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DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies Collaboration Begins

A series of workshops between the CNS-ASU and the Department of Energy’s Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) began November 20. The idea for a collaborative partnership in natural and social research originated in the 2004-2005 academic year between David Guston, Director of CNS-ASU and Tom Picraux, CINT Chief Scientist. Postdoc Erik Fisher designed the current program and conducted the first workshop during a monthly meeting of researchers and managers at Los Alamos National Lab. Approximately 25 people attended, including all five CINT managers. Read more

Spring '07 Speaker Series Ready to Go - "Studying the Future of Nanotechnology"
(Special Note: Powerpoint slideshows and mp3 audio files of the Fall06 speakers are now available on the CNS-ASU website.)

Next in Series:
On January 19, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Biodesign Institute Auditorium, Ulrich Fiedeler of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis will be the next presenter in the 2006-2007 Speaker Series. Fiedeler has studied the development of nanotechnology from a variety of prospective approaches, including vision assessment and road mapping as a tool for technology assessment. His areas of focus include the role of nanotechnology in chemical substitution, social issues of neuronal implants, and naturalness and neuronal implants.
Upcoming 2007 presenters

Seats Still Available in New Spring Courses

Nanotechnology and Society Learning Community
Need to meet science and society requirements but not quite sure where to start? Get involved in the Learning Community! Launching in spring '07, the Nanotechnology and Society Learning Community earns nine credits overall, six of which are science/society credits. The interdisciplinary course will be taught by David Guston, Director of CNS-ASU, Neal Woodbury, Director of the Center for BioNanotechnology, and David Conz, post-doctoral researcher at CNS-ASU and Faculty Associate, School of Human Evolution and Social Change. To enroll, contact Miranda Carlton-Carew at 408-965-6905 or macc11@msn.com. More course details.

Nanotechnology Law and Policy
Gary Marchant, Ken Abbott and Doug Sylvester will teach this new course at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Monday evenings, 6:30-8:30. The course is closed to new registrants except for non-law graduate students. Interested students should contact Gary Marchant.

Science Café Attendance Grows

October 29 - Alternative Fuels: What We Can Do (and Can’t Do) to Make Our Skies Blue Again

With the scientific consensus regarding global warming and news talk about finite resources, “Alternative Fuels” was the timely topic of the October Science Café. Presented by Dr. Daniel C. Brune, a Senior Research Specialist in the Protein Chemistry Lab at ASU, and CNS-ASU’s Post-Doc Dr. David Conz, who has been making his own biodiesel for almost five years, the Café filled the meeting room at Changing Hands Bookstore. Among the attendees were a large number of car and conservation enthusiasts, whose lively interaction gave this Café the most audience-initiated discussion to date. Issues included wondering about the efficiency of fuel alternatives from switchgrass to buthanol, and audience members traded many personal stories concerning their own experimentation. This group was clearly interested in the U.S. freeing itself from petrochemical dependence. November Science Café

Recent Speaker Abstracts

December 15 - Meyya Meyyappan, NASA Ames Research Center - Designing the Future on the Nano-Frontier
Nanotechnology deals with creation of useful materials, devices and systems of any practical size by manipulating matter at the nanoscale and by taking advantage of novel and interesting properties that arise solely because of the nanoscale. This tiny technology is a broad, enabling technology with expected impact on every aspect of the economic spectrum: materials and manufacturing, electronics and computing, health and medicine, energy, environment, transportation, national security etc. Read more

December 1 - Michael Cobb, North Carolina State University - What Happens When Americans Learn More About Nanotechnology? (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)
The public profile of ethical, social, and political issues associated with scientific research has renewed attention to questions about its place in society. Post 9-11, the relationship between national security and research has received considerable attention. Questions raised include whether the knowledge generated through life science research and in related fields such as nanotechnology and engineering, might facilitate the production of bioweapons and whether controls should be placed on what gets done, how, and whether information is widely circulated. Read more

November 17 - Griffith Kundahl, Feinstein Kean Healthcare - New Communication Strategies to Guide the Future of Nanotechnology
The great promise of nanotechnology comes with many uncertainties regarding the science’s impact on areas from international competitiveness to health and safety to regulatory reform. A new playing field characterized by social uncertainties, paradoxes and unintended consequences has emerged for corporate, government, nonprofit and academic stakeholders. To further their respective missions, these stakeholders must learn to communicate in new ways, utilizing new methodologies, and through adaptive and perhaps unorthodox channels. Read more

Technological Enhancement Conference

Continuing its commitment to reach the widest possible audience, on April 24, 2007, CNS-ASU, the Hispanic Research Center, et al., will co-sponsor “Technological Enhancement of Humans? Perspectives of Researchers From Underrepresented Populations,” a research conference for undergraduates. Read more