American Nuclear Society Kicks-Off Winter Meeting in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional nuclear science and technology experts from around the world are gathered in Las Vegas to officially kick-off the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Winter Meeting "Nuclear Progress!" ANS Executive Director John (Jack) M. Tuohy, Jr., P.E., announced today.  The conference is the premier event for the nuclear science and technology community and will focus on the latest developments in nuclear science and engineering.  

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As just one example of the international experts participating in the conference, Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, United Arab Emirates Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Special Representative for International Cooperation, will serve as a panelist on November 10 for "Nuclear Energy Growth in Emerging Markets."  

When asked about the Ambassador's participation ANS President Joe Colvin said, "ANS' partnership with the IAEA, demonstrated by the participation of the Ambassador, is helping to advance the safe and scientifically-sound nuclear renaissance around the world."

"This year's conference features the best and brightest minds in nuclear science and technology from around the world who will share information about new advances in the industry as they attend workshops, tour facilities and network with other professionals.  We're excited to be together and sharing new ideas and insights that can help make our lives better."  

Some of the highlights of the conference include:

• After Yucca Mountain, What Next? – Scientists and engineers working together to find solutions to the nuclear waste issue applying new approaches that recycle the used fuel thereby reducing the volume and toxicity of the waste to a benign level.  

• Advances in Medical Isotopes – Key leaders will discuss solving the shortage of medical isotopes that have impacted patient treatment, and with more than 45,000 diagnostic procedures per day in the U.S. alone, this is a serious issue.   Experts will discuss what government and industry are doing to ensure the availability of these life saving advances.

• Nuclear Fusion – Award winning scientists present recent advances in the development of a fusion based energy source with the potential to have even smaller amounts of waste than fission currently exhibits.

Concluded Tuohy, "We're excited to be meeting with colleagues from around the world to collectively discuss how our industry's latest findings and developments can be applied to help make the lives of people throughout the world better."    

For more information about the conference visit www.ans.org.

Established in 1954, ANS is a professional organization of engineers and scientists devoted to the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology.  Its 11,000 members come from diverse technical backgrounds covering the full range of engineering disciplines as well as the physical and biological sciences.  They are advancing the application of these technologies to improve the lives of the world community through national and international enterprise within government, academia, research laboratories and private industry.

SOURCE American Nuclear Society (ANS)