Human Enhancement Through Nanotechnology2008 National Citizens' Forum on Human Enhancement



The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University has recruited 90 people to be on local panels as part of a national project. The panels have learned about and discussed recent technological advances leading to significant enhancements of human mental, emotional and physical abilities.

Each panelist was provided background information and allowed to pose questions to experts, in order to formulate opinions and make recommendations in a report about the impacts and consequences of human enhancement technologies. The report will be widely circulated to government, industry, and to the general public.

No prior knowledge was required to participate.

Six panels were formed across the country: New Hampshire, Georgia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arizona and California. All six panels have done the following activities:

  • Meet face-to-face the weekend of March 1 & 2 and the weekend of March 29 & 30 (both days both weekends).
  • Join all the panelists in a series of 2-hour online discussions scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings throughout the month. These discussions occurred from 7:00-9:00 pm (Arizona time) on the following dates:

March 4, 6, 9
March 11, 13, 16
March 18, 20, 23
March 25

Facilitators have supported the panels throughout the process. Panel members were asked to:

  • Read background material (mailed to you) describing the technologies involved in human enhancement.
  • Raise and discuss any concerns or issues you think are relevant to those technologies.
  • Consider the concerns or issues raised by other members of your panel, and by members of the other panels.
  • Question experts who can add information for you to consider.
  • Attempt to draw up a set of recommendations that your panel would want to present to policy makers as they decide how to manage these technologies.
  • Write a collective report explaining your panel's thinking and the recommendations they agreed upon.

During the first face-to-face weekend, panelists began discussing concerns, issues, perspectives, etc., about the background information they received two weeks earlier. They also formulated questions to put to experts.

During the Internet discussion sessions, panelists heard what the other panelists at all of the other locations found to be important issues. They continued to discuss those issues and formulated additional questions for subject matter experts to address. During the last few online sessions, subject matter experts were also online, and panelists were able to question them.

During the final face-to-face weekend, each panel formulated recommendations that all members could endorse concerning how they would like to see the technologies managed. Finally, each panel wrote a report that explains their thinking and recommendations.

Participants will receive $500 upon completion of the process.