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
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
Latest News
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.
The American Nuclear Society, in partnership with Discovery Education and the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, provides the highest standard in nuclear science education with Navigating Nuclear: Energizing Our WorldTM. This dynamic, standards-aligned program invites students to explore the many applications of nuclear science and its impact on energy, healthcare, food, and the environment through an interactive suite of FREE classroom resources.
Engage your students with curriculum for grades 3 through 12 backed by the expertise of leaders in nuclear science—the members of the American Nuclear Society. Resources include STEM project starters, digital lesson plans, nuclear industry career profiles, and exciting Virtual Field Trips! Navigating Nuclear provides you with the roadmap to successfully explore this topic in the classroom and make nuclear science accessible and exciting for students!
Learn More About the Program
Designed to increase understanding of nuclear energy and nuclear technology applications, Navigating Nuclear provides you with the tools to dig deeper into the role of nuclear science in fields like power generation, medicine, space exploration, food preservation, molecular science, and more.
Guide your students through the world of nuclear energy and related fields with digital lesson plans, project starters, career resources, and more to power up the learning in your classroom!
The need for a capable workforce qualified in STEM is growing and nuclear science offers many different pathways to successful careers. Get to know nuclear science professionals and learn how their experiences led them to nuclear energy and other exciting nuclear science fields.
Navigating Nuclear Virtual Field Trips take students behind the scenes to some of the most interesting places in the world—or even in this galaxy! Tour the largest nuclear power plant in the United States. Explore Idaho National Laboratory and meet the men and women discovering solutions to our energy challenges. Or travel into deep space to imagine how humans might live on the moon, Mars, or even further!
Last modified August 17, 2021, 11:24am CDT
