Nanotechnology Project

News

Project News

  • October 31, 2007 U.S. Government Delays Nanotechnology Safety Measures Want to buy a bag of carbon nanotubes—in quantities from a few grams to hundreds of kilograms? With a credit card and Internet access, you can. But is the U.S. government doing enough to ensure the safety of these materials and the hundreds of other nanotechnology commercial and consumer products currently on the market? video
  • October 22, 2007 The Twinkie Guide to Nanotechnology The Twinkie Guide to Nanotechnology is an entertaining new video featuring scientist Andrew Maynard which mixes the iconic American snack cake with humor to unlock the mysteries of nanotechnology. In this 25-minute short Maynard serves up the complexities of nanoscience in bite-size morsels. video
  • September 25, 2007 Poll Reveals Public Awareness of Nanotech Stuck at Low Level National survey findings released today indicate that Americans’ awareness of nanotechnology remains low. Popular awareness is nearly as small as the tiny nanoscale materials and nano-enabled devices and products now flowing onto the market from this rapidly progressing technology that experts believe will usher in a new industrial revolution.
  • September 13, 2007 Federal Research Plan to Determine Nanotech Risks Fails to Deliver Almost a year in the making, a federal plan to prioritize research on the potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) impacts of nanoscale materials has so many failings that its begs the question as to whether the government’s 13-agency nanotechnology research effort is able to deliver an effective risk research strategy, according to David Rejeski, head of the Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.
  • August 8, 2007 Plenty of Clean Water at the NanoFrontier A new podcast episode of Trips to the NanoFrontier examines how Eric Hoek and his engineering research team at UCLA are working to dramatically reduce the cost and energy needed for desalination and wastewater treatment. A companion issue of the NanoFrontiers newsletter Developing Story: Nanotechnology and Low-Income Nations examines the question of whether developing nations will fully share in the anticipated benefits of nanotech. audio
  • August 2, 2007 Does EPA Have an Adequate Strategy to Oversee Nanotechnologies? Can it get needed information through a proposed program where companies voluntarily submit details about the nature of the nanomaterials they are using to manufacture products and about their steps to ensure safety? What incentives, if any, exist for firms to take part in this new EPA program? And how appropriate is the agency’s approach for classifying nanoscale substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?
  • August 1, 2007 Do You Know Nano? New Opportunities at the Project The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is a fast-paced science policy group within the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. Current openings include part-time internships
  • July 26, 2007 Where Does the Nano Go? New Report on End-of-Life Regulation of Nanotechnologies All materials and products eventually come to the end of their useful life, and those made with nanotechnology are no different.This means that engineered nanomaterials will ultimately enter the waste stream and find their way into landfills or incinerators—and eventually into the air, soil and water. A new report authored by legal experts from the Environmental Law Institute addresses these issues. video
  • July 9, 2007 Tomorrow’s Green Nanofactories Viruses are notorious villains – a blight on both humans and their computers. A new episode in the Trips to the NanoFrontier explores how materials scientists Angela Belcher is improving their behavior, coaxing viruses and other microorganisms to self-assemble nanomaterials into a functional electronic devices. audio
  • July 2, 2007 Nanotechnology, Medicine and Bioethics Dr. Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for the Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, and Dr. Mauro Ferrari, chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, were invited to discuss nanotechnology and nanomedicine before a meeting of the President’s Council on Bioethics.
  • June 29, 2007 Green Nanotechnology: Why We Need a Green Nano Award & How to Make It Happen
  • June 25, 2007 Nanotechnology: Consumers Must Be Convinced Benefits Outweigh Risks
  • June 10, 2007 NPR: Maynard Discusses Nano’s Promise and Potential Pitfalls on “Living On Earth” audio
  • May 17, 2007 Mapping the New U.S. NanoMetro Economy
  • May 17, 2007 Nanotechnology Now Used in Nearly 500 Everyday Products