ANS awards new Presidential Citations

Yasushi Ando, Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan; Hiroyuki Oigawa, Japan Atomic Energy Agency; and Nobuyoshi Ishida, Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, Washington Office, for exceptional hospitality and generous support of ANS leadership during a visit to Japanese nuclear energy facilities in April 2026.

Yasir Arafat, Aalo Atomics, for his pioneering work on MARVEL and for applying that expertise as cofounder and chief technical officer of Aalo Atomics in developing factory-built nuclear pods to deliver ultra-low-cost power..

Rian M. Bahran, U.S. Department of Energy, for his impactful leadership at the DOE in the development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.

Sylvie Bermann, GIFEN, for her exceptional leadership in delivering a first-class nuclear energy event in Paris, France, known as World Nuclear Exhibition 2025.

Tracy S. Boatner, East Tennessee Economic Council, for exceptional leadership as president of ETEC and successful design and delivery of the NOW Conference, facilitating connections among those in the nuclear engineering and science community.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R., Tenn.), for his role as the leading congressional advocate for nuclear energy as chairman of House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

Naohiro Masuda, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, for heroic efforts, decisive actions, and extraordinary leadership in safeguarding Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant, helping to prevent a severe nuclear accident following the natural disaster caused by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March of 2011.

Ho Nieh, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for his pragmatic regulatory leadership and for striking the right balance between regulatory efficiency and nuclear safety to maintain the highest standard of public trust.

Akira Ono, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, for effective management of recovery and cleanup of the accident-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

Tighe W. Smith, Paragon, for 20 years of service in nuclear engineering, digital safety systems, and industry standards development.

ANS Savannah River Local Section, for the dedication of its individual members to advancing the mission of the Society and contributing to nuclear science and technology.