Nanotechnology Project

Events

Nanotechnology & NIOSH: Perspectives from Director John Howard

Thursday, February 23, 2006, 12:30 – 1:30

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With the National Science Foundation predicting that by 2015 nanotechnology will have a $1 trillion impact on the global economy and employ 2 million workers, it is critical to develop the research data necessary to maintain safe American workplaces.

Event Details

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the sole federal agency responsible for generating new knowledge in the field of workplace safety and health. Last year, NIOSH released Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology: An Information Exchange with NIOSH and Strategic Plan for NIOSH Nanotechnology Research: Filling the Knowledge Gaps.

At the first of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies “Perspectives” series, NIOSH Director John Howard will discuss the statutory mission of the NIOSH, its programs on the occupational safety and health applications and implications of nanotechnology, and future challenges.

Speakers include:

John Howard is Director of NIOSH in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to his appointment in 2002, he served as Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations. Howard received his Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago, his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, his Doctor of Law from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his Master of Law from George Washington University. He is board-certified in internal and occupational medicine.

Andrew Maynard, Science Advisor, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies—The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies was launched in 2005 by the Wilson Center and The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is a partnership dedicated to helping business, governments, and the public anticipate and manage the possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.