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CCoN/NanoCEO reports & letters to government
- 2010 NanoCEO letter to Wisconsin Legislative Special Committee on proposed Nano Act here
- 2010 NanoCEO comments to U.S. EPA on nanosilver product approval here
- 2009 NanoCEO letter to U.S. EPA on nanosilver registration as pesticide here
- 2007 CCoN comments to U.S. NNCO on priority EHS research needs here (under K. Johnson)
- 2005 Report & Recommendations of Madison Citizens Consensus Conference submitted to Wisconsin State Legislators. Report here.
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Sorry about the delayed response. Thanks for sending the report! I haven't seen it yet. I look forward to reading it and sharing it with the group.
Maria (NanoCEO organizer)
Your trip to Minneapolis sounds interesting.
I have heard that Prince Charles of Great Britain was in fear of the grey goo paradigm, in which a nano-substance is accidentally released in to the atmosphere and it turns all matter in to grey goo and wipes us all out. Now, I don’t know if that could actually happen, but this is a new technology like genetic engineering and it would make sense to use caution. Anything can be abused and us humans have a tendency to misuse technology for whatever petty little disagreements we may have with each other. My main concern is that it not become weaponized or under sole ownership of one entity, be it public or private.
The choice is ours as a species, we can build weapons or find solutions for our problems.
Our track record as a species is not encouraging, but somehow we are all still here.
Renee Simousek
Micro-Technix
Computerhelpforless.com
Madison, WI
608-235-0485
microtechnix@tds.net
"Don't despair, we repair."
Hi Renee--
Thanks for sending your thoughts--these are really important issues to consider as nanotechnologies develop! Sorry about my delayed response. I have been ill.
I hope you'll join one of our meetings some time in the future so we can discuss these issues more in person. Just let me know if you're interested and we'll let you know when we plan to meet next.
Maria
Hello.
I offer a search database for commercial and non-commercial nanotechnology products. The use is free. The project is non-profit.
Search also cooperation partners for international business.
More at www.nanoproducts.de
Many greetings
Hi I am the editor of NanoScience Network!
Looking for new partner and members. We have alredy 250 members.
http://www.nanopaprika.eu
It is very intersting as it enables us to know the latest developments
Thank you ,
R.Asokamani
Professor
VIT University Vellore
India
It really is an amazing website. Our Citizen's Coalition on Nanotechnology finds it so useful to help inform people who want to understand more about these technologies. As far as I know this is the most comprehensive site on the Internet for current info and product development. I enjoyed seeing the comment from India!
I understand that nano sized particles are being created in the world all the time. Waves smashing water molecules into nano sized particles, tires spinning down the highway losing nano sized rubber bits, even rubbing my hand over the table top will wear off a few nano sized particles of the table top material. Where do they all go? What happens to all those nano sized particles? Won't we eventually end up with a world covered in nano sized particles of everything? How come we're not seeing that happen?
I have some general questions for a class I'm taking. Here they are!
1)What are the potential risks/benefits of nanotechnology? Is there a way to justify nanotech application, given the known potential risks (and the unknown)?
2)What efforts are being undertaken to investigate and mitigate those risks?
3)Nanotechnology is already applied in cosmetics and other consumer products. Do you feel that, given the successes and/or failures of other efforts to promote consumer awareness (e.g., tobacco, lead paint), there will likely be a consumer movement or backlash against nanotech? Would you support such a movement?
Check our GEN (genetic engineering news
Vo.2, Number 21, Dec., 2006
Gauging Nanobiotech's Promise Realistically
by K. John Morrow, Jr., Ph.D.
Read this one not only for its content but watch for who is writing that content. I got an interesting glimse into the mind of an investment counselor. How much will this occupation influence the development of nanotech? Extrapolate to all science experimentation and frighten yourself.
I am unable to make it into Madison in the near term - I'm in upstate NY, a bit of a hike. Are there any notes or minutes from the various NanoCafes available?
Sincerely,
John B
Hi John,
Thanks for your interest in the Nano Cafés! We don't have any "official" minutes, but we do have informal notes or information on different aspects of the Nano Cafés. Can you tell us more about your interests and contact us at nano.cafes@gmail.com to give us more details about your request? Thanks in advance!
Not surprising with new high-tech chemical industries is it?
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Helping_The_Carbon_Nanotube_Industry_Avoid_Mega_Mistakes_Of_The_Past_999.html
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/apr/science/rc_vjnano.html
1. Can all elements be made into nano scale materials?
2. Who and how are researchers developing nano materials?
3. Is there a governmatal body trying to stay abreast of these products?
4.
1) Can all elements be made into nano scale materials?
As far as I know, there are no stable elements which could not be made into something at a nanoscale. This is not to say it would be EASY to do - Fluorine, for instance, is going to be very difficult to handle due to its high reactivity, and some of the nobel gasses are also going to be quite difficult for the opposite reason, they're very inert.
2) Who and how are researchers developing nano materials?
You should realize that nanomaterials have been made and utilized for hundreds of years. Examples include various types of stained glass that are colored by nanoparticles of precious metals, among others. There's also the most common nanoscale manipulator we know of at the present time - biological life.
That being said, many major universities/colleges have varying degrees of research ongoing, as well as quite a few others in government and commerce. So far as I know, there is no one single source for listings of everyone working on some form of nano-scale science, at least short of Google.
3) Is there a governmental body trying to stay abreast of these products?
Yes and no. There's quite a few bodies, US and otherwise, who're looking at various pieces of the puzzle such as the US National Nanotechnology Initiative, but so far as I know there's no one overarching body within any nation. This is in part because nanoscale science covers so many different areas of scholarship it is rather hard to pidgeon-hole.
Hope this is helpful,
-John B
Thanks for the information John. I was also wondering if there is rapid prot0yping for these nanotechnology products? Do you typically use SLA or something such as a realize quote to create products like stained glass? I would love to see how these products are molded and created.
I think that we need to define Nanotechnology or Nanoscience for ourselves and use this term with our definition until the larger community comes up with a more popular and/or understood definition.
When I speak of Nanotech to friends, the usual reply is the question, what is it? I like the following definition: "Nanotechnology, a material science, is the manipulation of matter on a nanoscale." *
Having defined Nanotechnology, we can then go on to define nanoscale: particles ranging in size from .1 to 100 nanometers.
If we can get the world community to accept our definition, we can either rest on our laurals or we can go on to conquer the world.
* news.com Matthew Nordan. President of Lux Research
"Small stuff that does stuff" is the definition I learned at a conference at the UW in Madison and more recently at a conference at the University of Minnesota. Both times it was offered as a definition by my favorite expert on the subject- Andrew Maynard.
have you read it ?
http://web.mit.edu/dc/Policy/MIT%20White%20Paper%20on%20Convergence.pdf