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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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.
Chicago Local Section Event
March 7, 2023|7:00–8:00PM (8:00–9:00PM EST)
Available to All Users
Global interest in safe, clean, carbon-free and reliable power has attracted renewed interest in advanced nuclear reactor designs. The Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab at Abilene Christian University (ACU) has partnered with the NEXT Research Alliance (NEXTRA) to design, build and operate a research reactor at ACU. This molten-salt cooled, liquid-fueled, research reactor will be the first advanced reactor licensed for operation by a university. NEXTRA is a collaboration between ACU, Texas A&M, The University of Texas, and Georgia Institute of Technology and is sponsored by Natura Resources. This talk addressed the advantages of molten salt reactors, the status of the Molten Salt Research Reactor, and plans for commercial deployment.
Established in 2016, NEXT is building a molten salt research reactor with the ability to create safe, clean energy, provide drinkable water, and produce medical isotopes that are used to treat cancer. NEXT has collaborated with colleagues from Georgia Tech University, Texas A&M University, and The University of Texas at Austin since 2019 as partners in their work. The year 2020 was pivotal for the project as NEXT received funding of $30.5 million from Natura Resources, secured their first patent, and began talks about building a state-of-the-art research space on the former property of Taylor Elementary School. The rapid growth has been both surprising and exciting as NEXT moves toward its ultimate goal of blessing the world with this unprecedented technology.
Presenter
Rusty Towell is the founding director for ACU’s premiere research project called NEXT (Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing). NEXT is focused on advanced reactor research and development. Rusty grew up in Texas and graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1990 with an Engineering Physics degree. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant while serving as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School. Upon his discharge, he entered into postgraduate work, taking up studies at the University of Texas, where he earned a PhD in nuclear physics. Rusty completed a postdoctoral research fellowship with Los Alamos National Laboratory working on the PHENIX experiment at the Brookhaven National Lab, and in 2001 he joined the physics faculty at ACU.
