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.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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
March 2025
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February 2025
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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Spark a reaction in your classroom with nuclear science!
Engage your students in the fascinating world of nuclear science with standards-aligned resources that connect them to applications of nuclear processes. Students will explore the science behind creating energy with fission and fusion. They'll learn how to measure and use radiation--something they can't even see. And they'll apply what they learn to address real-world challenges.
Video | 5 Minutes
Educators can watch this short video to learn the best ways to implement the lesson plan resources in the classroom.
Candace Davison, assistant director of education and outreach at Penn State's Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, takes you from acquiring Geiger counters and radioactive sources to setting up the lab in your classroom.
Educator Lesson Plan | 135-180 Minutes
Students will explore the science behind nuclear power and apply what they learn to examine examples of the uses of nuclear power in electricity generation, space probes, and nuclear submarines.
Download Digital Lesson
Download Educator Guide
Through a series of investigations, students will explore the science behind measuring radiation and use what they learn to examine real-world uses of measuring radiation in detecting smoke in their homes, determining the properties of high-mass radioactive nuclei, and scanning shipments at seaports and airports.
Types of Energy
How does the energy stored in an atom's nucleus transform into the electricity that powers our lives?
Students will create a model of a nuclear power plant and explain the energy transformation in different parts of a nuclear reactor.
DOWNLOAD STEM PROJECT STARTER
Our Solar System and Beyond
How could nuclear fusion and fission change the way we power our lives?
Students will research the feasibility, advantages, and challenges of compact fission and fusion reactors as a source of power on Earth. They will support their work using data and calculations.
Download STEM Project Starter
Cells
How can a pill that uses radiation help doctors diagnose and treat diseases?
Students will research the uses of radiation in medicine and explore applications of radiation treatment. They will suggest how a radiopharmaceutical could be improved and propose an investigation to validate their design.
Last modified January 19, 2024, 11:29am CST
