Nuclear 101 Certificate Course

About the course

Are you a new professional in the nuclear industry? Are you an executive that needs to strengthen their nuclear background? Are you interested in knowing how your work is linked with nuclear energy and engineering?

This course is designed for you!

This is your opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the essentials of nuclear energy and engineering from the field’s leading experts and instructors. The five-day course will provide 32 hours of hands-on learning covering a broad range of nuclear science and technology topics. The course will be delivered to a limited class-size to increase the student-to-teacher ratio and facilitate an interactive and engaging environment that will maximize your experience.

Distinguish yourself by demonstrating your knowledge of nuclear energy by participating in this unique in-person learning opportunity. Individuals who pass the exam following the completion of the course will be awarded an ANS Nuclear 101 Course Certificate.

Who should participate?

Whether you’re new to the industry or are already working in the field, the Nuclear 101 Course is an excellent opportunity for you.

New to the nuclear field? If you’re transitioning from another industry or just getting your career started in nuclear, Nuclear 101 can quickly get you up-to-speed and give you a foundational knowledge base that will help you succeed in the field.

Looking to increase your nuclear knowledge? If you’re currently working in the nuclear field and don’t have a technical background, Nuclear 101 will give you the knowledge necessary to help you further your career.

Want to add to your credentials? Differentiate yourself and show your dedication and expertise by earning the Nuclear 101 Certificate from the leading professional organization for nuclear professionals.

Training and onboarding for employers

The ANS Nuclear 101 Course provides employers with the ability to supplement and augment their training and onboarding for new and current employees. Save time and ensure your employees are learning from top instructors during a concise five-day course.

Course Modules

The course covers the following topics in-depth:

• History and Legacy of Nuclear
• Nuclear Fundamentals
• Introduction to Nuclear Fuel Cycle
• Nuclear Reactors and Power Generation
• Licensing and Regulatory Concepts
• Radiation Detection and Measurement
• Health Physics and Radiation Safety
• Non-power Applications of Nuclear Energy
• Nuclear Safety Culture
• Industry Codes and Standards
• Elective module on one of the following topics:
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation
  • Decommissioning
  • Advanced Reactor Technologies
  • Simulation Tools in the Nuclear Industry
  • Storage, Transportation, and Disposal of Radioactive Material
• Perspectives in Nuclear

Course Fees

Fees include 32 hours of classroom learning and course exam, plus networking receptions, meals, and breaks. Sign up for the course using the 2025 ANS Annual Conference online registration.

$1,295 – Early-bird, Member Fee (on or before May 23)
$1,595 – Early-bird, Nonmember Fee (on or before May 23)

$1,495 – Regular, Member Fee (after May 23)
$1,795 – Regular, Nonmember Fee (after May 23)

Hotel Reservations

Reserve your room at the Chicago Marriott Downtown by May 23 to receive the lowest rates.

Instructor Bios

Steven Arndt
Steven is an internationally recognized expert in the field of nuclear engineering with experience in nuclear power plant simulation, severe accident analysis and nuclear power plant instrumentation and control. In his 40 years in the nuclear industry Arndt has worked as a researcher, educator, consultant, and regulator including extensive experience in Russia and Ukraine leading the United States support programs to the states of the former Soviet Union following the Chernobyl accident and as part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) response to the Fukushima accident. He currently serves as a Distinguished Scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where his research involves advance reactor design readiness. Previously he spent 31 years as a senior level scientist with the NRC, leading a number of key research efforts and providing authoritative advice to NRC management and staff in the areas of digital instrumentation and control, software reliability, emergency response, cyber security and numerous other technical areas.

Sunil Chirayath
Sunil is a Distinguished R&D Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Prior to joining ORNL in January 2024, he held positions from postdoctoral fellow to tenured full professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University during 2007-2024. He is a nuclear security and nonproliferation specialist with over 17 years of educational and research experience nuclear science and engineering. He has additional 16 years of work experience in India as a nuclear safety regulator. He has taught courses and conducted workshops on nuclear fuel cycles and nuclear safeguards, Monte Carlo radiation transport, nuclear nonproliferation and arms control, physical protection system design, and human reliability program. Chirayath received his PhD in Physics from University of Madras in 2005, MSc and BSc in Physics from University of Calicut in 1994 and 1989, respectively.

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar
Dunzik-Gougar is Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Idaho State University. Also at ISU, she is a licensed senior reactor operator for their AGN-201 reactor. She has a PhD in nuclear engineering and MS in environmental engineering from Penn State University and a BS in chemistry from Cedar Crest College. Her nuclear career spans ~25 years, during which she has performed research in various aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including waste form development, spent fuel pyroprocessing, spent TRISO particle fuel qualification for disposal, fuel and material development and characterization (pre- and post-irradiation), development of a waste minimization plan for a next generation nuclear reactor design, and fuel cycle modeling. Dunzik-Gougar’s research has led to national and international collaborations, including a year-long position with PBMR Ltd in South Africa and a consulting contract with EDF energy of France. She has served as consultant/ subject matter expert for subsequent projects coordinated by the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Ugur Mertyurek
Ugur is an expert in nuclear reactor engineering with more than 20 years of experience in modeling simulation and code development. He has been with ORNL for the past 14 years, of which the last ten years have been focused on the quantification of modeling uncertainties in reactor problems using isotopic measurements from experiments and machine learning.

Prior to ORNL, he worked at General Electric’s Global Nuclear Fuel division for six years in core monitoring and development of next generation lattice physics code LANCR. He developed a patented methodology to address prediction of bias and uncertainties in core simulators for reactor startups.

He holds a PhD and a MS degree in nuclear engineering, as well as a Master of Computer Science degree. His collective work has earned him two patents, and nearly twenty recognized publications.

Walid Metwally
Walid obtained his BSc and MSc in Nuclear Engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt, in 1992 and 1997. In 1998 he joined the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University as a PhD student. He remained there until completing his doctorate. After completing his doctorate, he served as a Research Associate until 2003. Metwally also holds a Master of Science in Operations Research and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Walid worked at the Atomic Energy Authority in Egypt, NC State University, United Arab Emirates University, and Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) in Wilmington, NC. In 2012, Walid joined the University of Sharjah, UAE, where he founded and chaired the Nuclear Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Programs and also served as the vice dean of the College of Engineering. He currently serves as the Lead for the Nuclear Criticality Safety Group in the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

His expertise is concentrated in the fields of criticality analysis of nuclear fuel storage, radiation transport modeling, and radiation detection and measurement.

Mark Schanfein
Mark has over 40 years’ experience in nonproliferation and safeguards including a 20-year career at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the weapons program as a facility operator in the plutonium facility and a program manager for nonproliferation programs. He served as a technical expert on the ground in the Russian Federation after the collapse of the USSR performing security assessments and in the DPRK during the disablement activities resulting from the 6-Party Talks under the Bush administration. He has previously worked for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and oversight at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Mark has eight years of experience working at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, four years as a safeguards inspector and 4 years as the Unit Head for Unattended Monitoring Systems (UMS), responsible for the installation of all IAEA unattended autonomous systems in nuclear fuel cycle facilities worldwide. He supports multiple safeguards training programs. His current focus at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is on emerging technologies for applications in international safeguards with a current interest in digital twins, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Mark is currently the Immediate Past President for the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management.

Questions?

For more information about the Nuclear 101 course and other professional development programs, please contact Dan Goldberg, ANS Director of Programs.