ANS News


McCarthy announced as new editor of ANS fusion journal

June 4, 2026, 3:00PMANS News

The American Nuclear Society journal Fusion Science and Technology (FS&T) has named a new technical editor: Kathryn McCarthy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The announcement came during the opening plenary at this week’s ANS Annual Conference in Denver, Colo. McCarthy’s term begins on July 1.

Fuel and the nuclear resurgence: The chicken or the egg conundrum

June 4, 2026, 7:28AMANS News
From left, ANS CEO Craig Piercy moderates the second plenary of the Annual Conference, with panelists Seth Grae of Lightbridge, Jean-Luc Palayer of Orano USA, Sarah Riedel of Urenco, and Amir Vexler of Centrus.

Nuclear power currently appears to have the wind at its back, with growing demand for clean, reliable energy from industry (think data centers) and strong political support for new projects. But getting there still will require a lot of pieces to yet fall into place. It is, as American Nuclear Society CEO Craig Piercy said, a “chicken and egg” problem: Which comes first, the fuel to supply new reactors or the reactors that will create a demand for new fuel?

ANS Fireside Chat introduces new leaders for ANS, UCOR

June 3, 2026, 3:24PMANS News
ANS CEO Craig Piercy and incoming ANS President Mark Peters at the ANS Annual Conference.

On Tuesday, during Mark Peters’s last days as the American Nuclear Society’s vice president/president-elect before assuming the presidency on June 4, he sat down with ANS CEO Craig Piercy for a Fireside Chat at the Annual Conference.

The MITRE CEO weighed in on his career path, what excites and worries him about the resurgence of nuclear energy, and juggling work-life balance with his new duties as ANS’s 72nd president.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s an important year,” he told Piercy.

ANS Annual Conference session focuses on maritime nuclear

June 3, 2026, 9:45AMANS News
BWXT’s Jonathan Stephens moderated the “Advancing Nuclear Powered Maritime Shipping” session, featuring, from left, Savannah Fitzwater of the DOE, Meg Albrecht of Lloyd’s Register, Scott Edwards of Core Power, Sanjay Mukhi of Deployable Energy, and Xiaodong Sun of the University of Michigan.

At the American Nuclear Society’s Annual Conference on June 1, an executive session covered the increasingly prominent subject of nuclear applications in the civilian maritime industry.

Panelists who presented during “Advancing Nuclear Powered Maritime Shipping” highlighted the fact that the commercial shipping industry, the nuclear industry, and government agencies are looking at nuclear power as a solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, 3 percent of which are attributed to commercial shipping.

National awards to be presented at 2026 ANS Annual Conference

May 28, 2026, 7:28AMANS News

Ahead of this year's Annual Conference, which is taking May 31–June 3 in Denver, Colo., the American Nuclear Society is excited to recognize exceptional individuals in the nuclear community. This season’s national award recipients and new Fellows of ANS will receive official recognition during the opening plenary on Monday, June 1.

New CNP exam window opens

May 26, 2026, 12:58PMANS News

Applications are now open for the summer 2026 testing period for the American Nuclear Society’s Certified Nuclear Professional (CNP) exam. Applications are being accepted through July 2, and only three testing sessions are offered per year, so it is important to apply soon. The test administration period is July 28–September 1. To check eligibility and schedule your exam, click here.

EHSS and the DOE’s Technical Standards Program

May 26, 2026, 7:05AMANS News

The American Nuclear Society’s Risk-informed, Performance-based Principles and Policy Committee (RP3C) held another presentation in its monthly Community of Practice (CoP) series. Former RP3C chair N. Prasad Kadambi opened the April 24 meeting with brief introductory remarks about the RP3C and the overall importance of risk-informed, performance-based (RIPB) design principles.

Educator training webinar looks at lunar nuclear power

May 13, 2026, 9:29AMANS News
Radioisotope power systems have enabled more than 90 percent of all non-human operational time on the lunar surface. (Source: Zeno Power)

The American Nuclear Society recently hosted a new webinar in its ongoing Educator Training series titled, “Powering the Lunar Frontier: Nuclear Energy for the Artemis Era.” This webinar featured a presentation from Harsh Desai, chief commercialization officer at Zeno Power and chair of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Space Nuclear Taskforce.

Inconsistent terminology: An RIPB stumbling block

April 29, 2026, 1:09PMANS News

The American Nuclear Society’s Risk-informed, Performance-based Principles and Policy Committee (RP3C) held another presentation in its monthly Community of Practice (CoP) series. Former RP3C chair N. Prasad Kadambi opened the March 27 meeting with brief introductory remarks about the RP3C and the recent incorporation of risk-informed, performance-based (RIPB) design principles in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Part 53 framework. He then welcomed this month’s speaker: Lyndsey Fyffe, a nuclear safety engineer with Strategic Management Solutions, who presented “RIPB Terminology Across the Nuclear Industry.”

Mark your calendar for the 2026 ANS Annual Conference

April 20, 2026, 12:09PMANS News

The American Nuclear Society’s 2026 Annual Conference is coming up fast. From May 31 to June 3, leaders from across the nuclear industry will gather in Denver, Colo., to discuss the state of the industry and emerging opportunities.

To register for the conference, make hotel reservations, and explore the full program, visit ans.org/meetings/ac2026/.

DOE awards ANS-backed workforce consortium $19.2M

April 16, 2026, 2:59PMANS News

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy recently awarded about $49.7 million to 10 university-led projects aiming to develop nuclear workforce training programs around the country.

DOE-NE issued its largest award, $19.2 million, to the newly formed Great Lakes Partnership to Enhance the Nuclear Workforce (GLP). This regional consortium, which is led by the University of Toledo and includes the American Nuclear Society, will use the funds to fill a variety of existing gaps in the nuclear workforce pipeline.

The 2026 ANS election results are in!

April 10, 2026, 7:18AMANS News

Each spring, newly elected leaders prepare to step into their roles at the American Nuclear Society. During this year’s election cycle, ANS members voted for the newest vice president/president-elect and five board of director positions (four U.S., one non-U.S.). About 19 percent of eligible members of the Society voted—a 2 percent dip from last year’s turnout.

ANS hosts webinar on criticality safety standards

March 31, 2026, 7:08AMANS News

A diagram depicting the NRC’s regulatory structure for nuclear criticality safety. (Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

The American Nuclear Society’s Risk-informed, Performance-based Principles and Policy Committee (RP3C) held another presentation in its monthly Community of Practice (CoP) series last month. RP3C chair Steven Krahn opened the meeting with brief introductory remarks about the importance of risk-informed, performance based (RIPB) decision-making and the need for new approaches to nuclear design that go beyond conventional and deterministic methods.

Webinar highlights Gen IV reactors

March 16, 2026, 7:31AMANS News

The American Nuclear Society recently hosted a new webinar in its ongoing Educator Training series titled “Perspectives on Generation IV Reactors.” It was led by Edward A. Friedman, professor emeritus of technology management at Stevens Institute of Technology and the author of Nuclear Energy: Boom, Bust, and Emerging Renaissance.

ANS, UCOR sign MOU for workforce development program

March 5, 2026, 12:36PMANS News

The American Nuclear Society and United Cleanup Oak Ridge have signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes a framework for collaboration to advance ANS workforce training and certification programs serving the nuclear industry.

According to the document, UCOR will provide “operational insights and subject matter expertise to inform ANS’s professional development and credentialing offerings, including the Certified Nuclear Professional [CNP] program.” The collaboration will strengthen UCOR’s workforce development efforts while advancing ANS’s mission to sustain and expand the national nuclear workforce pipeline and capabilities.

NETS registration now open

March 4, 2026, 9:22AMANS News

The time has come to sign up for Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2026), which will be held in Dayton, Ohio, on April 27–30.

Hosted by the American Nuclear Society and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and sponsored by ANS’s Aerospace Nuclear Science and Technology Division, NETS 2026 is an opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge, develop strong relationships across organizations, and establish collaborations to solve challenging problems across the many space-related applications of nuclear science and technology.

ANS 2026 election is open

February 17, 2026, 12:32PMANS News
From top left: Vice president/president-elect candidates Rebecca Steinman and Dan Stout; U.S. director candidates Sven Bader, Lane Carasik, Harsh Desai, Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz, Leah Parks, Sandra Sloan, Andrew Sowder, and Paul Wilson; and non-U.S. director candidates Deborah Hill and Catherine Prat.

The 2026 American Nuclear Society election is now open. Members can vote for the Society’s next vice president/president-elect as well as six board members (five U.S. directors and one non-U.S. director). Completed ballots must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

All ANS members have been emailed a unique access key from third-party election vendor ElectionBuddy. Each member can use their access key to vote once, and each vote will remain anonymous. Visit secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot to vote.