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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
Sunday, August 20, 2023|8:30AM–4:00PM EDT
Cost $50. Bus leaves from T Street exit, accessible from the Terrace Level.
NS Savannah, the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Christened in 1959 under President Dwight Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace initiative, which challenged world leaders to develop peaceful uses of nuclear power, the ship served as a demonstration project for the potential maritime use of nuclear energy. On March 23, 1962, the NS Savannah became the first nuclear merchant ship at sea and is one of just four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built. The vessel is equipped with a two-loop, 80 MWt pressurized water reactor.
During its time as an active merchant vessel, Savannah sailed more than 450,000 miles, serving as both a passenger cargo ship and a nuclear power educational ambassador. The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991 for “exhibiting exceptional value in illustrating nuclear, maritime, transportation, and political heritages of the United States.”
The S.S. JOHN W BROWN is the last remaining troop transport from WWII and the last to have landed troops ashore as part of an amphibious landing. It is also the oldest remaining Liberty Ship in the world. It was built in and now is homeported in Baltimore in the pier adjacent to the NS Savannah.
Transportation and Lunch are included.
NOTE: The guests will be transported by the bus and divided into two groups. The tours will take place concurrently, and all participants will gather at the Savannah for lunch. Following the meal, the groups will exchange tours. Kindly be aware that the ships do not adhere to ADA compliance standards.
