Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest: August 10, 2005
In this issue:
- Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges – Related News & Events
- Productive Nanosystems Roadmap – Steering Committee Welcomes Rick Snyder
- Advanced Nanotech Conference – New Speakers & Topics
- Spotlight on Foresight Members – Vision Weekend
- Foresight Partners
- Nanotech News & Events
Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges
Foresight has articulated six critical challenges that humanity faces which can be addressed by nanotechnology. In the Weekly News Digest we identify news items, research breakthroughs, and events citing current research and applications providing the stepping-stones to solutions to these challenges.
1. Meeting global energy needs with clean solutions
Foresight note: Essay discusses how nanotechnology and nanomaterials will reduce production waste and improve energy efficiency, but also expresses the opinion that nanomaterials will become greener as they move towards commercialization.
Headline: Towards a green nanotechnology
News source: Daily Times by Mark R. Wiesner, Director of the Environmental and Energy Systems Institute at Rice University
An encouraging trend is that the methods used to produce nanomaterials often become "greener" as they move from the laboratory to industrial production. Setting aside the issue of nanomaterials’ toxicity, preliminary results suggest that fabricating nanomaterials entails risks that are less than or comparable to those associated with many current industrial activities.
Source
Mark R Wiesner
2. Providing abundant clean water globally
Foresight note: We are hosting a panel to discuss current applications for each Foresight Nanotechnology Challenge at the Advancing Beneficial Nanotechnology Conference.
William Lee, President and CEO of eMembrane is a panelist on the Nanotech for Clean Water panel on October 24, 2005 at 2:30 p.m.
Other panelists include:
Todd Barker, Partner, Meridian Institute
Kevin McGovern, Chairman, McGovern & Associates (for KX Industries)
Fred Tepper, President, Argonide
Corporate Profile: eMembrane, Inc
News source: eMembrane website
"The mission of the company is to explore and define the scope of Combinatorial Nano and Micro Polymer Brush Grafting techniques in order to demonstrate the preparation of a broad spectrum of new materials and membranes under commercially viable conditions."
http://www.emembrane.com/
3. Increasing the health and longevity of human life
Foresight note: This article identifies research that focuses on specific neuro- and nano-science problems and central nervous system injuries.
Headline: UC Researchers Explore Nano to Help Unlock Secrets to Central Nervous System Repair
News source: Nano World News by Vance McCarthy
The work, which is being done at the University of California San Diego (UCSD)’s Silva Research Group for Cellular Neural Engineering, focuses on using nanotechnologies to study neuropathological processes. The aim is to help neuroscientists better understand the physiology of and develop treatments for disorders such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, degenerative retinal disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Source
Dr. Gabriel A. Silva
4. Maximizing the productivity of agriculture
Foresight note: EU’s nanoforum is trying to develop a coordinated research program for nanofood research — Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece lead the way.
Headline: EU targets commercial nanotech research
News source: Food Production Daily.com
In an update policy document published in June, the European Commission Plans to aid advances in nanotechnology would help boost the bloc's competitiveness through research and development, which has fallen far behind the US' advances in the area. The Commission warned that the EU must avoid a repeat of what is generally known as the European ‘paradox’, a weakness in transforming research into industrial development and this, in turn, into commercial results.
According to the Nanoforum document Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece hold out signs of yielding research that could be eventually be of commercial use to the bloc's food processors.
Source
Nanoforum http://www.nanoforum.org/
5. Making powerful information technology available everywhere
Foresight note: The semiconductor industry will contribute many of the nanoscale tools and instruments of the future.
Headline: Nano World: A semiconductor nanotools boom
News source: World Peace Herald by Charles Q. Choi, UPI
Semiconductor industry tools and instruments that work on the nanoscale could form a $5.5 billion market by 2012, experts told UPI's Nano World.
"Without the growing toolbox of techniques that enable things to be created at the nanoscale, nanotechnology doesn't exist, and a lot of these tools are coming from the semiconductor industry," said Lawrence Gasman, principal analyst for NanoMarkets, an industry research firm in Sterling, Va.
Source
Another essay by Lawrence Gasman about nanotech and the future of semiconductors
6. Enabling the development of space
Foresight note: "Nanostructured" ceramic materials blend strength and flexibility. NASA considers these materials for shuttle coatings among other things.
Headline: Study may expand applied benefits of super-hard ceramics
News source: Innovations Report.com
A discovery reported in the August 5 issue of Science could speed the design of materials that approach the hardness of diamond yet remain supple enough to be worked like metal.
In a massive computer simulation involving 128 computer processors and nearly 19 million atoms, materials scientist Izabela Szlufarska of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues at University of Southern California demonstrated the precise atomic mechanisms that explain why "nanostructured" ceramic materials — some of the hardest substances known — also exhibit unusual pliability.
Source
Science Magazine (subscription required)
Materials scientist Isabela Szlufarska
Productive Nanosystems Roadmap
The Foresight Nanotech Institute’s Nanotechnology Roadmap initiative would like to welcome Rick Snyder to the Steering Committee. Mr. Snyder is the CEO of Ardesta and is the Chairman of Gateway.
http://www.ardesta.com/1about/abolea1.asp
http://www.gateway.com/about/investors/board.shtml
Complete list of Roadmap Steering Committee Members follow this link:
http://www.foresight.org/roadmaps/index.html
Roadmap Lectures
Dr. Eric Drexler will give a talk on the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems at the Vision Weekend, October 22-23, 2005. Dr. Drexler is the Chief Technical Advisor, Nanorex, and Founder, Foresight Nanotech Institute.
http://www.foresight.org/conference2005/index.html#vision
A Luncheon Seminar on the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems will be given on October 27, 2005 at 12:10 p.m.
http://www.foresight.org/conference2005/research.html
Advancing Beneficial Nanotechnology
Focusing on the Cutting Edge
13th Foresight Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology
October 22-27, 2005
San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel
http://www.foresight.org/conference2005/index.html
Early Registration Discount – deadline September 1, 2005
Customize your conference experience – Choose the days and sessions that provide the kind of nanotechnology information and contacts you seek. Foresight Nanotech Institute offers an "a la carte" conference so you can select the days that are most valuable to you. Or attend all six days and receive a comprehensive overview: from Vision, through current Applications and Policy work, to Research on the cutting edge of advanced nanotechnology.
To register:
http://foresight.org/conference2005/registration.html
New Speakers & Topics
Updated program:
http://www.foresight.org/conference2005/program.html
Vision Weekend – October 22-23, 2005
Achieving the Nanotech Vision: Multiple Horizons for Beneficial Applications
Carl F. Kohrt, CEO, Battelle
Designing an "X Prize" for Nanotech
Peter Diamandis, Chairman, X Prize Foundation
Applications & Policy – October 24-25, 2005
Nanotechnology and Foreign Policy
George Atkinson, Science & Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State, U.S. Dept. of State
Panel: Nanotech for Food Production and Reducing the Environmental "Footprint" of Agriculture
Michael Riedlinger, President, Natural Nano
Norman Scott, Dept. of Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Peter Singer, Director, University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
Panel: Nanotech for Ubiquitous, Inexpensive Information Technology
David Bishop, VP Nanotechnology Research, Lucent
Public Equity Roundtable
Andrew Wahl, Managing Director, IG Partners
Research – October 26-27, 2005
Nanomechanical devices and systems,
Alex Zettl, UC Berkeley
http://www.foresight.org/conference2005/research.php
Spotlight On Foresight Members
Foresight Nanotech Institute has updated its membership levels and added new benefits. One of the premiere benefits is attending the Vision Weekend.
This weekend is known as "THE" place where ideas generated today lead to future realities tomorrow. This event provides a rare opportunity to hear world-class speakers discuss the future of nanotechnology candidly and off- the-record.
The Vision Weekend is exclusive to Foresight Participating members. We encourage individuals interested in how nanotechnology will change the world to become members and share their views.
Speakers at this year’s Vision Weekend include:
Achieving the Nanotech Vision: Multiple Horizons for Beneficial Applications
Carl F. Kohrt, CEO, Battelle
Nanotechnology: New Capabilities in Security, Defense, and Offense
Sharon Smith, Director of Technology, Lockheed Martin
Moderating Nano Controversies
Derrick Boston, Partner, Guth Christopher and former Senior Vice President, California NanoSystems Institute
Debate: Nanotechnology: Revolutionary or Questionable?
Jerry Mander, Director, International Forum on Globalization
Ralph Merkle, Dept. of Computer Science, Georgia Tech
Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems
Eric Drexler, Chief Technical Advisor, Nanorex, and Founder, Foresight Nanotech Institute
Designing an "X Prize" for Nanotech
Peter Diamandis, Chairman, X Prize Foundation
Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence to Extend Human Lifespan
Aubrey de Grey, University of Cambridge, UK
Soft Machines: Why Nano will be like Bio
Richard A.L. Jones, University of Sheffield, UK
To become a participating member, follow this link:
http://www.foresight.org/members/index.html#Levels
Foresight Partners
If you attend or use any of our media partners’ events or services, please tell them you heard about it from Foresight Nanotech Institute.
August 21-23, 2005 - Targeted Nanodelivery for Therapeutics and Molecular Imaging
Sponsored by Cambridge Healthtech Institute
Washington, D.C.
The goal of targeted therapeutics is to create drugs that by the specificity of their design and delivery will be more effective in treating disease and less toxic. Nanotechnology offers the possibility of a device and a drug in one, with novel capabilities. This meeting will address the challenges in implementing nanotechnology for drug delivery systems and imaging agents, and promote dialogue between diagnostic and therapeutic development.
http://www.healthtech.com/2005/bms/index.asp
Nanotech Events & News
Article: Future Gazing - What can we expect from the next five decades?
News source: RSA e-Journal
Each year hundreds of scientists, business planners and futurists contribute their research, conclusions and judgments about future developments and strategies. Their input has been condensed into the 15 global challenges in chapter one of the annual State of the Future report.
Source
To acquire the State of the Future report
August 22-25, 2005 - Course: New Electronic Materials for Extending Moore’s Law
Palo Alto, California
Sponsored by Stanford University
Source
August 28–September 1, 2005 - ACS National Meeting & Exposition Washington, DC
Sponsored by the American Chemical Society
Source
Includes short course:
Designing Novel Advanced Materials Using Molecular Structure-Property Relationships
September 28-29, 2005 – NanoForum
Milano, Italy
Sponsored by NanoForum
http://www.nanoforum.it/english.htm
About The Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest
The Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest is emailed every week to 15,000 individuals in more than 125 countries. Foresight Nanotech Institute is a member-supported organization. We offer membership levels appropriate to meet the needs and interests of individuals and companies. To find out more about membership follow this link:
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Judy Conner, Director of Communications at Foresight Nanotech Institute, is the editor of the Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest. If you would like to submit a news item or contact her with comments about the news digest, please send an email to: editor@foresight.org.
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