Center for Nanotechnology in Society
University of California, Santa Barbara www.cns.ucsb.edu
Weekly Clips
May 5 - 12, 2008
Weekly Clips from CNS-UCSB are now available online: http://www.cns.ucsb.edu/clips/
May 7, 2008
It’s Just Like That, Except Different
The Power of Analogy In Describing Nanotechnology
By W. Patrick McCray
Historical analogies have power. Is Iraq circa 2008 like Southeast Asia in 1968? Can one think of the United States, as Cullen Murphy suggests, as an imperial power whose recent history and future fate compares with ancient Rome? Historical analogies help frame policy debates and, while they do not establish proof, they suggest possibility. For the broader public, analogies also generate useful connections and relations, emotional as well as logical. At the same time, false or poorly constructed analogies can promote misunderstandings and even bad policy.
When it comes to understanding emerging fields such as information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, historical analogies are just as potent. They help shape debate and can validate, even suggest, possible futures. In the 1960s, as the
U.S. and USSR raced to best each other with feats in space, historians debated over whether comparisons to 19th century railroad infrastructure could help society prepare for the shocks that robust programs of space exploration would surely bring.
In 1962, in fact, NASA sponsored a project that encouraged scholars to consider the long-term implications—economic, political, and social—of the national space program. http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/05/its-just-like-that-except-different/
May 8, 2008
House Science and Technology Committee unanimously reports National
Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act
The NanoBusiness Alliance reports that the House Science and Technology
Committee yesterday unanimously supported H.R. 5940, the National
Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act, which will update and expand the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), who addressed the NanoBusiness 2008 conference in New York on Monday,

recognized the NanoBusiness Alliance for its support of the bill during the Committee markup.
The Alliance has worked closely with Chairman Gordon, Ranking Member Ralph Hall
(R-TX), and the members and staff of the Committee to ensure that the bill moves the federal nanotechnology effort to the next stage: one that helps America realize the benefits of nanotechnology through increased support for commercialization; generates a nanotechnology workforce by improving science education; and advances our understanding of environmental, health, and safety effects through increased research in these areas.
In his own remarks to the NanoBusiness 2008 conference, Senate Science,
Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) committed to moving NNI legislation forward in Senate side as well. http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5654.php
May 6, 2008
Pols: Put nanotech research on fast track
New York — Two key legislators have called for the quick reauthorization of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).
At the Nanobusiness 2008 conference here Monday (May 5), Sen. John Kerry (D-
Mass.) and Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House Science and
Technology Committee, both endorsed fast-track commercialization of nanotechnology research as a way to boost U.S. productivity.
Draft legislation coming out of the House science panel would expand NNI, which was approved by Congress in 2003. The initiative established interagency planning and budgeting. Twenty-six federal agencies participate in NNI, 13 of which contribute to its R&D budget.
The House will consider amendments to the NII bill on Wednesday (May 7), and
"there is a real possibility to enact the legislation this year," said Gordon. http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207501835
May 8, 2008
Committee Passes Legislation to Reauthorize NNI
Today, House Science and Technology Committee approved H.R. 5940, the National
Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008. This legislation amends the 21st
Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act to make several changes to the implementation process and priorities of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (

NNI ). It is based in part on recommendations from the formal reviews of NNI by the
National Academy of Sciences and the NNI Advisory Panel.
"H.R. 5940 is a bipartisan bill which I and Ranking Member Hall jointly introduced, along with 23 additional Democratic and Republican Members of the Committee," said Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN ). "This Committee was instrumental in establishing the National Nanotechnology Initiative through legislation enacted in 2003."
The Committee recognized the significance of nanotechnology early on; about a decade ago the Committee held the first hearing on nanotechnology to review
Federal research activities in the field. In 2003, the Committee was a key player in the development and enactment of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and
Development Act (P.L. 108-153 ), which authorized NNI. The 2003 statute established formal interagency planning, coordinating, and budgeting for NNI.
Currently, twenty-six federal agencies participate in NNI, 13 of which contribute to
NNI’s research and development budget. http://media-newswire.com/release_1066160.html
May 7, 2008
Gordon Speaks to NanoBusiness Alliance Regarding the Committee's Work on
Nanotechnology Reauthorization
Today, House Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon ( D-TN ) spoke at the
NanoBusiness Alliance’s NanoBusiness 2008 Conference regarding advancement of nanotechnology. Chairman Gordon discussed legislation to reauthorize the National
Nanotechnology Initiative ( NNI ), H.R. 5940, which is scheduled to be marked up at the full Committee this Wednesday, May 7.
Chairman Gordon made the following remarks:
I am pleased to have been invited to address the NanoBusiness 2008 Conference organized by the NanoBusiness Alliance.
…Consequently, the Committee’s bill leaves NNI’s major features unchanged. But after reviewing the implementation and content of the program, we did identify aspects that require attention and that would benefit from adjustments to current priorities and implementation strategies. http://media-newswire.com/release_1065898.html
May 8, 2008
Overview of regulatory and voluntary measures for the handling of engineered nanomaterials in Europe
Regulations and legal provisions can serve several purposes. From a regulator’s perspective priority is given to aspects of human safety and environment protection.

For commercial firms, regulations on the one hand imply restrictions (compliance) and on the other hand offer a frame of reference and predictability of legal decisions.
From a civil society’s point of view regulations can be trust-building in the sense that it indicates a certain level of safety. A lack of regulations calls for voluntary measures in order to make sure that this kind of basic trust can be established. The following article aims at shedding light on this field of tension and gives an overview of the current state of European nanotechnology regulation. http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=5646.php
May 12, 2008
It's difficult to spot retail nanotechnology
Three or four new nanotechnology-based consumer products hit the market every week, according to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, but for the consumer, it's not always easy to know if an item contains nanoparticles.
Shoppers might not be aware, for example, that silver nanoparticles are used in the
FresherLonger food storage containers sold by Sharper Image, or in Pure Plushy's mold- and bacteria-resistant teddy bears. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/11/BUP110ILUD.DTL
May 8, 2008
NanoRisk: What Can You Do About It?
If you work in the electronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, energy, catalytic, and materials industries and your employer uses nanoparticles or materials that contain nanoparticles, you may be at risk for exposure.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association estimates that 4 million people in the
United States are expected to be exposed to nanometer-diameter particles on a regular basis as these industries grow. Because of their size, nanoparticles (between
1 and 100 nanometers) can penetrate deep into the body, even crossing the bloodbrain barrier. They often exhibit different characteristics as the same materials at larger scales.. In fact, nanoparticles tend to be more chemically reactive, potentially making normally harmless materials toxic in tiny amounts (Bass 2008; Figure 1). http://www.eponline.com/articles/62508/
May 12, 2008

Nanoparticles scrutinized for health effects
Windows cleaned by raindrops, white sofas immune to red wine spills, tiles protected from limescale buildup - new products created from minute substances called nanoparticles are making such domestic dreams come true.
Based on tiny particles 10,000 times thinner than a strand of hair, the products are some of the early widespread applications of nanotechnology, the science of manipulating atoms and molecules. Nanoparticles are showing up in everything from fabric coatings to socks to plush teddy bears.
In the best-case scenario, these nanoparticles are harmless and can help spare the environment from the overuse of polluting cleaning agents.
But some scientists are concerned that these seemingly magical materials are hitting the market before their effects on human health and the environment have been sufficiently studied. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/11/BU4P10BB88.DTL
May 10, 2008
Nanotechnology transfer no small feat for couple
This week’s column was adapted from a story by Phil Leslie, communication specialist at Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers.
Nanotechnology once was confined to the realm of science fiction, conjuring up visions of miniaturized submersibles coursing through the veins of medical patients, as in the ’60s sci-fi flick "Fantastic Voyage."
Today, the world of supersmall technology no longer is a dream. And Keshab and
Shubhra Gangopadhyay, a husband-and-wife engineering duo at the University of
Missouri College of Engineering, are taking their "nano" vision from the laboratory to the marketplace. http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/May/20080510Busi011.asp
May 6, 2008
Nanotechnology? What are you talking about?
Ask 10 people what nanotechnology is and you will get 10 different answers. Trying to define nanotechnology is like the famous tale of the blind men and the elephant:
Six blind men were asked to determine what an elephant looked like by feeling different parts of the elephant's body. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the

one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe. It's the same with nanotechnology – it is different things to different people.
And then there are all these terms floating around: 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' fabrication, 'atomically precise manufacturing', 'molecular assembly', 'self-assembly',
'nanorobots', 'nanofactories' and so forth. Try describing nanotechnology as a topdown fabrication process and the folks over at Foresight and CRN will tell you what a short-sighted wuss you are. Try describing nanotechnology the Drexlerian way as a bottom-up molecular assembly technology and some scientists will tell you that you are smoking too much of the good stuff.
And then of course you hear about all these 'nanotechnology' products already hitting the market – but they seem decidedly low-tech, such as golf balls, 'no-smell' socks, toothpaste, scratch-resistant car paint, and so on – that's what we have been investing billions and billions of dollars for?
Pretty confusing, huh? Let's start to disentangle... http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=5608.php
May 9, 2008
New technology breakthrough - 'Science fiction' solutions to the future control of pests and diseases
A technological breakthrough that is on the verge of revolutionising the food processing and packaging industries could soon be offering arable farmers science fiction solutions to the control of pests and diseases.
Nanotechnology is where computer science and chemistry combine down at the atomic and molecular level to create active ingredients with particle sizes so small that they take on new and, seemingly, magical properties.
…A nanotechnology insecticide, for example, will contain many trillions of particles of active ingredient per litre. The massive extra surface area created by the reduction in particle size can boost potency, accelerate uptake by the plant or pest, increase solubility in the spray tank and reduce or even eliminate the risk of settlement.
Alternatively, it is possible that the performance of an agrochemical containing particles of a conventional size can be boosted simply by adding a catalyst containing nano-scale particles. http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=21&storycode=18376

May 7, 2008
Taking the NanoPulse -- Hot Nanotechnology. Cool Energy Solutions.
Nanotechnology creates thermal solutions to control, conserve and transform energy
Skyrocketing energy costs. Carbon footprints. Global warming. We're consumed with the concerns about consumption of energy. And well we should be. Our industries, our economy, our lifestyles and our environment are on the line. Some of the best minds on the planet are pursuing solutions -- and a number of them, I'm proud to say, are nanotechnology based.
This month, I'll be part of a panel discussing Thermal Nanotechnology Solutions at
NanoBusiness 2008, a gathering of some of the best scientific and business minds in nanotech. As excited as I am to share information about work on a nanofilm for windows to lower energy needed for heating and cooling, I'm more excited to hear about the work others are doing. I've been investigating some of the technology on the agenda, and it's pretty hot stuff. Let me give you a preview. http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=16256&SectionID=4
May 12, 2008
Teaching technology for life
Career centers and technical centers prepare students to step into jobs in hundreds of vocations as diverse as aviation mechanics, culinary arts and restaurant management, law enforcement, video production and ... nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology, the field of manipulating material on a molecular or atomic level, is one of many topics attracting more than 100 teachers, business leaders and vocational coordinators to Burlington from across the country this week for the 43rd annual conference of the National Association for Workforce Improvement.
Participants will hear how nanotechnology, problem-based learning and other innovative skills can have a place in the classroom. They will learn how technical and career centers in Vermont are helping students develop real-world engineering projects with local industry leaders as mentors.
…But why nanotechnology? http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/BUSIN
ESS/805120303/1003
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