican, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She enjoys sports including skiing and swimming and watching her four children compete in a variety of sports. She is an avid reader and enjoys hiking.
Last modified January 19, 2024, 1:53pm MST
