Nano Meets Macro: Social Perspectives on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology -- Research and Markets (3/19/2010)

A recently published book, "Nano Meets Macro: Social Perspectives on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology", explores the diversity in social perspectives on the emergence of nanotechnologies. The book consists of five broad categories: philosophy; governance; science; representations; and, arts, and contains chapters by prominent scholars and commentators in the field. "Nano Meets Macro" is designed for use in interdisciplinary teaching and discussions about nanotechnology ethics, but would also be of interest to all researchers, practitioners, and non-academics wanting to explore the varied social perspectives on nanosciences and technologies. A sampling of the chapter titles includes: In the Public Eye: The Slippery Nature of Nano-Enthusiasm by R. Sparrow; Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability: The Case of Water Management by M. Kamera; Economic and Political Aspects of Nanotechnology Governance in Latin America: The Case of Mexico by G. C. Delgado; and, Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture by G. Miller and R. Senjen. The purchase information can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Nano-Based RFID Tag, You're It -- Rice University (3/19/2010)

Researchers at Rice University, United States, in collaboration with Sunchon National University in Korea, have developed an inexpensive, printable transmitter that can be invisibly embedded in packaging. A carbon-nanotube infused ink is used to make the thin-film transistors, a key element in radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be printed on paper or plastic. These RFID tags could eventually replace bar codes and making checking out of stores much quicker. RFID tags are already being used - in passports, library books, and farm animals, among other things - but the current technology is largely silicon-based. The new roll-to-roll printing process developed by the Korean team, and use of the carbon nanotube ink, will bring the cost of printing the tags down to a penny apiece. Gyou-jin Cho, a professor of printed electronics engineering at Sunchon National University, expects the technology to mature in five years, and eventually replace the bar codes found on just about everything you buy. "We are going to a society where RFID is a key player," said Cho. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

UK Government Publishes Nanotechnologies Strategy -- United Kingdom Department for Business Innovation and Skills (3/19/2010)

The United Kingdom Government Office for Science this week published, in an effort to keep the UK at the forefront of nanotechnologies research and innovation, a "UK Nanotechnologies Strategy: Small Technologies, Great Opportunities." The UK government, in producing this strategy, is confirming its intent to promote this emerging science. The overall aims of the strategy are as follows: 1. Transparent, integrated, responsible and skilled nanotechnologies industry with good links to, and support from Government; 2. Better understanding of the risks associated with the use of, and exposure to, nanomaterials, and enough people with the right skills to assess them; 3. Better informed policies and regulations relating to nanomaterials and nanotechnologies; and, 4. Well-informed public and stakeholders and a leading position on nanotechnologies for the UK on the world stage. A comprehensive breakdown and critique of the report has been published by Dr. Andrew Maynard, Chief Science Adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, in his blog 2020Science. This article, and a link to the full report, can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

What Would You Say? -- Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (3/18/2010)

The author of this article asked several thought-leaders the following question: "If you had the attention of the entire world, what would you say about nanoscale technologies?" The respondents were grouped into various perspectives: the futurist, the medical scientist, and the business/economic analysts. The full text of each respondent's answer is included at the end of the article. The answers received by the author made him conclude that there continues to be an urgent need for society to pay attention to the mind-boggling and rapidly changing implementation of nanoscale technologies. He says: "Scientists, economists, innovators, inventors, investors, and savvy business folk know without a doubt that nano-enabled technologies, followed by the inevitable advanced products, will create massive shock-waves in each of their respective areas. By the way, that means if you can answer "Yes" to "Do you live on Planet Earth?" then count on the fact that the future is going to present us with an increasingly complex and exuberantly abundant supply of new technologies that will change our lifestyles and force us sit up and pay attention." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

China Drawing High-Tech Research From U.S. -- The New York Times (3/18/2010)

As China continues to develop a high-tech economy that can compete directly with the United States, more American companies are moving their factories, laboratories, and workers there, attracted by the huge pool of cheap and highly skilled engineers, and the subsidies offered by many Chinese cities and regions, particularly for green energy companies. Applied Materials, the world's biggest supplier of equipment used to make semiconductors, solar panels and flat-panel displays, is one of the more prominent American companies making the move, and the first to send its chief technology officer to live in China. General Motors has a large and growing auto research center in Shanghai, and Intel has opened research labs in Beijing. One smaller clean-energy company, NatCore Technology of New Jersey, recently discovered a way to make solar panels thinner. When American companies showed no interest in its product, NatCore reached a deal with a consortium of Chinese companies to finish developing the invention and mass-produce it. Chuck Provini, NatCore's CEO, said "[T]hese other countries — China, Taiwan, Brazil — were all over us." Xie Lina, an Applied Materials engineer in China, was asked if she thought China would play a big role in clean energy in the future, to which she replied: "Most of the graduate students in China are chasing this area. Of course, China will lead everything." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

CLEAN TECH: DOE to Craft Strategy on Crucial Rare-Earth Minerals -- Environment & Energy News PM (3/18/2010)

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced plans to develop a strategy for assuring United States access to 17 rare-earth metals critical to the growth of clean energy technologies. These metals are necessary components of wind turbines, energy-efficient light bulbs, catalytic converters and hybrid car components. The metals, while relatively abundant, are difficult to extract, and half the global reserves are located in China, a country that will not be able to meet its domestic demand for such minerals within about two years. David Sandalow, DOE's assistant secretary for policy and international affairs, said "[T]here's no reason to panic, but there's every reason to be smart and serious as we plan for growing global demand for products derived from strategic materials. The United States intends to be a world leader in clean energy technologies, and to support that effort, we're shaping the policy...to help prevent obstruction of supply and materials needed for those technologies." Sandalow said the DOE will pull together a strategic vision that will assess ways to diversify the global supply chain, develop substitutes for the metals, and promote recycling, reuse and more efficient use of the rare-earth minerals. In a related development, Representative Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) introduced a bill, H.R. 4866, that would authorize a series of new assessments and programs in an effort to secure a domestic rare-earth mineral supply chain http://www.eenews.net/EEDaily/rss/2010/03/18/9. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

Standard Guide for Handling Unbound Engineered Nanoscale Particles in Occupational Settings -- ASTM International (3/17/2010)

ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), one of the world's largest voluntary standards development organizations, has, available for purchase, a "Standard Guide for Handling Unbound Engineered Nanoscale Particles in Occupational Settings". The guide is intended for use by entities that handle unbound engineered nanoscale particle (UNP) in occupational settings. Handling principles and techniques, for a variety of materials and settings, are covered. The guide also describes actions that can be taken by the user to minimize human exposure to UNPs in research, manufacturing, laboratory and other workplace environments. Purchase information can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]

UK FSA Gives Thumbs Up to Nanotechnology Database -- Food Navigator (3/17/2010)

The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board last week agreed to compile a confidential database of food industry research into nanotechnology. The database was one of the recommendations in a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report released earlier this year. The report called the database necessary for aiding in the development of appropriate risk assessment procedures and to aid in setting priorities for research into the safety of nanotechnology. The Lords Committee felt that industry participation in the database should be mandatory, based upon the failure of similar voluntary schemes in the UK and elsewhere. Andrew Wadge, a chief scientist at the FSA, said "[T]he way that we respond in terms of nanotechnology is a test case for the way we, as a regulator respond, to emerging and new technologies." The Board also accepted a recommendation to create and maintain an accessible list of publicly available food and food packaging products containing nanomaterials. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

[Link]