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
Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by HFICD
Wednesday, November 15, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EST|Georgetown West
Session Chair:
Syed Bahauddin Alam (Univ. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Session Organizer:
Vivek Agarwal (Idaho National Lab)
The nuclear industry, as highlighted by both the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), has yet to fully harness the potential of recent advancements in AI/ML techniques. In this context, Digital Twin (DT) technology is poised to play a pivotal role in facilitating risk-informed decision-making. The NRC's "FY2021-23 Planned Research Activities" and "NRC Future Focused Research" identify "Methodology and Evaluation Tools for Digital Twin Applications" as a top-priority strategic area. However, the implementation of DT in nuclear systems poses significant challenges that need to be addressed. These challenges encompass various aspects, including: (a) Incorporating trustworthy data analytics algorithms, (b) Dealing with noisy or erroneous data and addressing data unavailability, (c) Quantifying uncertainties associated with DT, (d) Ensuring robust optimization techniques, and (e) Developing update modules in DT through the resolution of "On-the-fly Inverse Problems." In this panel session, we will explore the enabling technologies and components required to establish DT in the nuclear industry. Our discussion will delve into the solutions for tackling the aforementioned challenges and unlocking the potential benefits of DT for nuclear systems.
Askin Yigitoglu
ORNL
Daniel Nichols
United States Department of Energy
Kishor Gupta
Clark Atlanta Univ.
Syed ALAM
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
To join the conversation, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
Register NowLog In