A triple feature for your viewing pleasure! Here we go:

American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen visited the ANS student section at the University of Illinois on Tuesday, March 27, followed by dinner with the Central Illinois ANS local section. This event was part of Loewen's "March Madness" speaking tour, building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference (which begins today in Las Vegas).  The occasion gave ANS Nuclear Cafe a chance to catch up with Valentyn Bykov, president of the ANS student section at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to discuss the section and its activities.

Loewen

ANS President Eric Loewen launched a four-day "March Madness" visit on March 27 to four American Nuclear Society student sections. The March Madness tour is part of a series of events building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference, to be held April 12-15 in Las Vegas, Nev. The conference is the nation's premier venue for student professional development in nuclear science and technology. Students working in these disciplines gather with industry professionals to share and exchange research and ideas that are critical to the growth of the industry.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Student Section of the American Nuclear Society will host the 2012 ANS Student Conference on April 12-15, 2012, at the UNLV Student Union.

Mark your calendars now for the 2012 ANS Student Conference! This year's conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., with the theme: Nuclear Science and Technology: Past, Present and Future. The ANS Nuclear Cafe will be carrying more details and developments in the days ahead.

To round out National Nuclear Science Day, Excelsior College is hosting a webinar entitled Women in Nuclear: Professional Organizations and Career Advancement. The event is part of Excelsior College's School of Business & Technology's "Women in Technology" campaign.

On Monday, December 5, American Nuclear Society president Eric Loewen visited the ANS Eastern Carolinas Section.

University student sections of the American Nuclear Society are very involved in reaching out to the public, including teaching young students about nuclear science and hosting public forums. With the resurgence of the nuclear energy industry, nuclear engineering enrollments at universities are increasing and thus ANS student sections are becoming more involved.

Eric Loewen, president of the American Nuclear Society, on October 13 visited the new ANS Student Section at The City College of New York (CCNY). Loewen presented talks on "Fukushima and the Role of Past Severe Accident Research" and "The American Nuclear Society President's Special Committee on Used Nuclear Fuel Management Options" to an audience of more than 50 faculty members and students. (Loewen's previous visit to CCNY, in February 2011, is detailed here).

American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen discusses the benefits of nuclear energy in this news clip, filmed in conjunction with a speaking trip to Virginia Commonwealth University.

ANS President Eric Loewen on September 14 conducted a whirlwind one-day speaking tour in Idaho. While there, Loewen held a discussion/seminar with the Idaho State University ANS Student Section and presented at the dinner banquet of the 2011 Test, Research and Training Reactors (TRTR) Annual Conference, which was co-sponsored by the Idaho ANS Local Section.

As part of a Colorado speaking tour, American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen visited the ANS student section at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) on Wednesday, August 24. More than 30 students and two faculty members attended his talk, and later that evening 17 students and two faculty members were among the attendees at the Colorado ANS local section meeting.

The American Nuclear Society's Board of Directors on June 30 during the ANS Annual Conference in Hollywood, Fla., approved the creation of three new student sections:

Many American Nuclear Society members and groups across the United States have been energetically involved in the media, in their communities, and on campus during the recent events at the Fukushima plant. These members and groups have provided their knowledge and expertise to improve the accuracy of public discussions about the Fukushima events during a time when it has been sorely needed. This effort continues around the country as ANS members provide accurate, scientifically-sound information in front of TV cameras, at campus symposia, on local radio, in newspapers and journals, and by many other ways.

The 2011 ANS Student Conference, hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, is only a week away! We're building upon the successes of previous years, and it's already shaping up to be the best conference to

In the days since Japan's earthquake and tsunami combined to create the situation at Fukushima, nuclear professionals across the country have been united in our deep concern over the events in Japan and have contributed countless hours working to ensure that information provided to the public and media was based on fact and reason rather than hysteria and misinformation. I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the many ANS members who stepped forward to support the efforts of the Society in this time of great need.

American Nuclear Society president-elect Eric Loewen on February 17 visited the City College of New York (CCNY). Loewen presented a talk during the noon hour on "Nuclear Reactor Physics at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl" to an audience of about 40 engineering faculty members and students. Most students were from CCNY's mechanical or chemical engineering programs and have taken, or are currently taking, at least one of the college's nuclear engineering concentration courses:

Zuckerberg

When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in 2004, it can be assumed that he did not imagine himself becoming Time's 2010 Person of Year;  he simply wanted to make friends. As a member of the generation that has fully embraced the use of Facebook, I can proclaim that social networking has become a strong part of how I develop my connections with those I meet, both inside and outside the nuclear industry. That Facebook exists only so that teenagers can post whatever floats into their heads-as some Facebook detractors believe-is a huge misconception. On the contrary, I hope that this post helps to explain why we must use social networking sites such as Facebook to our advantage in the new era of nuclear power and technology.

The ANS 2011 Student Conference, Living in the Heartland of the Nuclear Renaissance, will be hosted by the ANS Student Section from Georgia Institute of Technology at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, April 14-17, 2011. Registration for the conference is now open.

Excelsior College on Wednesday, January 26, is hosting a webinar, Can the U.S. Catch the World in the Nuclear Power Race? which will bring together scholars and nuclear technology practitioners from across the United States for a panel discussion on the subject matter. The event is being held in conjunction with National Nuclear Science Week.