The American Nuclear Society (ANS) recognized the achievements of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory with three awards, one fellowship and one presidential citation. The awards were officially announced at the 2025 Winter Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C.
Presidential Citation
ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer received an ANS Presidential Citation in recognition of his leadership and contributions to advancing nuclear energy and innovation.
ANS Presidential Citations honor individuals who demonstrate outstanding effort for the benefit of the society. Streiffer was recognized for his commitment to advancing material science, enabling large-scale scientific infrastructure and advancing national laboratory science and nuclear innovation.
“This recognition from the American Nuclear Society, under the leadership of ANS President Hashemian, is a profound honor,” said Streiffer. “The coming years will be a transformative time for nuclear energy, and advanced scientific resources — from AI-driven supercomputers to powerful accelerators and tools of materials science — are critical to nuclear progress. As a national lab director, it is my privilege to lead the many talented people at ORNL whose ingenuity and dedication is shaping a future of abundant, reliable energy.”
Fellow
W. David Pointer, director of the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division, was elected an ANS Fellow in recognition of his leadership, technical excellence and sustained professional contributions that have shaped nuclear technology development for decades. ANS Fellows represent a small fraction of the society’s membership and are chosen for their outstanding record of accomplishment and influence across the nuclear community.
Pointer is a recognized expert in thermal hydraulics and safety for both conventional and advanced nuclear reactor systems. His work spans application, validation and development of computational fluid dynamics tools, as well as experimental fluid dynamics, methods for component design, licensing and safety. Since joining ORNL in 2012, he has been instrumental in expanding the laboratory’s capabilities for engineering analysis, design and licensing of advanced nuclear reactors.
An active member of ANS, Pointer has contributed extensively to the Thermal Hydraulics Division and to broader ANS governance, underscoring his commitment to advancing the field.
Scientific Achievement Awards
Richard H. Howard, a senior R&D staff member and leader of ORNL’s Irradiation Engineering Group, received the 2025 Radiation Science and Technology Award. The award recognizes outstanding research or development in radiation science that has led to significant industrial applications and represents an outstanding creative application of radiation sciences and engineering principles.
Howard was specifically recognized for his leadership in innovative design, analysis and continuous improvement of test reactor capabilities for isotope production, enabling critical industrial and national applications in space exploration and medical treatments.
A recognized expert for leading innovations in nuclear research, development and demonstration, Howard has made critical contributions to radioisotope production, qualification of nuclear fuels and materials, and nuclear thermal propulsion. In his role at ORNL, he designs and develops experiments for radioisotope, fuels and materials research programs, advancing novel experiment designs, overseeing project management and quality assurance, and leading multidisciplinary teams. His work draws on expertise in heat transfer, structural mechanics, neutronics and advanced manufacturing.
Askin Guler-Yigitoglu, an advanced systems risk and reliability analyst in ORNL’s Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division, received the Mary Jane Oestmann Professional Women’s Achievement Award.
The award recognizes women whose technical achievements and personal dedication have advanced the fields of nuclear science, engineering, research or education. Established in 1988, it honors Dr. Mary Jane Oestmann, research chemist and ANS Fellow. Guler-Yigitoglu was recognized for her exceptional technical innovation and contributions to probabilistic risk assessment methods for advanced reactors and sustained leadership in nuclear safety and reliability.
At ORNL, Guler-Yigitoglu leads and contributes to projects that develop key elements of the probabilistic risk assessment, including database development, system and component modeling in real-time, and event sequence modeling. Guler Yigitoglu was also honored by ANS as a member of the 2025 "40 Under 40" class.
Julie G. Ezold, a senior technical advisor in ORNL’s Radioisotope Science and Technology Division, received the Landis Public Communication and Education Award.
The award is in recognition of Ezold’s passion for and commitment to advancing understanding and interest in nuclear science and technology. She was particularly lauded for her continued outreach efforts with students of all ages.
Ezold recently returned to ORNL after a two-year assignment as technical adviser to the Department of Energy’s Isotope Program. She quickly engaged in outreach, starting with a January presentation to a club at L&N STEM Academy high school that is sponsored by the local Society of Women Engineers chapter. A few months later, she hosted seven L&N students, four of whom are part of a newly launched nuclear energy course, for a dinner meeting with then-ANS President Lisa Marshall.
In July she was named to a two-year term as ANS treasurer.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.