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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
On moving fast and breaking things
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
So much of what is happening in federal nuclear policy these days seems driven by a common approach popularized in the technology sector. Silicon Valley calls it “move fast and break things,” a phrase originally associated with Facebook’s early culture under Mark Zuckerberg. The idea emerged in the early 2000s as software companies discovered that rapid iteration, frequent experimentation, and a willingness to tolerate failure could dramatically accelerate innovation. This philosophy helped drive the growth of the social media, smartphones, cloud computing, and digital platforms that now underpin modern economic and social life.
Today, that mindset is also influencing federal nuclear policy. The Trump administration views accelerated nuclear deployment as part of a broader competition with China for technological and AI leadership. In that context, it seems willing to accept greater operational risk in pursuit of strategic advantage and long-term economic and security objectives.
13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)
Technical Session|Panel
Tuesday, July 18, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EDT|301C
Session Chair:
Pattrick Calderoni
Alternate Chair:
Craig Primer
Session Organizer:
Vivek Agarwal
The US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) program focuses on research and development (R&D) of technologies that benefit the nuclear community by enhancing measurement capabilities and addressing critical I&C technology gaps in support of sustaining the existing reactor fleet, deployment of next generation advanced reactor designs, and assisting ongoing materials and fuels experiments. ASI enables this crosscutting research by investing in emerging technologies under development at universities and national laboratories, and by evaluating and elevating technology maturity through technology commercialization efforts with industry partners. The program is organized in three research areas: sensors for advanced reactors, sensors for irradiation experiments and sensors integration. Each area technical lead is a panel member. The fourth panel member represents the perspective of one of the program major stakeholders, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This panel discusses the outcome of research activities funded by ASI and their implication on the accelerated deployment of advanced reactor technologies.
Christian Petrie
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Austin Fleming
INL
Christopher Cook
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
To join the conversation, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
Register NowLog In