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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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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Fusion Science and Technology
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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
Kuhika Gupta, Hank Jenkins-Smith, Joseph Ripberger, Carol Silva, Andrew Fox, Will Livingston
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 1 | January 2025 | Pages 1-17
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2024.2328457
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Efforts to capitalize on recent advances in fusion energy hold promise for sustainable clean energy. Realization of this promise will require addressing both technical and social challenges. In this paper we focus on the latter, using survey data from a representative sample of the U.S. public to evaluate prospects for sustainable public support for fusion. We demonstrate that while fusion is broadly viewed in a generally positive light across age, gender, and partisan groups, most people concede that they have little knowledge about the technology. The array of images and emotions currently associated with fusion energy technologies tends to be positive, particularly in comparison with those evoked by traditional fission nuclear energy. Trust for regulators and operators of prospective fusion energy facilities is currently quite high and is strongly associated with support for fusion energy. Positive views of fusion also get a boost from technological optimism, but the persistent connection among some Americans to fears of nuclear technologies tends to reduce that support. Implications are that while fusion currently enjoys broad public support, developers and regulators need to exercise care to assure that accidents, overly optimistic claims, and poorly designed and executed regulations do not inflame perceived risks and distrust. As with nuclear fission, continuing investments in a regulatory process for fusion that is grounded in trust, robust technological designs, and a culture of responsible safety will be needed to sustain public support.