This inaugural issue of the ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science marks a milestone in the history of the ASME Nuclear Engineering Division (NED) currently celebrating its 60th anniversary. As Chair of this Division, I am honored to congratulate the present and past members of the NED Executive Committee who have worked hard over the years to make this journal a successful reality. Special thanks to the Editor and Associate Editors who ensure and maintain high ethical and quality standards in the submission, review, and publication of manuscripts. I am sure that this journal will live up to the community’s expectation for these standards serve as the foundation for the entire engineering and scientific enterprise.
The journal is off to a good start with an excellent editorial staff that includes an impressive list of 32 Associate Editors from several countries (USA, Canada, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Korea, Slovenia, and Mexico). This diverse list reflects the truly international nature of the current and future growth of the nuclear power industry fulfilling global energy needs. Nuclear energy for power production is imperative in reducing global warming and environmental pollution.
Currently, more countries are planning or starting to build nuclear reactors to generate electricity. Most of these are water-cooled-type reactors, which are not as efficient as modern thermal power plants. Therefore, a new generation of advanced reactors is now being developed. This, together with current aging reactor fleets, presents special challenges to sprouting research and development efforts in the industry, which will be the focus of the Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science. The journal will serve the needs of specialists in the nuclear industry, academia, and government. In addition to technical topics related to nuclear power generation, this journal will also concentrate on addressing important issues related to radiation science, nuclear education, licensing, regulation, public acceptance, and nuclear safety and security.
The ASME Nuclear Engineering Division is enthusiastically looking forward to a very successful future for this journal.
