The ANS Student Section of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

April 12, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen visited the ANS student section at the University of Illinois on Tuesday, March 27, followed by dinner with the Central Illinois ANS local section. This event was part of Loewen's "March Madness" speaking tour, building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference (which begins today in Las Vegas).  The occasion gave ANS Nuclear Cafe a chance to catch up with Valentyn Bykov, president of the ANS student section at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to discuss the section and its activities.

The Nuclear Debate On the Road

April 10, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeHoward Shaffer

Plymouth, Massachusetts, "America's Home Town," is the place where the pilgrims landed, and is also the home of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant. On March 29, a forum was held in Plymouth to discuss a non-binding ballot question for the town election in May. The question is whether or not to freeze the plant's relicensing process until all the Fukushima fixes are completed.

NAS study of cancer risks near U.S. nuclear facilities

April 4, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeRod Adams

The National Academy of Science (NAS) has released phase one of a study titled Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations Near Nuclear Facilities. The release officially opened a 60-day public comment period in which stakeholders can provide their inputs to help guide the next phases of the study. The project email address that should be used for submitting comments is crs@nas.edu.

ANS President Eric Loewen submits testimony on FY 2013 energy appropriations

April 2, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

On Friday, March 30, American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen submitted outside written testimony on behalf of the American Nuclear Society to the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. The testimony addresses on Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 appropriations for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other relevant agencies under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction-in particular, funding for nuclear programs under DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy.

NRC approves two new reactors in South Carolina

March 30, 2012, 7:04PMANS Nuclear CafeLaura Scheele

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on March 30 voted to clear the way for its Office of New Reactors to issue two licenses for two new AP1000 reactors at the V.C. Summer site in Parr, S.C. This marks the NRC's second approval of nuclear units to be built in the United States in two months. In February, the NRC approved a license for Atlanta-based Southern Company's Vogtle project, in Waynesboro, Ga. The NRC had not issued any new reactor licenses since 1978.

Nuclear Matinee: Sustainable energy choices for the 21st century

March 30, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

This video takes the stance that climate change and sustainability of the global human enterprise are two of the most critical issues of the 21st century. If we are to tackle these problems effectively, we need to make prudent, evidence-based choices about energy. This is the story told in this short animated video-the first to be featured in the ANS Nuclear Cafe "Friday Matinee" series.

ANS President Eric Loewen kicks off March Madness tour of student sections

March 28, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

Loewen

ANS President Eric Loewen launched a four-day "March Madness" visit on March 27 to four American Nuclear Society student sections. The March Madness tour is part of a series of events building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference, to be held April 12-15 in Las Vegas, Nev. The conference is the nation's premier venue for student professional development in nuclear science and technology. Students working in these disciplines gather with industry professionals to share and exchange research and ideas that are critical to the growth of the industry.

Celebrating at Vermont Yankee: A successful rally on St Patrick's Day

March 27, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeMeredith Angwin

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's original Nuclear Regulatory Commission license expired on March 21, 2012 . The NRC, however, has renewed the license for another 20 years, and a recent court ruling will almost certainly allow the plant to operate for many more years. The American Nuclear Society's Vermont Pilot Project (headed by Howard Shaffer) and the Energy Education Project of the Ethan Allen Institute (headed by me) thought it was time to celebrate! So, we held a rally on St. Patrick's Day, Saturday, March 17, to celebrate the court ruling and 20 more years of Green Power.