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”The Janus Face of Nanotechnology: Promises, Products, and Potential Problems.” February 15

Submitted by: John Warner on Jan 26, 2010 at 5:42 am Tagged with: Academia, Advanced Materials, Nanotechnology Source: Clemson University

7:00 PM February 15, McKissick Theater, Clemson University
Refreshments served prior to the talk, 6:30-7:00
All are welcome.

Seminar abstract:
This seminar will examine the field of nanotechnology from its inception to the present and assess our state of knowledge regarding potential benefits and problems. In 1959, Richard Feynman delivered what was to be a prophetic talk entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom.” His lecture discussed manipulating and controlling things on a small scale, such as fitting the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin. This was forward thinking in an era when computers occupied entire floors of buildings; yet, 50 years later, we are actively working at scales so small that Feynman’s fantasy about the Encyclopedia Britannica has become reality. Indeed, while Eric Drexler is commonly credited with coining the term “nanotechnology” in the 1980s, Feynman is credited with heralding its coming. The ability to build products inexpensively with almost every atom in the right place holds tremendous promises for advances in virtually every sector of society. Smart drugs that deliver medicine only to cells that need it, strong yet light materials for automobile bumpers, airplanes and tennis racquets, and tiny reactive particles that clean water at a fraction of previous costs are just a few of the many applications of nanotechnology. Presently there are over 1000 products on the market that either use nanomaterials or apply nanotechnology in some manner. Drexler, who is generally considered to be the first person to apprehend the potential dangers of nanotechnology and its threats to humankind, first drew attention to safety issues in his book Engines of Creation. While potential risks of nanotechnology have been largely theoretical, recent published research suggests that quantitative analysis of the effects of nanoparticles on biological systems is needed, and prudent management strategies should be developed prior to widespread use of certain nanoparticles.

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Sigma Xi is an international, multidisciplinary research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement. There are nearly 60,000 Sigma Xi members in more than 100 countries around the world. Sigma Xi chapters, more than 500 in all, can be found at colleges and universities, industrial research centers and government laboratories. The Society endeavors to encourage support of original work across the spectrum of science and technology and to promote an appreciation within society at large for the role research has played in human progress.