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Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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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|Panel|Sponsored by NCSD
Monday, November 16, 2020|3:40–5:50PM EST
Session Chair:
David K. Hayes
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
David G. Erickson
Staff Producer:
Mich Leana (American Nuclear Society)
The Criticality Safety Support Group (CSSG) was formed in response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 97-2, Continuation of Criticality Safety at Defense Nuclear Facilities in the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. The CSSG functions as the technical support group to the DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) Manager, providing operational and technical expertise pertinent to the criticality safety needs of DOE missions. This expertise is relevant to integral experiments, nuclear data, analytical methods, training, and organizational structures supporting the development and execution of the NCSP. Additionally, the scope of CSSG activities also includes reviewing: • Activities or conditions that have the potential for serious degradation of nuclear criticality safety at DOE facilities • New nuclear facility designs where criticality is a credible hazard • New or revised DOE orders, standards and guides related to criticality safety • Contractor nuclear criticality safety programs at DOE facilities in support of DOE line management While most CSSG Taskings and Responses are openly available, they are not often discussed in an open forum. This session will include an open discussion of recent CSSG activities to help the nuclear criticality safety community better understand the work and current issues around the DOE Complex.
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