Nanotechnology Project

Events

Events

  • February 16, 2011 Socio-Technical Integration Research Project Workshop 4 Join the Synthetic Biology Project on February 16 and 17 for the Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR) Project Workshop 4. video
  • December 1, 2010 Nanotechnology Research Directions for Societal Needs in 2020 Release of a new report,“Nanotechnology Research Directions for Societal Needs in 2020” (Eds. M. Roco, C. Mirkin and M. Hersam), Springer, 2010. video
  • November 4, 2010 Voluntary Initiatives, Regulation, and Nanotechnology Oversight: Charting a Path A new PEN report, “Voluntary Initiatives, Regulation, and Nanotechnology Oversight: Charting a Path,” provides the first analysis of the efficacy of voluntary nanotechnology initiatives. video
  • February 4, 2010 Contaminated Site Remediation: Are Nanomaterials the Answer? A new review article appearing in Environmental Health Perspectives focuses on the use of nanomaterials for environmental cleanup. The authors conclude that the technology could be an effective and economically viable alternative for some current site cleanup practices, but potential risks remain poorly understood. video
  • September 29, 2009 Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, and Biofuels: What does the public think? Nanotechnology and synthetic biology continue to develop as two of the most exciting areas of scientific discovery, but research has shown that the public is almost completely unaware of the science and its applications. For the fourth year in a row, Hart Research and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies conducted a representative national telephone survey on public awareness of nanotechnology, and for the second year in a row the public was also asked about synthetic biology.
  • September 23, 2009 Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies Nanotechnology will impact our lives on a global scale. Over the past year experts from the London School of Economics, Chatham House, Environmental Law Institute and the Project have been examining issues of transatlantic regulatory cooperation.
  • April 28, 2009 Oversight of Next Generation Nanotechnology When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded, automobiles ran on leaded gasoline without catalytic converters. A landmark report by J. Clarence Davies, Oversight of Next Generation Nanotechnology, describes how existing health and safety agencies are unable to cope with the risk assessment, standard setting and oversight challenges of 21st century technology. video
  • March 25, 2009 Synthetic Biology: The Next Biotech Revolution Is Brewing Early applications of synthetic biology may be adequately addressed by the existing regulatory framework for biotechnology, but further advances in this emerging field are likely to create much greater challenges for the U.S. government, according to a new report authored by Michael Rodemeyer of the University of Virginia. video
  • March 23, 2009 Nanotechnology: Will It Drive a New Innovation Economy for the U.S.? Nanotechnology - which some scientists and business leaders hail as ushering in the next technology-driven Industrial Revolution - promises to be one of the critical foundations for this new innovation economy. While hopes are high, what is actually happening on the ground in terms of nanotechnology research and commercialization? video
  • January 14, 2009 Nanotech and Your Daily Vitamins Historically, the regulation of dietary supplements has been a significant challenge for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the fact that some of these products are now being manufactured using nanotechnology creates an additional layer of complexity. Is FDA equipped to meet the emerging regulatory challenge of dietary supplements that use engineered nanomaterials? video
  • January 8, 2009 Synthetic Biology: Is Ethics a Showstopper? Synthetic biology promises to enable cheap, lifesaving new drugs to treat the 350-500 million people who suffer from malaria, and to create innovative biofuels that can help solve the world’s energy problems. But are synthetic biologists playing God? Will synthetic biology’s expected products and profits be stymied by policymakers and the public? Join us and explore these unresolved questions with Dr. Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • November 14, 2008 Synthetic Biology: Coming up Fast! Synthetic biology is being touted by scientists and venture capitalists as “the next big thing.” Researchers claim to be on the brink of creating artificial life in a laboratory and making the world’s first synthetic microbes. But will the promises and pitfalls of synthetic biology catch governments, ethicists, biosafety and biosecurity experts, and the public by surprise? video
  • September 30, 2008 Nanotechnology? Synthetic Biology? Hey, What’s That? Nanotechnology and synthetic biology are two of the most exciting fields in science. They are the focus of venture capitalists, government and university laboratories, major corporations, and startup companies. But how much have Americans heard about these two fields that promise to change virtually every aspect of their lives—from sources of energy, to drugs and health care, and even weapons? video
  • July 23, 2008 Nanotechnology and Oversight: An Agenda for the New Administration Few domestic policy areas that the new administration must address will have greater long-range consequences than nanotechnology — a new technology that has been compared with the industrial revolution in terms of its impact on society. If the right decisions are made, nanotechnology will bring vast improvements to almost every area of daily living. If the wrong decisions are made, the American economy, human health and the environment will suffer.
  • June 5, 2008 *POSTPONED - Small is Beautiful: A European View of Nanotech Cosmetics and Safety BusinessWeek magazine claims the $60 billion international beauty products industry is “making a big bet on nanotech.” Today, nearly a hundred cosmetics are in the Project’s online inventory of consumer products. How does a company like Paris-based cosmetics leader L’Oreal—which ranks No. 6 among nanotechnology patent holders in the U.S.— apply “The Precautionary Principle” to nanotechnology cosmetic products?