University of Illinois to host ANS Student Conference
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ANS Student Section is preparing to host the 2022 ANS Student Conference, to be held April 14–16 on the university campus. Registration is now open for the first in-person ANS student conference since 2019.
The UIUC Student Section had planned to host the 2021 student conference, but that was pushed back a year when plans for the 2020 conference, which was to be hosted by the North Carolina State University ANS Student Section, were derailed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. NCSU students acted quickly to organize a three-part webinar series to permit graduating students to present their research, and in 2021, NCSU hosted a full virtual conference program.
Organized with optimism: A news release published by the UIUC Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering in November—"ANS chapter stays strong despite pandemic, preps for national conference”—sums up the pent-up enthusiasm of ANS student members on the UIUC campus and around the nation for an in-person gathering.
Jeremy Mettler, who is serving as technical program chair, was quoted in the release. “Things are smooth as they can be when you have one foot in and one foot out of the pandemic,” Mettler said. “The chapter has remained strong, and everyone is even more engaged than I thought they might be and ready to host an in-person conference. The younger students have a lot of energy and are really excited, and I think they’re going to make it a huge success.”
One atom at a time: The theme of the conference—“Saving the World One Atom at a Time”—echoes that optimism. According to the meeting website, “This theme reflects the important role the nuclear sciences will play in solving many of the world’s grand challenges. It also recognizes the atomic contributions we all make every day. Together, these contributions form the foundations of solutions to these grand challenges. [The theme] celebrates the people who make science possible by acknowledging that we come to this conference from an infinitude of backgrounds and experiences. It encourages us to widen our circles and include scientists and engineers with a diversity of thoughts. Finally, it inspires us to be active participants in the solutions to the world’s problems.”
Submit research: The 23 tracks open for paper submissions in the call for papers include a new track, “Nuclear Technology and Society.” Summaries are due by February 4.
Register now: Conference organizers are including virtual options for those who will be unable to travel to the UIUC campus. Visit the meeting website at ans.org/meetings/student2022/ for more information. The meeting organizers can be reached by email at ans-student-conference@illinois.edu.
