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Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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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“Life is a roller coaster. It’s best ridden with your hands in the air.”
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
I find myself saying the expression above a lot these days—to my kids, my wife, my friends, and colleagues. Most recently, I said it to the person sitting next to me after the pilot of our plane—bound for Reagan National Airport a day after the collision of AA flight 5342 and a military Blackhawk helicopter—aborted the landing at the last minute.
I am not sure where I picked up this pronouncement, but I find it to be apropos to the topsy-turvy moment where we find ourselves in 2025. In addition to the first U.S. commercial airline crash in 15 years, we are witnessing a new presidential administration in its infancy playing by the Silicon Valley rules of “move fast, break things.” We’ve seen DeepSeek, the low-cost Chinese AI that reportedly uses 50–75 percent less energy than its NVIDIA-powered counterparts, tank Constellation’s market value by more than 20 percent in one late-January trading day.
Technical Session|Sponsored by IRD
Wednesday, November 18, 2020|12:00–2:10PM EST
Session Chair:
Brenden J. Heidrich
Alternate Chair:
Jung Rim
Session Organizer:
Kenan Unlu
Staff Producer:
Rick Michal (American Nuclear Society)
Research and test reactors at national laboratories and universities are a cornerstone of nuclear engineering research and education since the first reactors were deployed at Oak Ridge and North Carolina State University. The population of university reactors grew to a high of almost 80 in 1970 but has dropped to 24 operating today. Only five remain at national laboratories. The US Department of Energy – Office of Nuclear Energy supports the remaining reactors through fuel and infrastructure funding. Beyond basic support, the fleet is innovating at existing reactors and proposing new designs, adding new capabilities for testing fuel, structural materials, and instrumentation and nuclear data.
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Development of a Cold Neutron Source and Cold Neutron Beam Facilities at the Penn State Breazeale Reactor
Kenan Unlu (Penn State University), Daniel B. Beck (Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center)
Paper
Development of a New Neutron Imaging Facility for Radiation Science and Engineering at the Penn State University
Alibek Kenges (Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center), Kenan Unlu (Penn State University), Jeffrey Geuther (Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center), Daniel B. Beck (Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center)
Beam Tube Brightness Evaluation of Low-Density U3Si2-Al Design for High Flux Isotope Reactor LEU Conversion
Kara M. Godsey (ORNL), Charles R. Daily (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), David Chandler (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
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