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Hash Hashemianpresident@ans.org
From kindergarten classrooms to national security facilities, each event I attended during the opening weeks of the new year underscored one truth: The future of nuclear energy depends on the people we inspire, educate, and empower today.
I had a busy start to 2026, first speaking at the Nashville Energy and Mining Summit alongside Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association senior vice president Justin Maierhofer to explore the necessary synergies among policy, academic coursework, research, and industry expertise in accelerating American nuclear innovation. Drawing on experiences in high-level government relations and public affairs and decades of work in nuclear instrumentation advancements, we discussed Tennessee’s nuclear renaissance, workforce development, and policy frameworks that support emerging energy demands.
Kenneth J. Hofstetter, Beverly S. Ausmus+
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 4 | December 1989 | Pages 837-844
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Decontamination and Waste Management / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27677
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Microbial contamination of the reactor and related systems at Three Mile Island Unit 2 caused concern because of the ability of microorganisms to facilitate corrosion and to degrade the underwater visibility. Microorganisms first had a direct impact on defueling and decontamination operations in mid-1985 when the visibility in the fuel pools became limited due to a large population of euglena. In early 1986, the defueling operators experienced a total loss of visibility in the reactor caused by higher order microorganisms in the water. While the development of control techniques was complicated by the radionuclides and the chemical constituents in the water, adequate biological control was accomplished using hydrogen peroxide as a biocide. No evidence of microbially induced corrosion was observed on any components removed from the reactor, the defueling tools, or the fuel storage canisters.