andidates have been namedto fill six ANS leadershippositions, for terms beginningin June 2016.The candidates for a one-

year term as vice president/president-elect are Robert N. Cowardand James P. Malone. Coward, ANSmember since 2001, is a principal atMPR Associates, and Malone, ANSmember since 1984, is chief nuclearfuel development officer at LightbridgeCorporation. Statements from both vicepresident/president-elect candidateswill be available in the January/ February 2016 issue of ANS News.The elected candidate will succeed

current ANS Vice President/President-Elect Andrew C. Klein in June 2016,when he becomes president. The officeof treasurer will continue to be filledby Steven A. Arndt, who began a two-year term in June.For ANS Board of Directors posi-

tions, which are held for three-yearterms that begin and end during anANS Annual Meeting, nine candi-dates have been nominated to fillfour U.S. director-at-large seats. Thecandidates are Sue Aggarwal, NewMillennium Nuclear TechnologiesInternational; James W. Behrens,retired from the U.S. Navy; Jeffrey L.Bradfute, Westinghouse Electric Com-pany; Daniel L. Churchman, SouthernNuclear Corporation; Harsh S. Desai,Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory;John H. Kessler, J. Kessler and Associ-ates; Todd S. Palmer, Oregon StateUniversity; Larry L. Wetzel, BWXTechnologies; and William “Art”Wharton III, Westinghouse ElectricCompany. The ANS Bylaws and Rules require

U.S. and non-U.S. members to be proportionally represented on theBoard of Directors, and in the 2016election, one non-U.S. director-at-

large seat representing the Americas(Canada) will be filled. The candi-dates for non-U.S. director areEleodor M. Nichita, University ofOntario Institute of Technology, andJacques Plourde, J.A. Plourde Per-formance Ltd. The directors whose terms will end

in June 2016 are Yousry Y. Azmy,Heather J. MacLean Chichester, DarbyS. Kimball, Kenneth S. Petersen, andJorge Spitalnik.The Nominating Committee for the

2016 election was chaired by Immedi-ate Past President Michaele BradyRaap. Hatice Akkurt, Rita Baranwal,Vincent Esposito, Julie Ezold, BenHoltzman, and Steven Nesbit wereelected to the committee during theBoard of Directors meeting at the2015 ANS Annual Meeting, and TinhTran, chair of the Local Sections Com-mittee, and Hans Gougar, chair of theProfessional Divisions Committee,served as ex officio members.Candidates for officer and director

positions can also be nominated bypetition. Acceptable petitions must con-tain the original signature of 200 ormore ANS voting members, have thenominee’s written consent, and reachANS headquarters no later than Janu-ary 11, 2016. Ballots for the 2016 election will be

mailed on February 29, 2016, andmust be returned and received bynoon on Tuesday, April 12, 2016.

A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

2 Winter Meeting inWashington, D.C.

3 President’s Column

4 ANS WISE internsstudy HLW policy

5 Clean Power Planimpact on nuclear

6 CongressionalFellow update

7 ANS revisesposition statement

8 Board actions inSan Antonio

9 A look at the HFICDivision

11 Addressingradiation concerns

12 Savannah Riversponsors SSNI

INSIDE

Coward Malone

Candidates nominated for2016 national election

C

2 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

ANS OfficersPresident

Eugene S. Grecheck

Vice President/President-Elect

Andrew C. Klein

TreasurerSteven A. Arndt

Chairman, Publications Steering Committee

Martin L. Grossbeck

AdministrationExecutive DirectorRobert C. Fine

September/October 2015VOLUME 17, NUMBER 5

Editorial StaffPublisher

Betsy Tompkins

Editorial DirectorPhyllis Ruzicka

EditorSusan Gallier

Desktop EditorChris Salvato

ANS News (ISSN 1523-777X) is publishedsix times yearly (January/February, March/April, May/ June, July/August, September/October, and November/December) by theAmerican Nuclear Society, 555 N. Kensing-ton Ave., La Grange Park, IL 60526-5535;telephone 708/352-6611; fax 708/352-0499; e-mail ansnews@ ans. org; websitewww.ans.org. A portion of member dues isallocated to ANS News. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to ANS News, 555 N.Kensington Ave., La Grange Park, IL 60526-5535. ANS is not responsible for any state-ments made or opinions expressed in its pub-lications. Copyright © 2015 by the AmericanNuclear Society; all rights reserved.

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

Washington, D.C., will once again host the ANS Winter Meeting, giving ANS members theopportunity to “Storm the Hill” and meet with legislators.

he 2015 ANS Winter Meetingand Nuclear Technology Expois being held November 8–12in Washington, D.C., at theMarriott Wardman Park Hotel.“Nuclear: The Foundation of

Sensible Policy for Energy, Economyand the Environment” is the theme ofthe meeting, which will be chaired byDonald R. Hoffman, a past president ofANS (2013–2014) and president andchief executive officer of EXCEL Ser-vices Corporation. The program chairis James J. Byrne, of Byrne and Associ-ates LLC.Two embedded topicals are being

held in conjunction with the WinterMeeting: the 12th International TopicalMeeting on Nuclear Applications ofAccelerators (AccApp ’15), November10–13; and the 2015 Young Profes-sionals Congress, November 7. The Winter Meeting mobile app will

help you take advantage of everythingbeing offered at the meeting—from 151technical sessions to meetings and net-working opportunities. Special eventsinclude the ANS President’s Receptionon the first evening of the meeting andan evening of music and political satirewith the Capitol Steps on November10. The President’s Special Session willtake place on November 9, and theGeneral Chair’s Special Session will beheld on November 10. The Nuclear Technology Expo runs

November 8–10, and all scheduled

meals, breaks, and receptions will takeplace in the Exhibit Hall.On November 12, ANS members

can “Storm the Hill” to visit the officesof their legislators for face-to-facemeetings to discuss policies and regula-tions that affect nuclear. The ANSWashington, D.C., Office will assistinterested members by advising themon current legislation, scheduling con-gressional meetings, and suggestingtravel arrangements. Members mustcommit to attending a “Focus on Com-munications” session on November 11and leave November 12 open formeetings on Capitol Hill. In addition, two technical tours are

planned for November 12. A tour ofthe Armed Forces RadiobiologyResearch Institute, which researches thebiological effects of ionizing radiation topreserve the health and performance ofU.S. military personnel, will include thefacility’s 1.1-MW TRIGA research reac-tor. A separate tour of the Nuclear Reg-ulatory Commission’s newly construct-ed Operations Center is also beingoffered. Separate registration isrequired, and each tour is $25.First-time attendees can benefit from

the November 8 orientation session,and a mentoring program is offered tostudent members, new members, andothers seeking networking opportuni-ties. Students who want to work asassistants during the meeting and who

Winter Meeting returns to D.C.

T

Continued on next page

This summer saw the issuance of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s long-awaited final rule on car-bon emissions from power plants: the Clean Power

Plan (CPP). The initial proposed rule did not recognize thecontributions of nuclear to limiting and reduc-ing carbon emissions, and so ANS mounted asuccessful grassroots campaign last fall to bringthis to the attention of the agency. EPA officialsindicated several times in recent months thatthey had heard our comments and had modi-fied the rule accordingly. While the final rule does appear to more

explicitly allow for the use of nuclear in thedevelopment of future emissions reductionstrategies, a closer review of the languagereveals that existing nuclear generation gets nocredit for its ongoing contribution to lower car-bon emissions. The CPP could create unintend-ed results in some states if a nuclear unit isshut down and replaced with a gas plant, earning the statean emissions credit in the bargain. Clearly, this would notbe good for the economy, for electricity users, or for theenvironment. On balance, the rule appears slightly positivefor nuclear, but much work remains to be done.I have appointed a special committee to work on ways to

bring the nuclear message to states where important deci-sions will be made about energy sources and compliancestrategies. Under the leadership of cochairs Peter Lyons andDonald Hoffman, the Special Committee on Nuclear andthe States will develop action items that we can provide tolocal and student sections in the various states to help theminform and influence decision processes. Close on the heels of the issuance of the CPP was the

annual ANS Utility Working Conference at Amelia Island,Fla. My deep appreciation goes to Ben Waldrep, Mike Spell-man, Shann Coleman, and their colleagues at Duke Energyfor organizing an exciting and informative meeting. If youare associated with current power generation activities—whether with a power company or as a supplier—andweren’t there, you missed an excellent opportunity to learn,network, and have some fun. Make your plans now toattend next year’s UWC.At the opening plenary session of the UWC, the Utility

Achievement Award was presented to the people at Ver-mont Yankee, who once again demonstrated nuclear pro-fessionalism and excellence in operating that unit through asuccessful final cycle and then shutting it down for the lasttime. Their achievement resonated with me, since I hadrecently been part of a similar experience at the Kewaunee

plant in 2013. It is a shame that this kind of excellence hasto be recognized after a superb, non-emitting, reliable unitis shut down for economic reasons. In the words of Mere-dith Angwin on her blog, Yes Vermont Yankee, and on the

ANS Facebook page, “Every nuclear plant is ajewel. It provides good jobs and school taxes toits community, and clean, reliable power to thegrid. We must advocate for the expanded useof nuclear energy.” I couldn’t say it better.Many commentators have observed that the

administration was probably eager to issue thefinal CPP rule before the COP21 climatechange meeting coming up in December inParis, France. There appears to be a fairamount of political pressure for further interna-tional commitments to CO2 reduction to comeout of this meeting. What makes this almostabsurd is that under current U.N. climatechange protocols, nuclear is specifically exclud-

ed from most emissions reduction plans. We all know that asubstantial increase in energy availability is needed through-out the world, and that any plans to provide this energy,and reduce carbon emissions at the same time, are doomedwithout a significant reliance on nuclear energy.ANS will be attending the COP21 conference, and united

with many other nuclear associations from around theworld under the banner of Nuclear for Climate, we willstrive to inform and educate the delegates about the uniqueand vital capabilities of nuclear in addressing the world’senergy needs in an environmentally acceptable manner.Finally, ANS Treasurer Steven Arndt, along with Execu-

tive Director Bob Fine and the ANS staff, has started work-ing on the 2016 budget. While much remains to be donebefore this budget is presented to the Board, it is clear thatwe must emphasize growing our membership and engagingwith the entire nuclear community so that ANS can contin-ue to be a source of reliable nuclear information and anadvocate for informed nuclear policy decisions. This iswhere ANS needs you. As the membership renewal seasonbegins, once again I request that each of you reach out toyour colleagues and ask them to join us. In addition, pleaseseriously consider joining the more than 200 of your fel-low members who have made an additional contribution tobe recognized as a Patron or Benefactor. In addition toreceiving a tax deduction, you can know that you are help-ing ANS continue its vital work to dispel misinformation.With your engagement, we can make a difference.Remember—the world needs nuclear, nuclear needs ANS,

and ANS needs you!—Gene Grecheck (egrecheck@gmail.com)

Grecheck

P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N

The world needs nuclear

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 3

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

fulfill the obligations of the Student Pro-gram are eligible for reimbursement ofregistration fees and a travel grant.

For more information about the Win-ter Meeting, along with the preliminarymeeting program and application forms

for the mentoring and student programs,visit ANS’s Winter Meeting website athttp://answinter.org.

4 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

NS student members BrianAndersen and Suzanna Hin-kle have completed the nine-week 2015 WashingtonInternships for Students ofEngineering (WISE) program,

supported by ANS and the ANS Wash-ington, D.C., Section (ANS News,Mar./Apr. 2015, p. 4). Andersen, Hinkle, and the 12 WISE

interns sponsored by other engineeringorganizations each selected andresearched an engineering public poli-cy topic and wrote a paper to be pub-lished in the WISE Journal of Engineer-ing and Public Policy, at www.wise-intern.org. At the conclusion of theprogram, they presented their researchto their fellow interns, representativesof the WISE sponsoring societies, andother invited guests. Andersen andHinkle were assisted in their researchby ANS Fellow and WISE programcoordinator Alan Levin, a senior tech-nical advisor in the Department ofEnergy’s Office of Nuclear Safety. All of the WISE interns had oppor-

tunities to meet with policymakers andother experts in the nation’s capital. “Ithought the two most engaging peoplewe met with in Washington, D.C., wereDOE Deputy Under Secretary PeteLyons and NRC Commissioner WilliamOstendorff,” Andersen said. “It wasinteresting to learn about how theDOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission function, and to hear theinsights these two men provided onissues in the nuclear community.”Andersen, a senior at Idaho State

University, chose to research the statusof U.S. policy on the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spentnuclear fuel. “The most interesting andchallenging part of the researchprocess was meeting individually withexperts on nuclear waste policy,”Andersen said. “I spent quite a bit of

time preparing all of the questions thatI wanted to ask, but it was worth itbecause I got quite a lot of helpfulinformation.”Andersen concluded that specific

legislation is needed to establish a suc-cessful disposal program. Congressshould charter a federal corporation,he said, to take charge of developingconsolidated interim storage and a per-manent geologic repository and also toensure that the nation’s transportationinfrastructure can support the move-ment of large volumes of spent fuelacross the country.“The WISE program helped me see

firsthand how organizations such asANS are active in the political process,”Andersen said. “I wasn’t originallyinterested in pursuing a career involv-ing public policy, but now I definitelywould like to become involved in pub-lic policy eventually.” Hinkle, a senior at the University of

Pittsburgh, also tackled the issue of

HLW and spent nuclear fuel disposal.“Selecting a topic I was passionateabout that was also relevant to today’spolitical climate was a difficult task,”she said. Hinkle chose to compareradioactive waste disposal programs inthe United States to those in France,where nuclear power generates about80 percent of the electricity supplyand laws have created a framework forthe implementation of geological repos-itories. Studying the French system“provided some difficulties,” she admit-ted, “because of the language anddetermining the small details of imple-mentation.”The WISE internship program allows

each intern to follow his or her researchwhere it might lead. “The self-guidedstructure was great because I had thefreedom to carry out my research inany environment I wanted,” Hinkle said,“as well as take the ample opportunitiesto attend relevant events and interviewpeople who had stakes in my researcharea. I learned so much about how poli-cy is developed on the Hill.” Throughout her research, Hinkle was

able to turn to ANS members and othernuclear professionals for advice. “Thefolks I interacted with at NEI wereincredibly kind and were very generouswith the time they took to speak to meabout my research,” she said. In fact, the

WISE interns explore HLW disposal policy

A

Hinkle and Andersen were both inspired to research the timely issue of nuclear waste disposal policy.

APPLY FOR 2016 WISE PROGRAMApplications are being accepted for the 2016 WISE program, which will run

from June 5 to August 5. The application and instructions are available on theWISE website, at www.wise-intern.org. The application deadline is December31, 2015. Questions regarding the WISE program should be directed to AlanLevin, ANS WISE coordinator, at alevin@alum.mit.edu.

See WISE interns on page 10

ANS is your chosen society andthe society for everyone innuclear—students, those new to

their careers, and seasoned professionalsalike. It’s time to renew your member-ship to keep your unique benefits active,including free enrollment in two profes-sional divisions and substantial savingson conference registrations, publications,and other items from the ANS Store.Timely renewal ensures that your pro-fessional development and educationalopportunities will not be interrupted.

Stay informed. ANS publicationsn

such as Nuclear News magazine, techni-cal journals, and newsletters, and theNuclear Headlines news feed from25,000-plus global sources, keep youup-to-date on the latest happenings andtechnological advances.

Network. With over 10 yearlyn

meetings, 20 professional divisions,numerous local and student sections,and committees serving various inter-ests, ANS provides abundant opportu-nities to connect, collaborate, andmake lifelong contacts with other pro-fessionals in your field.

Be heard. Your voice, amplifiedn

with those of 11,000 fellow members,supports the advancement of nuclearscience and technology in places ofinfluence. Through our Washington,D.C., Office and events like “Storm theHill,” face-to-face interactions with con-gressional representatives are opportu-nities for real change.

ANS gifts of appreciation forPatrons and Benefactors! Choose toamp up your support of ANS byincreasing your 2016 dues to thePatron or Benefactor level and receivespecial acknowledgment. Benefactors,at $250–$499, will receive anengraved pen. Patrons, at $500 andabove, will receive an elegant engravedpen and pencil set nestled inside asmart zippered valet.In addition, all first-time Benefactors

receive an antiqued silver ANS lapelpin, and first-time Patrons receive anantiqued gold ANS lapel pin. Wearthem with pride at the office and atANS gatherings! Renew your membership for 2016

now by logging in at www. ans. org/renew.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 5

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

BY CRAIG PIERCY, ANS WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVE

It’s official. The Environmental Pro-tection Agency has finalized itsClean Power Plan rule, which—if

fully implemented—will reduce emis-sions from the U.S.electricity genera-tion sector byroughly a third by2030.To say that the

CPP is complex is amonstrous under-statement. At

1,560 pages, the final rule is a byzan-tine labyrinth of state emissions targets,performance standards, and penalties. Idon’t think any one person or organi-zation—even the EPA—fully under-stands the CPP’s long-term impacts atthis writing. However, while the fineprint continues to be parsed by many,we can draw some general conclusions.

Is the final CPP rule good fornuclear energy? On balance, I thinkit is. Clearly, the five plants currentlyunder construction fare better, as theEPA will now count their energy gen-eration toward each host state’s target,rather than the draft rule’s approachof “assuming” their completion intheir host state’s emissions baseline.(This was an ANS recommendation.)In addition, the final rule allowsupgrades to existing plants to becounted toward compliance, a nicenew feature that was not in the initialrule. Finally, as in the draft rule, thegeneration of any new nuclear projectbrought online between now and2030 (whether it be Generation III+,a small modular reactor, or Gen IV)would count 100 percent toward astate’s compliance.

Okay. New nuclear is treated fair-ly. How about the current fleet? That’swhere things get complicated. Thedraft rule included a 5.8 percent creditfor keeping a current plant running,which ANS deemed to be insufficientincentive. States merely need to back-

fill 5.8 percent of the generation of aclosed plant to stay even with theiremissions performance standard. Thefinal rule provides no credit for contin-ued/ extended operation of existingplants, which on the surface wouldseem to be a big step backward fornuclear. However, the final rule provides a

new way for states to reach compli-ance that could prove to be an impor-tant regulatory bonus for the nuclearindustry: the “mass-based compliancetarget.” In addition to the familiar emis-sions performance standard proposedin the draft rule (expressed as poundsof CO2 emitted per MWh), the finalCPP includes an alternative compliancetarget for each state based on actualcarbon emissions from electricity gen-eration (expressed as annual averageCO2 emissions in short tons). Any statechoosing a mass-based complianceapproach would effectively put 100percent of its existing nuclear genera-tion in play for compliance. Our earlyanalysis suggests that the EPA’s mass-based goals are generally less onerousthan their performance standard coun-terparts, and furthermore, states thatchoose the mass-based approach couldmore easily participate in multi-statecarbon emissions allowance tradingprograms.

So what’s next? In a word: law-suits. At least 15 states have alreadyindicated that they will challenge theCPP’s legality in federal court. TheEPA used some novel legal interpreta-tions in writing the rule, and I suspectthat it may go all the way to theSupreme Court. Also, a Republicanpresident could roll back portions ofthe rule in 2017, although, like Obamacare, each day that passes withthe rule in force makes it harder tohit the “undo” button.The bottom line is that whether or

not you take issue with the science ofclimate change, or would prefer a sim-pler approach, such as a tax on car-bon, it is clear that nuclear is betteroff with the Clean Power Plan thanwithout it.—cpiercy@ans.org

C A P I T O L C R I T I C A L

The Clean Power Plan and its impact on nuclear

Piercy

ANS membership:Renew for 2016

6 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

eremy Pearson, the 2015 ANSGlenn T. Seaborg CongressionalScience and Engineering Fel-low, has been serving in theoffice of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.,Utah) since January. For Pear-

son, who recently received a doctoratein chemical engineering with a focuson the nuclear fuel cycle from the Uni-versity of California–Irvine, it is prov-ing to be the rewarding experience heexpected. Following a two-week orientation

session in September 2014 attendedby all Congressional Fellows servingunder the umbrella of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement ofScience’s Congressional Science andEngineering Fellowship program, Pearson interviewed with many officesand committees, including—by surpriseinvitation—Sen. Harry Reid’s office.“Ultimately, the best fit was with Sena-tor Hatch’s office, which had an inter-est in being involved in energy legisla-tion during the current Congress,”Pearson said. “I had met with the staffon a few previous occasions as part ofthe Nuclear Engineering Student Dele-gation.”According to Pearson, Senate leaders

have made voting on bills and amend-ments a priority during this session ofCongress, which has resulted in a flur-ry of activity and exceptional opportu-nities for a Congressional Fellow. Pear-son has drafted policy memos forHatch’s office on a variety of bills,from energy and the environment toregulatory reform. He has been able toattend deliberations and watch legisla-tion move through the Senate Energyand Natural Resources Committee, theEnvironment and Public Works Com-mittee, and the Appropriations Com-mittee’s Subcommittee on Energy andWater Development. To Pearson’s surprise, it has been an

extraordinary year for nuclear policy inUtah, as well as in Washington, D.C.Pearson has been asked to helpHatch’s office interpret the sciencebehind federal policy issues such as theEnvironmental Protection Agency’sClean Power Plan, Yucca Mountain,and interim storage. He has also hadthe opportunity to advise staff on thenuclear agreement with Iran and to see

firsthand how Congress responded todevelopments during negotiations withIran.In Utah, where Pearson received his

bachelor’s degree from Brigham YoungUniversity in 2002, EnergySolutions isresponding to the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission’s 10 CFR Part 61 rulingon low-level waste as it relates to thedisposal of depleted uranium. Newnuclear generation is also being pur-sued. Utah Associated Municipal PowerSystems may become the first cus-tomer for NuScale Power’s advancedlight-water reactor technology and mayconstruct a reactor in neighboringIdaho, while the Blue Castle Projecthas proposed building a reactor inUtah. “I think it is important to helpthe office become aware of these proj-ects and have the opportunity to meetwith the leaders of these projects andof the national labs that collaboratewith them,” Pearson said. After Pearson decided to join

Hatch’s staff, the November 2014 elec-tions resulted in the leadership of theSenate shifting to the Republicans. Asthe most senior member of the majori-ty party, Hatch became the presidentpro tempore of the Senate and chair-man of the Finance Committee. “Hehas an extremely rigorous scheduleand receives a variety of dignitaries inhis current capacity,” Pearson said.

Pearson had the unexpected oppor-tunity to translate for Hatch when hereceived the president of the Senateof Paraguay and the Paraguayanambassador, and he was able to sup-ply Hatch with key phrases in theirnative language. Pearson had lived inParaguay for a few years, and whilehis interest in policy began duringthat time, “never would I have imag-ined myself at some point in thefuture, in the Capitol building, trans-lating between senior members of theSenates of our respective countries,”he said. While his time spent working direct-

ly with Hatch has been limited, earlierthis year Pearson was able to organizea meeting between Hatch and filmdirector Robert Stone to discuss Pando-ra’s Promise, a documentary film aboutnuclear power. This summer, Pearsonarranged for the 2015 Nuclear Engi-neering Student Delegation, along withstudents from Utah universities, tomeet with Hatch. “I am very grateful to ANS for this

opportunity,” Pearson said. “This hasbeen a great experience in federal poli-cymaking. I look forward to manymore positive experiences before myterm expires in December, and I thinkthe knowledge gained during this fel-lowship will be extremely valuable inthe future.”

A busy term for ANS Congressional Fellow

During a July meeting with the Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation, arranged by Pearson (atright), Sen. Orrin Hatch (center) took the opportunity to sign legislation in the presence of the stu-dents before it went to President Obama’s desk.

J

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 7

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

The Public Policy Committee andthe Fuel Cycle and Waste Man-agement Division, recognizing a

time-sensitive need to update ANSPosition Statement 22, Creation of anIndependent Entity to Manage U.S.Used Nuclear Fuel, have revised theposition statement to reflect changesin the political environment and tohighlight the urgent need for the gov-ernment to fulfill its obligationsregarding used fuel management. The update was prompted by a Sen-

ate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommittee hearing on bill S. 854, theNuclear Waste Administration Act of2015, scheduled for early August. Theact would reform the government’shigh-level waste program by, amongother things, establishing a new man-agement entity. Although the hearingwas subsequently postponed, ANS rec-ognized the importance of having acurrent position statement on this cru-cial topic ready to present to legislators. The changes made to the state-

ment’s introductory paragraph areconsistent with the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission’s recently issued Contin-ued Storage Rule, the Nuclear EnergyInstitute’s position on the safe manage-ment of used nuclear fuel, and the2012 report by the Blue Ribbon Com-mission on America’s Nuclear Future.No changes were made to the sub-

stance of the position statement,which was first released in 2008.The updated position statement ispublished here and can also be foundat www.ans.org/pi/ps/docs/ps22.pdf.

CREATION OF AN INDEPENDENT ENTITYTO MANAGE U.S. USED NUCLEAR FUEL

Position Statement #22Revised July 2015

The United States has a large and growing inventory of commercial used nuclearfuel, as well as government-owned used fuel and high-level radioactive waste. While itis possible to store the material safely for an indefinite period of time, long-term storageis not the ultimate solution. Responsible nuclear waste management requires an inte-grated approach involving some combination of on-site/centralized dry cask interimstorage, nuclear fuel recycling, and emplacement of high-level wastes in a deep geologicdisposal facility. A viable and durable waste management program will contribute topublic confidence in nuclear energy as an important component of an energy futurewith reliable baseload electricity generation and low greenhouse gas emissions. Technologically proven solutions exist today that can safely and economically man-

age the flow of used nuclear fuel from the nation’s current and planned nuclearpower plants. As such, the so-called “nuclear waste problem” the United States facesis not the result of inadequate technical capabilities. Rather, it is largely a politicalproblem, whereby parochial and ideological factions have successfully exploited U.S.legislative and administrative processes to prevent the U.S. Department of Energyfrom taking possession of used nuclear fuel. In order to promote the primacy of scientifically sound and technically informed

decision making in U.S. nuclear fuel cycle policy, the American Nuclear Society urgesCongress and the administration to consider the creation of an independent entity tooversee management of the current and expected stockpile of U.S. used nuclear fuel.Such an entity should possess the following characteristics:

access to nuclear waste fees, not subject to annual congressional appropriations; n

governance that promotes long-range planning and continuity of leadership; n

authority to provide consolidated interim storage, nuclear fuel recycling, andn

geologic disposal consistent with laws, policies, and regulations; authority to support U.S. national security and nonproliferation objectives on an

full-cost reimbursement basis; fully subject to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and U.S. Environmentaln

Protection Agency regulations.

All current ANS position statements are available at www.ans.org/pi/ps/. Asearchable list of the position statements in descending chronological order can befound at www.ans.org/pi/ps/search.php.

ANS updates used fuel position statement

Beginning in 2016, ANS News will“go digital,” and members willno longer receive print copies by

mail. ANS members will receive an e-mail when each issue of ANS Newsbecomes available online at www. ans.org/members/ansnews, where backissues dating to 1999 can also befound.ANS members have been able to

choose electronic delivery of ANSNews for several years, and nearly 50percent of members now take advan-

tage of that service. The newsletter isprovided as a PDF document that caneasily be printed by those who wouldlike to read from a paper copy. Eliminating printing and mailing

costs—while continuing to make ANSNews available to all members elec-tronically with no reduction of con-tent—will help reduce the Society’soperating costs.

Act now! To ensure that you willcontinue to receive ANS News, updateyour e-mail address by logging in to

your online account at https:// account.ans. org. If asked to change your pass-word, simply follow the step-by-stepinstructions available at www. ans. org/password. If you haven’t set up anonline account, click on “create anaccount” at https:// account. ans. org,and be sure to add your e-mailaddress. If you do not have an e-mailaddress associated with your ANSmembership, please contact MemberServices at members@ans.org, or call800/323-3044.

A change is in store for ANS News

he ANS Board of Directorsmet on June 10 and 11 inSan Antonio, Texas, duringthe ANS Annual Meeting.The 192nd meeting of theBoard was presided over by

outgoing ANS President MichaeleBrady Raap, and the 193rd by incom-ing President Eugene S. Grecheck. TheBoard addressed the following items.

Professional divisionsThe Board heard status reports from

three professional divisions: FusionEnergy, presented by Susana Reyes,chair; Nuclear Installations Safety, pre-sented by Susan Y. Pickering, vicechair; and Radiation Protection andShielding, presented by Steven Nathan,secretary.

Treasurer’s reportTreasurer Margaret Harding shared

the results of ANS’s 2014 audit,which was unanimously approved.She then discussed the April 2015treasurer’s report, which had beenpresented to the ANS membership atthe previous day’s Annual BusinessMeeting. She said that total assets asof April 30 stood at $24.1 million,while liabilities were about $7 mil-lion. Revenue for the year was pro-jected to total $9,592,143, which is$160,021 less than the budgetedamount of $9,752,164. Expenseswere projected to be $10,320,420,or $56,063 more than the budgetedamount, which was $10,264,357.The total operating net deficit for2015 was projected to be $728,277,a variance of $216,084 to the bud-geted deficit of $512,193.Harding reported that at the time of

the meeting, actual revenues were bet-ter than budgeted. However, revenueshortfalls from Annual Meeting regis-tration, advertising, and membershipwere forecasted.Harding also summarized ANS’s

investment portfolio, which from Janu-ary 1 to April 30 had a total value of$20,141,295. The treasurer’s reportwas unanimously approved. Harding explained that while ANS

has a deficit policy, actual deficits canexceed planned deficits, and guidanceis needed in those situations. She

described the Society’s budgeting andspending practices over the past threedecades, and stated that new guidancewill implement existing policies moreeffectively. Executive Director Robert Fine pro-

vided additional information about the2016 budgeting process, explainingthat the process would begin over thesummer and culminate at the Boardmeeting in Washington, D.C., inNovember.

MembershipDiane Cianflone, ANS director of

Membership and Marketing, updatedthe Board on the status of Societymembership, noting unanticipateddeclines in 2014, particularly amongworking professionals and students. Membership Committee chair Peter

Caracappa and incoming chair DavidPointer then discussed recoveryactions being planned by the commit-tee. They described a short-termrecovery plan with four “pillars”—engage, connect, recruit, and incen-tivize—designed to emphasize thevalue of ANS membership and estab-lish a corporate incentive program toencourage companies to supportemployee membership. The Member-ship Committee will also work withthe Local Sections Committee toencourage local section members tobecome ANS members.

Other issuesWashington Representative Craign

Piercy updated the Board on the workof the ANS Washington Office sinceNovember 2014. He spoke about theimportance of international markets,and the U.S.-China 123 Agreement, tothe U.S. nuclear industry. Piercy sum-marized several activities of the Wash-ington Office before introducing Jere-my Pearson, the 2015 ANS Congres-sional Fellow, who presented anoverview of his role and responsibilities(see article on p. 6). Local Sections Committee chairn

Tinh Tran presented a report to theBoard on the status of local sectionsthat are inactive or revitalizing. He list-ed eight inactive local sections thatmay be dissolved unless there is suffi-cient interest from ANS members in

revitalizing the sections (ANS News,July/Aug. 2015, p. 13). He also notedthat three currently inactive local sec-tions—Kansas, Metropolitan New York,and Puget Sound—are being recom-mended for revitalization. Student Sections Committee vicen

chair Lane Carasik requested approvalof the dissolution of eight dormant ANSstudent sections, located at CentralFlorida Community College, the NewJersey Institute of Technology, Pennsyl-vania State University–Beaver Campus,the University of Arizona, the Universi-ty of California–Santa Barbara, the Uni-versity of New Brunswick, the Universi-ty of Toronto, and Youngstown StateUniversity. The dissolution of the stu-dent sections was unanimouslyapproved. The Board then approved anew ANS student section at BrighamYoung University (ANS News, July/Aug.2015, p. 13).

New Board businessPresident Grecheck opened the

193rd meeting of the ANS Board ofDirectors by introducing 2015–2016Vice President/President-Elect AndrewC. Klein, 2015–2017 Treasurer StevenA. Arndt, and six new at-large direc-tors: Todd Allen, Carol L. Berrigan,Dorothy R. Davidson, William R. Mar-tin, Kalin R. Kiesling (student director),and Kune Y. Suh (non-U.S. director).Grecheck spoke about his prioritiesn

during his year as ANS president,which include developing special com-mittees on low-level radiation and onnuclear and the states, planning ANScommittee objectives (with assistancefrom the Planning Committee),reassessing the Society’s businessmodel for meetings, and increasingmembership.From a field of nine candidates forn

the Nominating Committee for the2016 ANS election, the Board electedsix members: Hatice Akkurt, RitaBaranwal, Vincent Esposito, JulieEzold, Ben Holtzman, and Steven Nes-bit. The Board then confirmed thatImmediate Past President Brady Raapwould chair the committee, with HansGougar, chair of the Professional Divi-sions Committee, and Tinh Tran, chairof the Local Sections Committee, serv-ing as ex officio members.

8 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

Board of Directors meets in San Antonio

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 9

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

ANS is a lead partner with theFrench Nuclear Society (SFEN)and the European Nuclear Soci-

ety in Nuclear for Climate—a commu-nication initiative that was conceivedby SFEN. On May 4, during the International

Conference on Advances in NuclearPower Plants (ICAPP), held in Nice,France, Michaele Brady Raap—whowas then ANS president—joined otherrepresentatives of nuclear organizationsfrom around the world to make a jointdeclaration to the media about thecontribution of nuclear to fighting cli-mate change (ANS News, July/Aug.

2015, p. 6). A signing ceremony recog-nized the agreement of 39 organiza-tions that nuclear is a low-carbon ener-gy source and a necessary part of thesolution to fight climate change. Thoseorganizations have now been joined bytwo others, the Indian Nuclear Societyand the Ukrainian Nuclear Society.In December, ANS President Eugene

Grecheck and Communications Direc-tor Tari Marshall will attend COP21—also known as the 2015 Paris ClimateConference—as observer delegates rep-resenting ANS. Plans are being madefor ANS to take part in a major Nuclearfor Climate exhibit at the conference.

For more information, visit the ANSCenter for Nuclear Science and Tech-nology Information website(www.NuclearConnect.org), the Nuclearfor Climate YouTube channel (www.youtube. com/user/Nuclear4Climate),or Twitter (@Nuclear4Climate).

Nuclear for Climate backed by 41 nuclear organizations

The ANS Human Factors, Instru-mentation and Controls Division(HFICD) strives to improve task

performance, system reliability, systemand personnel safety, efficiency, andeffectiveness by focusing on the humancomponent of nuclear technology. The division had its beginnings in

1979, when the Technical Group forHuman Factors was established. Thatgroup became a professional divisionin 1985, and in 2008 it was renamedthe Human Factors, Instrumentationand Controls Division. Sean Smith, a software engineer at

Lockheed Martin Corporation, becamechair of the HFICD in June. “Our com-munity of human factors and I&C pro-fessionals plays a critical role in sus-taining the excellent safety record andhigh performance of the world’snuclear fleets, and in upgrading andexpanding those fleets to meet theworld’s needs,” he said. “The HFICdivision is here to support and encour-age its members in that critical role.”HFICD has four main missions: pro-

moting the education of nuclear indus-try professionals in HFIC-related topics,sharing information and advancementsin technology, increasing division mem-bership, and engaging the public and

policymakers. The HFICD cooperateswith other ANS divisions—includingthe Operations and Power Division—inthe service of these missions. Division membership has topped

700, and the HFICD expects its mem-bership to continue to increase as thenuclear industry becomes increasinglyglobalized and research and develop-ment focuses on advanced technologiesand concepts. “Our interest areas applyto the current fleet of nuclear powerplants as well as small modular reactorsand Generation IV advanced reactordesigns,” said John Mahoney, who com-pleted a term as HFICD chair in Juneand who works as a business and proj-ect management consultant after retir-ing from Entergy Nuclear in 2013.“They are integral to our industry andwill remain relevant for years to come.”A total of 16 areas of interest have

been identified among the division’sdiverse membership. A twice-annualnewsletter not only keeps membersinformed about division news, butalso includes short papers on techni-cal topics.The HFICD had record attendance

for the 9th International Topical Meet-ing on Nuclear Plant Instrumentationand Controls and Human-Machine

Interface Technology (NPIC-HMIT),held in Charlotte, N.C., in February.“Our training sessions prior to the con-ference were also well attended,”Mahoney said. A special committee isalready at work planning the 2017NPIC-HMIT, which will be an embed-ded topical at the 2017 ANS AnnualMeeting in San Francisco, Calif. Thedivision also hosted sessions at the Util-ity Working Conference in August andis working on sessions for the ANSWinter Meeting in November. This year, the HFICD awarded the

first Robert E. Uhrig Graduate Scholar-ship. The $4,000 scholarship will beawarded annually to a nuclear engi-neering graduate student whoseresearch focuses on technical disci-plines related to I&C and human-machine interface technologies fornuclear power or other nuclear engi-neering applications. “We are preparingfor other scholarship offerings,”Mahoney said, “and we also have someideas brewing for student awards andincentives for preparing technicalpapers for submission.”Division members are always wel-

come to join the group effort to main-tain and expand programs that supportthe HFICD’s missions. “I would like toencourage each current—and future—member to get involved in the work ofthe division in any way they can,”Smith said. “It is a great group of peo-ple with whom to work.”

HFIC Division: Focusingon the human component

10 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

ANS PATRONS & BENEFACTORS2015 PATRONS

2015 BENEFACTORS

Through their generous contributions, ANS Patrons and Benefactors show their commitment to furthering the mission of the American Nuclear Society.To join in supporting the Society’s goals, elect to renew your membership as a Benefactor ($250) or Patron ($500) when submitting your renewalapplication, or contact the ANS Membership Department at 800/323-3044 or members@ans.org.

Amani A. Al HosaniJacob W. AndersonWayne L. Andrews Jr.Joseph S. ArmijoSteven A. ArndtDerek N. BassEdgar BerkeyCarmen I. BiglesMichael P. BlubaughRita C. BowserJack S. Brenizer Jr.Anthony R. BuhlKeith F. BullenWilbur L. BunchDan G. Cacuci

Kenneth M. CarrDiane M. CatoPhilip R. ClarkRichard M. CollinsJoe F. ColvinJohn L. DavenportWesley R. DeasonDennis DeMossRob DespainPaul W. Dickson Jr.Samuel C. Dominey Jr.Robert M. EdwardsPatrick F. ErvinAudeen W. FentimanMarvin S. Fertel

Patricia D. GallowayAbel A. GarciaTsahi GozaniEugene S. GrecheckRoxy GwynnMargaret E. HardingH. M. HashemianDavid K. HayesAnthony HechanovaDonald R. HoffmanCalvin M. HopperSushil C. JainW. Reed JohnsonRaymond J. JuzaitisMujid S. Kazimi

Hugh KendrickWilliam E. Kennedy Jr.Jacob M. KulangaraHarry LawroskiAlan E. LevinMimi H. LimbachJohn R. LongeneckerV. Patricia LougheedJohn C. LuxatMichael D. LysterGail H. MarcusCorey K. McDanielThomas P. McLaughlinEric L. MeilsThomas E. Mistler

Frederick J. Mizell Jr.William L. MyersKent R. NovatnyGary L. ParkeyCharles W. PenningtonKenneth S. PetersenJohn W. Poston Sr.Edward L. QuinnJimmy L. RashCaroline A. RedaE. James ReinschLuis A. ReyesKenneth C. RogersCharles T. RomboughDon K. Schopfer

Stephen P. SchultzAndrew O. SmetanaCharles A. SparrowJorge SpitalnikJohn G. StevensHenry E. StoneKurt M. TaylorRoger W. TilbrookPeter J. VescoviGale S. F. VoylesMichael J. WallaceWilliam A. Wharton IIIJohn C. WilliamsBrian N. WoolweberNatalie A. Yonker

Nusret S. AksanRobert W. AlbrechtKevin AlldredJohn M. AndersonClark J. ArtaudCharles W. BagnalMark A. BatesFrederick D. BentonSidney A. BernsenCarol L. BerriganJoseph J. BevelacquaSama Bilbao y León J. Stewart BlandJohn C. BlomgrenThomas E. BoothRobert A. Borchert Jr.Thomas E. BostromJames R. BoydMichael D. BradleyMichaele C. BradyRaap

Richard W. BrockGilbert J. BrownJohn C. BrowneJeffrey A. BuczekMichael E. ButtonKendall B. Cady

Soon Heung ChangYoon I. ChangNam Z. ChoAbraham ClearfieldSteven D. ClementCarl W. Connell Jr.Richard R. ConnollyRussell G. CoonAlan B. CoxMorgan CoxThomas D. CurtisSamuel J. DechterRichard S. DenningNils J. DiazThomas W. DoeringLawrence F. DrbalJay E. DurhamJuliann EdwardsGeoffrey R. EganRichard EhrenreichJuan EibenschutzGeoffrey EichholzJoseph O. ErbVincent J. EspositoGuy P. EstesJulie G. EzoldJames R. Fancher

Thomas H. FanningPaul D. FelsherMadeline A. FeltusJames R. FeltyLarry R. FoulkeJames E. FrankK. Michael GoffKatherin L. GoluogluK. Brad GoodenKevin T. GrayAndrew R. GriffithIvan GroszDealis W. GwynLuisa F. HansenCharles H. HansfordPaul E. HartnettPhilip B. HemmigJ. Stephen HerringJerry E. HicksBruce A. HiltonYasuo HiroseWilliam R. HollawayDonald R. HornAngelina S. HowardJohn R. IrelandRalph M. JacobsStanley J. Jefferson

Jeffrey D. E. JeffriesBaard J. JohansenBarclay G. JonesJames K. Joosten Jr.Daniel E. KimbleAnton F. KitzAnthony F. KlukErnestine M. KuhrRichard H. Lagdon Jr.Peter C. LeBlondStanley H. LevinsonRobert E. LightlePeter R. LobnerPhyllis M. LovettRalph F. LumbThomas A. LynchJames P. MaloneFrances M. MarshallFrank H. McDougallStephen H. McInnisWilliam J. McTigueRobert V. MeghreblianGeorge H. MileyWilliam R. MillsMohammad ModarresDavid L. Mohre Jr.Jimmy B. Morgan

Toshio MoritaKurshad MuftuogluKevin J. MulliganL. Manning MuntzingK. Linga MurtyMichael NatelsonSteven J. NathanKaichiro OdajimaKevin R. O’KulaShawn D. PautzRobert F. Penn Jr.Patrick J. PinheroW. David PointerTrent R. PowersWilliam A. PryorJoseph Y. R. RashidRonald E. RederChrista B. ReedMichael K. ReedRaymond F. RuggThomas L. SandersA. Edward SchererTheodore R. SchmidtKenneth J. SchraderPaul F. SchuttRalph K. SchwartzbeckWilliam T. Sha

Stephen H. ShepherdSteven M. ShortThomas B. SilkoMike S. SinghSandra M. SloanC. Thomas SnowHerbert SpierlingWeston M. Stacey Jr.Russell E. StachowskiRonald C. StinsonJoseph W. TalnagiRobert J. Taylor Jr.Marvin TetenbaumChristopher L. ThomasNeil E. TodreasTodd J. UrbatschEric N. Van AbelJan B. Van ErpEdward G. WallaceRaymond C. WangRobert C. WebbRolf E. WestgardPaul P. WilsonMark R. WinsorX. George XuBoris L. Zhuikov

Nuclear Energy Institute provided officespace and related support for both ANSinterns, coordinated by ANS memberCarol Berrigan, NEI’s senior director ofindustry infrastructure and a member ofthe ANS Board of Directors.Hinkle reported that she was also

assisted by ANS member Sam Brinton,a former student member of the ANS

Board of Directors. “He’s a clean ener-gy fellow at Third Way in D.C. He con-nected me with relevant people, andhe reviewed the recommendations Ideveloped from my research andhelped me hone them,” Hinkle said.“This internship has given me a new

perspective on ANS,” she said, “in thatit has shown me all of the opportuni-ties available for personal development

through ANS. I plan on stayinginvolved in ANS as much as I canthroughout my career to give back allof the great opportunities that I’vebeen given from this society.”Hinkle plans to pursue master’s

degrees in nuclear engineering and tech-nology/engineering policy. “Hopefully, Ican be a part of the creation of nuclearpower policy in the future,” she said.

WISE interns, continued from page 4

already informing the debate online.

The currency of communication“Pay attention” is an idiomatic

phrase in English, but it says a lot. Theexpression means to notice or to beattentive, but the transactionalmetaphor speaks to today’s reality:Attention has become a currency.“Eyeballs” are a commodity in theadvertising world, and educators quick-ly learn that they need to compete todeliver ideas. As information prolifer-ates, audiences narrow what they payattention to. The more information wehave access to, the more selective webecome.With so many demands on our time,

it’s no surprise that people strive to pre-serve or extend their allocations of this

limited resource. For audiences hungryfor qualified and credible sources, ANSoffers a wealth of knowledge. ANS members know the challenges

of communicating about radiation. Withsocial media participation skyrocketingin the past year, we are well-positionedto combat misunderstandings aboutnatural and technologically derivedforms of radiation. ANS boasts nearly15,000 followers on Twitter and 8,000regular readers of ANS Nuclear Cafe. Tocontinue to grow that audience, we’llbe paying attention to what com-menters value and why they are invest-ing their time in the rulemakingprocess. Respect for their concerns andinsight into their information needs willopen new avenues for ANS’s profes-sional divisions, committees, and localand student sections to share theirexpertise. The petitioning process offersan important platform for professionalsto help others make sense of a glut ofinformation.—lhermann@pcgpr.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 11

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

ANS HONORS & AWARDS

GEORGE C. LAURENCE PIONEERING AWARDThis award was established in 1988 by the Nuclear Installations Safety Division to rec-ognize lifetime achievements by individuals who have made outstanding pioneering con-tributions to the field of nuclear reactor safety. Nominations are due by December1. Candidates need not be ANS members. Additional information is available online atwww.ans.org/honors/va-laurence.

UPCOMING DEADLINESDecember 1 George C. Laurence Pioneering Award, Theos J. “Tommy” Thompson

Award

January 31 W. Bennett Lewis Award

Additional information and nomination forms are available on the ANS website atwww.ans.org/honors/, or from ANS headquarters at 708/579-8290.

During the opening plenary session of the 2015 ANS UtilityWorking Conference and

Vendor Technology Expo, held August9–12, the following ANS Operationsand Power Division awards were presented.

Utility Leadership AwardPresented to Lee A. Rogers, ANS

member since 1980 and vice presidentof strategy and solutions at DataGlance

Inc., in recognition of his leading rolein the development, promotion, design,and implementation of electronic workpackages.

Utility Achievement AwardPresented to the staff of the Ver-

mont Yankee Nuclear Generating Sta-tion for meeting the challenges of theirfinal operating cycle with excellentoperational performance, including abreaker-to-breaker run.

Awards presented at UWC

BY LAURA HERMANN, COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

September 8 was the final day forsubmitting comments on theNuclear Regulatory Commis-

sion’s new proposed rule, Linear No-Threshold Model and Standards forProtection Against Radiation (seewww. federalregister. gov/ articles/ 2015/06/23/2015-15441/ linear-no- threshold- model-and-standards-for-protection-against-radiation). The com-ment period previews what maybecome a larger debate, but few of usoutside the Beltway pay attention to therulemaking, petitioning, and notice-and-comment processes announced in theFederal Register. The terms might evenremind you of a civics class from highschool. But these mechanisms for pub-lic participation offer important commu-nication tools for ANS members.

Spare me the detailsNuclear professionals will pay atten-

tion to changes to 10 CFR Part 20, butmost people’s eyes glaze over at themention of such bureaucratic filings.Risk communication principles empha-size that facts cannot persuade onemotional issues, and fear of radiationis a prime example. The NRC’s reviewof how it sets standards for protectingworkers and the public from radiationwill evaluate the need to change fromthe linear no-threshold model to ahormesis model, which acknowledgesthat exposure to low levels of ionizingradiation protects, rather than harms,the human body. This debate has beenaround for decades, but its mainstreamappeal has been limited. Now, howev-er, the NRC’s review brings topicalattention to a longstanding issue.Opposing forces will battle over

which scientific studies provide asound basis for regulation. The publiccomment period has mobilized experts,activists, and regular citizens to logtheir opinions and evidence. Unfortu-nately, headlines about “quack science”(see http://nuclear-news. net/ 2015/ 07/24/ usa-nuclear-regulatory-commission-seriously-considering-quack-science-of-radiation-hormesis, for example) are

Starved for attention: Addressing radiation concerns

his summer, middle schooland high school teachersfrom Georgia and South Car-olina were invited to partici-pate in the first-ever South-eastern Summer Nuclear

Institute (SSNI), held July 15–17 inAiken, S.C. The ANS Savannah River Section

provided financial and organizationalsupport for the SSNI, which was host-ed by Citizens for Nuclear TechnologyAwareness (CNTA) and attended by 21teachers. ANS member Mel Bucknerdirected the SSNI, while several othermembers of the Savannah River Sec-tion made presentations or led tours. The SSNI was organized to promote

nuclear education and workforcedevelopment in the Southeast. “Thekey goal was to promote student inter-est in science, technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM) educationand related careers,” said Buckner,

who is a member of CNTA’s board ofdirectors.The SSNI agenda included a tour of

the Vogtle nuclear power station inBurke County, Ga., with visits to theVogtle-3 and -4 construction site, simu-lator exercises, and meetings withnuclear plant personnel.The teachers also toured the

Department of Energy’s SavannahRiver Site, including waste manage-ment facilities and Savannah RiverNational Laboratory. Classroom work-shops at the University of South Car-olina at Aiken (USCA) emphasizedatomic and nuclear fundamentals,power generation fundamentals,nuclear technology applications, risk(real versus perceived), and nuclearworkforce opportunities. Hands-onactivities were used to illustrate techni-cal concepts and scientific principles.SSNI attendees went home with edu-

cational resources, including a DVDwith the workshop presentations andreference materials, teacher guides andoutreach materials from ANS, a certifi-cate of completion, and $50 in giftcards. All meals were provided, and on-campus housing was offered to thoseattending from outside the local area. In addition to the Savannah River

Section and CNTA, sponsoring partnersof the SSNI included Georgia Power,the SRS Community Reuse Organiza-tion, Areva, USCA, SUNRISE Universi-ties, and EnergySolutions.

12 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE–KNOXVILLE STUDENT SECTION is the winner ofthe 2015 Samuel Glasstone Award, which is presented annually to the ANS student sectionjudged to have accomplished the most notable achievements in public service and theadvancement of nuclear science and engineering. Honorable mentions were awarded to theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Florida. Members of the ANSUT-Knoxville Student Section are pictured during a January tour of Southern NuclearOperating Company’s Vogtle nuclear power plant.

ANS Savannah River Section sponsorsSoutheastern Summer Nuclear Institute

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ANS member Jon Guy (right) explains the Chart of the Nuclides using ANS’s Isotope Discovery Kit.

n August 18, the ANS EasternWashington Section (EWS)hosted its first-ever network-ing barbecue at HowardAmon Park, located on thebanks of the Columbia River

in Richland, Wash. The event drewmore than 50 attendees, “one of thelargest and most age-diverse groupsever gathered for one of our local sec-tion monthly meetings,” according toKiah Griffith, EWS vice chair.“We were pleased and honored to

have ANS President Gene Grecheck inattendance,” Griffith said. Grecheckspoke about the importance and bene-fits of being a member of the Ameri-can Nuclear Society. “Gene alsounveiled his new slogan—‘The world

needs nuclear, nuclear needs ANS, andANS needs you!’—to a roaring round ofapplause,” Griffith said.“The barbecue was a success,” said

EWS chair Dion Sunderland. “Wehopefully have increased participationin our local ANS chapter.” Sunderlandcredited ANS member and formerEWS chair Virginia Cleary-Ivanoff withnot only taking on grilling duties at thebarbecue, but also encouraging localmembers of North American YoungGeneration in Nuclear to attend.“The event served its purpose to

kick off a new era for the Eastern

Washington Section,” Griffith said. TheEWS is planning a new program sched-ule for the upcoming year in which itwill continue to hold dinner meetingsfeaturing a technical presentation byan invited speaker in odd-numberedmonths, but in even-numbered monthswill offer social networking events. In September, ANS member Ross

Radel, president of Phoenix NuclearLabs, gave a talk on a new neutrongenerator recently developed by PNL.The EWS’s next social event will be anuclear-themed trivia challenge held ata local pub on October 20. “There arerumors of having a scientist costumecontest too!” Griffith said. Last November, the EWS lost a val-

ued member when Gary Troyer, ANSmember and former EWS chair, diedin a car accident. This year, the EWShas paid a lasting tribute to Troyer byestablishing the Gary Troyer MemorialScholarship. Reflecting Troyer’s stronginvolvement in the community andwith the Boy Scouts, the new scholar-ship will be awarded annually to a stu-dent who has been actively involved inBoy or Girl Scouts and who is studyinga STEM subject (science, technology,engineering, or math).For more information about the

EWS, visit the section’s new website atwww.anseasternwashington.org.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 13

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

• 2015 ANS Winter Meetingand Nuclear TechnologyExpo, November 8–12, Washington,D.C.

• Embedded Topical: 12thInternational Topical Meetingon Nuclear Applications ofAccelerators (AccApp ’15),November 10–13, Washington, D.C.

• Embedded Topical: YoungProfessionals Congress2015, November 7, Washington, D.C.

• 2016 ANS StudentConference, March 31–April 3,2016, Madison, Wis.

• 11th InternationalConference on TritiumScience & Technology(TRITIUM 2016), April 17–22,2016, Charleston, S.C.

• 2016 International Congresson Advances in NuclearPower Plants (ICAPP 2016),April 17–20, 2016, San Francisco, Calif.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Eastern Washington Section hosts BBQ to kick off “new era”

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Smiles all around on a summer evening. For more photos from the barbecue, go to www. Facebook.com/ANSEWS or Twitter @ANS_EWS. (Photos: Kiah Griffith)

ANS President Eugene Grecheck (right) posedfor a photo with EWS chair Dion Sunderland.

14 ANS NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

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NEW MEMBERSThe ANS members and student memberslisted below joined the Society in June andJuly 2015.

AAdelman, Lisa B., Absolute ConsultingAghazarian, Maro, Nuclear and RadiationSafety Center (Armenia)

Akin, Andrew C., Dufrane Nuclear Shielding Anderson, Anthony, U.S. NavyAnderson, Denise E., U.S. NuclearRegulatory Commission

Angell, Christopher T., Japan Atomic EnergyAgency

Armstrong, Bobby C., Atkins Global

BBarnes, Craig, University of Tennessee–Knoxville

Barty, Christopher, Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory

Bell, Jack A., Duke EnergyBlakely, Samuel A., U.S. Air ForceBohne, Jason, U.S. Department of EnergyBolisetti, Chandrakanth, Idaho NationalLaboratory

Bowers, Matthew R., Bechtel MarinePropulsion Corporation

Bowie, Russell A., Project PerformanceImprovement

Brabec, Richard “John,” Black DiamondServices

Bracall, Robert L., Day & ZimmermannBrooks, Brandon, General AtomicsBrozenich, Paul W., Jr., Day & ZimmermannBubar, Patrice M., retired

CCartas, Andrew R., recent graduateCastle, Brett, U.S. Air ForceChihara, Rui “Louis”, Toshiba CorporationChoudhoury, Javed, AWE plc (U.K.)Coulson, Brianna, recent graduateCreen, Jeremy M., Nuclear WastePartnership

Crutcher, Christopher T., University ofTennessee–Knoxville

DDavies, Andrew W., AWE plc (U.K.)Deegan, Colleen A., BechtelDeMeritt, Jared R., BechtelDolecki, Jacob, U.S. Nuclear RegulatoryCommission

EEvans, William A., A.W. ChestertonCompany

FFitzwater, Savannah, National NuclearSecurity Administration

Flannery, Eoin H., AWE plc (U.K.)

GGalante, Nicole, recent graduateGarcia, David V., Jr., American Mergers &Manufacturing International

Garmon, David, U.S. Nuclear RegulatoryCommission

Gebraeel, Nagi, Georgia Institute ofTechnology

Goldblum, Bethany, University ofCalifornia–Berkeley

Gross, Christopher J., TerraPowerGrzeck, Lee J., Duke Energy

HHeinrich, Carrie M., BWX TechnologiesHerrero, Jose J., Paul Scherrer Institute(Switzerland)

Horn, John G., Southern Nuclear

IItoh, Ayumi, Institute of Applied Energy(Japan)

irginia Commonwealth Univer-sity hosted 26 sixth- to twelfth-grade math and science teach-ers for a four-day teacherworkshop, “The Science ofNuclear Energy and Radia-

tion.” The workshop, held July 20–24,was organized by the ANS Virginia Sec-tion, the Virginia chapter of the HealthPhysics Society, North American YoungGeneration in Nuclear, and the Lynch-burg chapter of Women in Nuclear.Sama Bilbao y León, an ANS mem-

ber and associate professor and direc-tor of nuclear engineering programs atVCU, was the lead organizer of theworkshop. Several other members ofthe ANS Virginia Section took part,including ANS President EugeneGrecheck, who gave a keynote presen-tation on the future of nuclear powerin the United States and in Virginia. For a fee of $75, the teachers

received instruction, room and board,and teaching materials to take home,including Geiger counters. The atten-

dees visited VCU’s radiation detectionand measurement laboratory, nuclearsimulator, and nuclear medicine facili-ties. They also toured Dominion’sSurry nuclear power station. Science teacher workshops have

been held at VCU’s campus in Rich-

mond, Va., since 2010. Bilbao y Leóndescribes the workshop as a full immer-sion program. “Teachers stay at thedorms for four days, and they mingleand network among themselves and getto know some nuclear professionals,”she said. “They see that we don’t glow.”

V

Workshop participants are introduced to ANS’s Isotope Discovery Kit.

VCU hosts science teacher workshop

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ANS NEWS 15

A M E R I C A N N U C L E A R S O C I E T Y

JJelalian, Alan, Engineering Planning andManagement

KKohse, Gordon E., MIT Lincoln LaboratoryKudinov, Pavel, Royal Institute ofTechnology (Sweden)

LLaut, Alexander J., recent graduateLee, Hyo Myung, Pohang University ofScience and Technology (South Korea)

Lefferts, Curt, Fluor EnterprisesLevine, Stephen G., Bechtel CorporationLin, Qian, Shanghai Nuclear EngineeringResearch and Design Institute (China)

Lindl, John, Lawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory

MMansour, Tamar S. M., Federal Authority forNuclear Regulation (UAE)

Martin, Mathieu G., ArevaMaskal, Alan B., Bechtel Marine PropulsionCorporation

Matherne, Brent, BCP Engineers &Consultants

McDevitt, Mike J., Electric Power ResearchInstitute

Meier, Michael D., Southern Nuclear Merten, Mat, ATC NuclearMunger, David M., recent graduate

NNavarro, Jorge, Idaho National Laboratory

PPatel, Hiral, Bechtel Marine PropulsionCorporation

Pecchia, Marco, Paul Scherrer Institute(Switzerland)

Perry, David C., AWE plc (U.K.)Petrosky, Lyman J., Westinghouse ElectricCompany

RReigot, Luke, recent graduateRiley, Josh, Duke EnergyRoydhouse, Mark A., AWE plc (U.K.)

SSagel, Alexandria M., Energy Steel & SupplyCo.

Sanders, Walter, Day & Zimmermann NPSSchunert, Sebastian, Idaho NationalLaboratory

Soto, Ruben, Simpson Gumpertz & HegerSoulje, Nathanael T., Areva TNSteed, Richard W., WD AssociatesSteer, K. Michael, TerraPowerSteuhm, Kevin A., Battelle Energy AllianceStrickland, James M., U.S. NavySullivan, Clair J., University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign

Sutter, Lloyd S., Duke Energy

TTarnowsky, Terence, U.S. Military Academy

Taylor, John A., LuminantThew, Lauren D., Scientech/Curtiss-WrightThorpe-Kavanaugh, Meghan M.,Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant

Trbojevic, Dejan, Brookhaven NationalLaboratory

VVanHoose, Tamara B., U.S. Army/DefenseThreat Reduction Agency

WWagner, Cynthia A., GE Hitachi NuclearEnergy

Watson, Elizabeth, AWE plc (U.K.)Weibel, Kristin L., Exelon Nuclear Welsh, Christopher A., Southern NuclearWilliams, Mark G., Westinghouse ElectricCompany

Wollaeger, Ryan T., Los Alamos NationalLaboratory

YYeremian, Rosemary, Strategic InsightsYoshioka, Masaki, Japan Electric PowerInformation Center

Yu, Yiqi, Argonne National Laboratory

ZZeissler, Cynthia J., National Institute ofStandards and Technology

STUDENT MEMBERSArizona State UniversityHolman-Abbott, Michelle M.

Brigham Young University Fitzhugh, Richard L.Wilding, Paul R.

Clemson UniversityStem, Brandon N.

College of DuPageAllen, Keith

Cranfield University Wood, Peter J.

Excelsior College Ford, Jeffrey A.

Georgia Institute of TechnologyAchey, Lauren

Kansas State University Gould, Daniel W.

King Abdulaziz University (SaudiArabia)

Alsulaimani, Anmar

Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology

Zhao, Xingang

Monroe County Community College Jackson, James E.

North Carolina State University O’Brien, Ellen M.

Ohio State University Wilson, Brandon A.Zhang, Xiaoqin

Oregon State University Gomez-Fernandez, Mario E.

Pennsylvania State University Cohen, Charles A.Gerheiser, KyleJin, YueLeandro, Adrian M.Smith, Travis G.

Portland Community CollegeSullivan, S. Brady

Purdue University Huang, Dongli Jing, Tian Ju, Peng Lin, Ching-ShengMao, Keyou

Texas A&M University Kitcher, Evans D.

Tsinghua University (China)Shang, Xiaotong

University of California–Berkeley Kendrick, James C.

University of California–IrvineTravis, Austin W.

University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign

Hu, Guojun

University of Maryland Schwarm, Samuel C.

University of MichiganRasch, Erich B.Taller, Stephen A.

University of Nevada–Reno Nielsen, Taylor M.Phillips, William C.

University of New Mexico Williams, Cody M.

University of Pittsburgh Stack, Brendan

University of South Carolina Ma, Linlin

University of Tennessee–Knoxville Wheeler, Alexander M.

University of Texas–Arlington Lucas, Clayton

University of Wisconsin–Madison Al-Nasrallah, Eissa Carlsen, Robert W.

Utah State University Degel, Benjamin

Virginia Commonwealth University Toro, Miguel

ORGANIZATION MEMBERSThe organizations listed belowrecently joined the ANS Organi-zation Membership program.Information about joining theprogram is available online atwww. ans. org/ orgmembers/, orby contacting Mary Vitas atANS headquarters by phone(708/579-8217) or e-mail(organization@ans.org).

Argonne National LaboratoryNiowavePipeline SoftwareTransware EnterprisesZuuk International

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