"The American Nuclear Society supports the IAEA's calls for maximum military restraint around nuclear power plants and civilian research reactors, and for full adherence by all combatants to the IAEA's seven pillars for nuclear safety and security during armed conflict."
www.ans.org/news/2026-04...

So sweet!

Have spent a few days with this new MacBook & I am so glad to be rid of the touchbar on my old machine. A lesson I hope we’re learning from the past decade of UI/UX experiments is that buttons & knobs & levers are really good interface elements, actually, & we don’t want everything to be flat glass

Wow. Wild!!!

Two large geese guard five yellow goslings on the grass of the UIUC Bardeen Quadrangle. The goslings are fluffy.

Adorable goslings on the engineering quad herald the true beginning of spring. All other metrics are folly. Behold their fluffiness.

OPG applies for operating licence for BWRX-300 SMR Canada's Ontario Power Generation has submitted its application for a licence to operate the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Project.  ;

Canada's Ontario Power Generation has submitted its application for a licence to operate the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Project.
www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/opg...

A little joy for your day.
Even now, there is wonder.
Even now, there is awe.
Do not let the weight of the world blind you to the light within it.
Joy is still here. Seeing it is power, defiance, strength and a blessing.

First question at the Artemis II press conference is about meals. When is their first meal and is what they're eating being tracked?

Hey, I wrote a thing about AI in astrophysics
ergosphere.blog/posts/the-ma...

Congratulations!

AAAS welcomes 449 scientists and engineers as Honorary Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) AAAS announces its 2025 class of Honorary Fellows, includes 449 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections.

Honored and thrilled to be among the distinguished @aaas.org Fellows announced this morning, alongside two fellow scientists from @cshlnews.bsky.social /Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
www.aaas.org/news/aaas-we...

The depleted Education Department will move out of its headquarters In August, Education Department employees will relocate to a smaller office roughly a block away, and the larger Energy Department will take over the old headquarters.

In August, Education Department employees will relocate to a smaller office roughly a block away, and the larger Energy Department will take over the old headquarters. n.pr/4ddVZUX

(The truth is, my view from Forrestal was amazing because it looked right at the Smithsonian castle.)

Someone once told me Forrestal of course has the best view in DC. (Because it's the only building in DC from which there is no chance that your view includes forrestal.)

First comment I saw on this post:

So now they are just making up stuff to scare people with??

My response: Yup

NRC unveils Part 53 final rule

NRC unveils the finalized 10 CFR Part 53! This is the long awaited risk-informed (rather than prescriptive) reactor licensing pathway

"Under Part 53, [Acting Deputy Office Director for New Reactors] Bowen expects reactor designs to receive approval in 18 months or less."
www.ans.org/news/article...

We can make a better world.

I cannot stress enough how vehemently we sought to condemn this sort of thing just a few years ago.

Note, this article was written when the questionably ambitious schedule in question was 2030 on the moon. Acceleration to 2028 on mars shares the same challenges plus many more.

This assessment goes beyond spaceflight and planetary exploration experts. As a nuclear engineer, I wrote an op-ed saying precisely the same thing about the schedule (as politely as possible) earlier this year.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

At noon, the temperature in Champaign was 82°F. At 5pm, the temperature was 46°F with a north wind gusting to nearly 40 mph. #ColdFront

It’s great to want to accomplish things in your life.

Finding your passion can help you find happiness.

Having a purpose is a good path to fulfillment.

But you don’t need to have it all done by the age of 30.

Or 40. Or 50. Or 60. Or any age.

Not having it all figured out is not a failure.

Millikan Today, we meet a man who didn't want to be a scientist. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ...

Hear hear!

One of my favorite things in the world is this little radio show, the Engines of Our Ingenuity. I often re-listen to this episode about Robert Millikan when I need to be reminded there's still time.

engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/204

Eid Mubarak, Illinois.

As we mark Eid al-Fitr, may today be filled with family, friends, and blessings after a long month of reflection.

It’s Friday night.

This one’s a struggle but we’re doing it.

I’ve done enough this week.

You’ve done enough this week.

Great/terrible news. Even if, like me, you version control your 100s of written letters in separate branches of a 'letters' git repo, you can still, mysteriously, fail to find the branch named for the student for whom you definitely remember writing one very recently... b/c it was an online form.

The president of the United States is responsible for his own decisions, none more than the choice to order the US military into war.

Many countries ask the US president to do things. Whether he does or not is his call, and he bears responsibility for that choice.

Can't believe I have to say this.

We are experiencing an extremely rare maintenance issue at BUILDING REDACTED. Basically, the building thermostat is not working properly. It is set to 216 degrees F. To give everyone an idea of how hot it is, the cold water in the kitchen lounge on the second floor is hot to the touch and the metal door hardware is hot to the touch as well.

Holy shit y’all I just got an email I’d like to nominate for the "Wildest All-Faculty Email" Hall of Fame

I Wrote Research Funding Announcements for NIH for 22 Years. This Year They’ve Published 14 How NIH went from 756 funding announcements to 14 in two years — and what it means for every disease that depends on federal research

On top of the slowdown in grantmaking I wrote about last week - this is another deeply worrisome trend for scientists, physicians, patients, families, and basically anyone who wants new treatments and new tools to promote health. 🆘🧪🥼

open.substack.com/pub/elizabet...

Publish or perish…on the court!