Transforming Society through Emerging Technologies: The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) at Five Years

In This Workshop

  1. Nanofabrication

    11 Apr 2006 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): R. Fabian Pease

    Nanotechnology comprises the techniques for making things small (<100 nm) — i.e., nanopatterning — and the resulting applications, ranging from the results of undirected nanopatterning such as Goretex, paint, and reactive gold nanoparticles, to those of directed nanopatterning such as...

  2. Real-time Technology Assessment

    11 Apr 2006 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): David Guston

    Real-time technology assessment (RTTA) is a social technology that relies on fundamental understandings of the social, moral, political, and economic dynamics of knowledge-based innovation that have developed over the past three decades. These understandings reveal the complex, value-laden...

  3. The Rush to Market, Lack of Knowledge, and Public Trust

    11 Apr 2006 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Vivian Weil

    What should rivet our attention now is the rush to get nano products into the market long before the nanoscale phenomena these products exploit are understood. Nanoscale materials often present unusual structures and activities as compared to ordinary-scale amounts of the same material. Research...

  4. From Vision to Reality: The NNI at Five Years

    11 Apr 2006 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Mihail "Mike" Roco

    Science and engineering are at the heart of the human endeavor leading to a "knowledge society." They also are the primary drivers of global technological competition. The newest key player in this science and technology arena is nanotechnology, the ability to organize individual atoms and...

  5. Establishing a Nanotechnology Business

    24 Apr 2006 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Daniel Coy

    There are several fundamental needs to consider when transitioning nanotechnology discovery into a business and, ultimately, the marketplace. These needs include steady cash flow, market focus, the right pool of skills, correct timing, and adequate funding. Developers of a nanotechnology...