The American Nuclear Society has begun publishing a blog called ANS Nuclear Cafe. In his September 1, 2010 welcome message, ANS President Joe Colvin described reasons for starting the blog:
As the American Nuclear Society President, I am pleased to welcome you to the ANS Nuclear Cafe. The Society has opened the ANS Nuclear Cafe to communicate timely information and perspectives on all things nuclear. This online forum will include ANS member perspectives on a range of nuclear topics and activities, as well as highlight the resources and benefits of the Society to nuclear professionals.
We arrived at the Nuclear Cafe name because it captures the collaborative nature of the blog as well as the concept of this being an interactive discussion of nuclear topics. As defined in Wikipedia, a “cafe” refers to a small, informal public discussion, which can often focus on starting an open conversation on a particular topic. Examples include science cafes in the US, Café Scientifique in the UK, the Cafe Society in Chicago, and now the ANS Nuclear Cafe.
This should become a great resource for the 11,000 engineers, scientists, educators, students, and others with nuclear-related interests who are current ANS members. It should also be a useful resource for people who are interested in learning more about the technology from people who have studied it in great detail.
I am so glad ANS is doing this. With meeting registration fees at hundreds of dollars, I have sometimes felt a little out-of-it about ANS, despite my membership. The wonderful thing about blogs is how democratic they are.