So…

Inspired by emerging technologies? Local? Responsible, organized, meticulous about detail? Come help us try to change the world.

1) Office Manager/Coordinator:

The person who fills this crucial role will be involved in day-to-day operations and administrative tasks related to the Institute, including:

• mail and office maintenance
• bookkeeping and database support
• answering and making outbound calls
• event and program coordination

Friendly, energetic yet even-keeled individuals with meticulous attention to detail and excellent verbal/written communication skills are encouraged to apply. Special bonus if you have Quickbooks experience, and/or you think you would enjoy reaching out to interact professionally and personally with Institute supporters during fundraising season.

2) Operations Management:

This roles specializes in program/project management and finance. This person is the operational ‘right-hand’ of Foresight’s directors and president, someone dedicated to helping us translate our vision of transformative nanotechnology into solid, objectively successful results.

Major responsibilities include:

• management and effective execution of Foresight programs, projects and special events (including conferences, lecture dinners, prizes and more)
• strategic financial projection, planning and analysis (Quickbooks+)
• overseeing and streamlining all organizational operations, including HR management, bookkeeping, accounting, and website/database enhancements (IT management experience a plus)
• recruiting and managing personnel as appropriate

This role requires an exceptional balance of solidarity and adaptability: someone who won’t just endure, but who will take great pleasure in building and streamlining truly effective infrastructure for a small, spunky non-profit in the process of updating itself.

Both positions are:

• flexible, with potential for part-time telecommuting
• part-time contracts to start, but for the right person can evolve into full-time employment with insurance coverage; may also be filled together by one exceptional person
• ideally filled by candidates who are deeply passionate about Foresight’s vision of transformative nanotechnology
• crucially important to supporting our cause!

To apply, please send a resume and a brief statement of interest to desiree@foresight.org.

See this page for schedule and link: http://foresight.org/reunion/schedule.html

It’s free so please have patience if we run into any technical difficulties.

You can try sending questions to speakers by using this Twitter tag (though in-person participants get first priority): #foresight2011

Next time we hope to see you in person!

As I write this, late conference registration is still open: http://www.eventbee.com/v/foresightinstitute/event?eid=890000225

(And note, the Friday evening no-host reception is open to all.)

—Chris Peterson

http://www.foresight.org/reunion
$50 off with code: NANODOT

You’ll be stimulated, enlightened and inspired by direct interaction with ground-breaking movers and shakers in transformative technologies, including:

Keynotes:
JIM VON EHR – President of Zyvex, the 1^st successful molecular nanotech company
BARNEY PELL – CoFounder/CTO of Moon Express competing for the Lunar X-PRIZE

Panels that will tempt you to ramp up your nanotech involvement:
·         The Scientific Challenges of Truly Transformative Nanotech
·         From Research to Application: Turning innovation into success

And emceed by SingularityU trustee SONIA ARRISON:
·         Funding, Development & the Valley of Death: Transcending entrepreneurial challenges
·         Jumpstarting a Career in Nanotech: How to make your move

Speakers and panelists include:
IBM’s THOMAS THEIS, Halcyon Molecular’s MICHAEL ANDREGG, Caltech’s WILLIAM GODDARD, ITRS ERM Chair MICHAEL GARNER, NanoInk CTO MIKE NELSON, Paypal’s LUKE NOSEK, Stanford forecaster PAUL SAFFO, motor-molecule creator SIR FRASER STODDART and more at:

Including plenty of schmooze time and topic-based lunch breakouts to maximize your access to speakers and key participants.

Free Friday night no-host reception at the Crowne Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto, and a special banquet for Senior Associates on Saturday night.  Hope to see you there! —Chris Peterson, President and Co-Founder, Foresight Institute

II.  Open Foresight Reception in Palo Alto – Friday June 24^th

III. Senior Associates Reunion Banquet – Saturday June 25^th

IV. Thiel Foundation’s 20Under20 to attend Foresight@Google

==================================

I. Foresight@Google Registration Deadline – Wednesday June 22nd

Foresight@Google – June 24-26, 2011

25^th Anniversary Conference Celebration & Reunion Weekend

Google HQ in Mountain View, CA

http://www.foresight.org/reunion

$50 off with code: FORESIGHT

Registration ends this Wednesday, June 22^nd.

Space is limited, so sign up today!

==================================

II.  Open Foresight Reception in Palo Alto – 7pm, Friday June 24^th

In conjunction with Foresight’s 25^th Anniversary conference, we will be holding a no-host reception at our official hotel, the Crowne Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto.  Come mingle, chat with Foresight staff, leadership and speakers, catch up with your fellow Foresighters! There is no cost to attend, though drinks are your own option.  Join us in the lounge across from the main restaurant, or outside on the patio.

==================================

III. Senior Associates Reunion Banquet – 7pm, Saturday June 25^th

Our 25th Anniversary Celebration and Senior Associates Reunion Banquet will be held on Saturday evening at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel’s Cyprus Room in Palo Alto. This is a special opportunity for past and present Senior Associates to enjoy meeting speakers, relax with friends, explore career options, and celebrate renewed energy, direction and developments in Foresight’s vision of nanotechnology.

Amidst tasty cuisine, great company and a beautiful sunset over the courtyard, President Christine Peterson and new Director of Development Desiree Dudley will be presenting our renewed vision for the future, program highlights and more on how you can be a part of “The Future of Foresight.”

This exclusive event is reserved for those who have donated within the last year – or can donate today – at a $250 level or above. Cost of the banquet is $75.

As a special treat for Senior Associates, we’ve invited the Thiel Foundation’s 20Under20 Fellows to join us for the banquet.

==================================

IV. Thiel Foundation’s 20Under20 to attend Foresight@Google

Foresight is proud to welcome The Thiel Foundation’s first group of 20Under20 Fellows to our 25^th Anniversary Conference and celebratory Banquet.

“The Fellows are a tremendous group of young people who are going to advance the frontiers of knowledge, shake up staid industries, and change the world,” said [Peter] Thiel. “Tomorrow will not take care of itself. In order to solve vexing problems and increase the quality of life for people everywhere, the world’s economy needs continuous scientific and technical innovation from outstanding creative minds.”

As the first members of the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship, the Fellows will pursue innovative scientific and technical projects, learn entrepreneurship, and begin to build the technology companies of tomorrow. During their two-year tenure, each Fellow will receive $100,000 from the Thiel Foundation as well as mentorship from the Foundation’s network of tech entrepreneurs and innovators. The project areas for this class of fellows include biotech, career development, economics and finance, education, energy, information technology, mobility, robotics, and space.

“The Fellows’ creativity, intelligence, and leadership were captivating,” said James O’Neill, the head of the Thiel Foundation. “They’re challenging the authority of the present and the familiar…. We’re excited to be working with them, and we hope they will help young people everywhere realize that you don’t need credentials to launch a company that disrupts the status quo.”

We are honored that The Thiel Foundation has chosen our conference to help kick off the Fellows’ experience. Come help us expand on the promise in emerging nanotech with the next generation of great innovators and entrepreneurs!

This weekend – full of plenary talks, panels, and breakout sessions – is a unique opportunity to be stimulated, enlightened and inspired by direct interaction with ground-breaking movers and shakers in nanotechnology, including:

Keynotes:

- JIM VON EHR – President of Zyvex Labs LLC

Founder of Altsys, the Texas Nanotech Initiative, & the world’s first successful molecular nanotech company

- BARNEY PELL – CoFounder/CTO of Moon Express

Silicon Valley VC best known for AI work on NASA’s Clarissa & Remote Agent, now competing for Google’s Lunar X PRIZE

SingularityU trustee SONIA ARRISON will also emcee panels on:

• The Scientific Challenges of Truly Transformative Nanotech

• From Research to Application: Turning innovation into success

• Funding, Development & the Valley of Death: Transcending entrepreneurial challenges

• Jumpstarting a Career in Nanotech: How to make your move

With speakers and panelists including: Halcyon Molecular CEO WILLIAM ANDREGG, CalTech’s WILLIAM GODDARD, NanoInk CTO MIKE NELSON, Paypal’s LUKE NOSEK, Stanford forecaster PAUL SAFFO, motor-molecule creator SIR FRASER STODDART, Intel’s MIKE GARNER, IBM’s THOMAS THEIS, and more at:

http://www.foresight.org/reunion/schedule.html

Don’t miss our reception Friday night, and Saturday’s 25th Anniversary Banquet.

Register now! Space is limited.

$50 off with code: NANODOT

See you soon!

Desiree D. Dudley
Director of Development and Outreach
desiree@foresight.org

Foresight@Google

25th Anniversary Conference Celebration and Reunion Weekend

Google HQ in Silicon Valley, CA

June 25-26, 2011

http://www.foresight.org/reunion

Use code NANODOT for $50 off registration!

You already know our Saturday program kicks off with a keynote by

Zyvex founder/president JIM VON EHR

Now Foresight is also proud to announce our Sunday keynote:

BARNEY PELL, PhD - Cofounder and CTO, Moon Express

Chief Architect, Bing Local Search; Associate Founder and Trustee, Singularity University

The Moon-Rush is on and Dr. Barney Pell, well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur and former NASA R&D Manager, has joined the race. As Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Moon Express, Inc., Barney believes very strongly in the economic potential the Moon. He says “the Moon is Earth’s eighth continent. We have barely begun to explore the lunar surface and are already finding compelling evidence of resources that are very important to Earth”.

Moon Express is a privately funded lunar transportation and data services company created to establish new avenues for commercial space activities beyond Earth orbit. Selected last fall by NASA, Moon Express was awarded a lunar data services contract worth up to $10M, for the initial delivery order of the Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data (ILDD) program. In addition, the X PRIZE Foundation announced Moon Express as a competitor for the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE, a competition to place a robot on the Moon’s surface that travels 500 meters and transmits high definition video, images and data back to Earth. Moon Express will be sending a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing exploration and commercial development.

Barney is excited to apply his expertise in artificial intelligence, search and spacecraft control to the exploration of the Moon and the search for lunar resources that can be of benefit to Earth. “It’s highly motivating for me to come back to my roots of space exploration as a commercial space entrepreneur at a time when the Moon is revealing compelling new secrets, he said. My career has been largely devoted to space and search technology and I can think of no more important place to focus my attention than on searching for new energy and resources for planet Earth.”

Confirmed speakers and panelists also include:

Halcyon CEO WILLIAM ANDREGG, CalTech’s WILLIAM GODDARD, NanoInk CTO MIKE NELSON, Paypal’s LUKE NOSEK, Stanford forecaster PAUL SAFFO, motor-molecule creator SIR FRASER STODDART, IBM’s THOMAS THEIS, emcee SONIA ARRISON and more…

Remember: use code NANODOT for $50 off registration.

Hope to see you there!

Desiree D. Dudley

Director of Development and Outreach

desiree@foresight.org

Christine Peterson

President

peterson@foresight.org

Check it out here: http://foresight.org/reunion

Past participants have said:

“This is mind candy for my soul. Having attended for two years now, this event stands alone in my mind as an opportunity to explore new horizons, challenge assumptions, and turbocharge a pursuit of lifetime learning. Too few people are brave enough to ask what could be—what could go right, how can we create our future…Those people are here!” —Steve Jurvetson, VC

“This is arguably the leading organization that truly combines scientific thinking and engineering thinking.” —Aubrey de Grey

“Foresight Institute is the premiere organization projecting the societal impacts of technologies which will remake the human experience” —Brad Sherman, Congressman

“Terrific experience for one of the unenlightened! Can’t imagine a more delightful introduction to the world of nanotechnology…Thanks for including me.” —Suzanne Kelly

“Definitely the best conference in this genre that I’ve been to… I was totally impressed.” —Luke Nosek, Paypal co-founder

“Had a great time and was exposed to fascinating ideas — and, more importantly — fascinating sources of ideas.” —Vernor Vinge

“One of the best times I’ve had at a conference, ever! Looking forward to the next one!” —Charles Vollum

Senior Associates: see also the Saturday night banquet.  Non-Senior Associates: join now to qualify for attending the banquet.

Hope to see you there! –Chris Peterson

…Intel CEO Paul Otellini has said “it costs $1 billion more per factory for me to build, equip, and operate a semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States.” He has also said that not long ago “our research centers were without peer. No country was more attractive for start-up capital. We seemed a generation ahead of the rest of the world in information technology. That simply is no longer the case.”

Capital markets (and with them our leadership in IPOs) are fleeing the U.S., with the latest development being the acquisition of the NYSE by Deutsche Börse. Having learned nothing from the impact of punishing the innocent with Sarbanes-Oxley, Congress has unleashed an open-ended rulemaking frenzy under Dodd-Frank. Who knows what that will bring, but it’s a safe bet it will work out well for large organizations like GE while entrepreneurs and real innovators are losers again. And as always, tighter environmental regulations and data requirements are promised (ostensibly to ‘crack down’ on polluters, though the more likely result is that better replacement innovations simply won’t even be attempted). …

So despite the Einsteinian insanity of arguing yet again for sensible innovation policy, let’s connect all of this with why nanotechnology (other than via Moore’s Law, a battery, three protein/liposome/polymer cancer drugs, and some low-impact consumer applications) has not yet lived up to its hype, at least as measured by venture capital investment, successful investor exits (A123 and ???) and high-wage job creation in the U.S. (A123 and ???). …

Except for the biggest and lowest risk opportunities (e.g. better drop-in replacement batteries with one new component, blockbuster drugs) the process can’t even get going when small companies have to pay big company prices for regulatory compliance to access a small initial opportunity (consistent with limited ability to ramp production), and both investors and customers find the cost, risk and uncertainty hurdles too high to overcome. This is compounded by the worsening U.S. environment for startups and investors. It is small wonder, really, that the two-year old ‘recovery’ certainly doesn’t feel like one in the hardware/materials manufacturing sector.

But nanotechnology and nanomaterials, along with the production techniques to deliver them, are still new compared to the chemical industry, and there is still hope that badly needed societal innovation might occur in support of enabling their economic and social benefits. One thing that is clearly required is a far more enabling regime for startups and low-volume first applications. One possible scenario for this is a fast-track, light-regulatory-touch path for green nanotechnology: nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing developments conducted according to the principles of green chemistry. Another way to say this is safe-by-design (to the extent possible, based on what we know) products produced by green-by-design manufacturing processes.

Progress has been made on this vision, and we’re ready to discuss concrete criteria for what constitutes green nanotechnology, standard/simplified characterization protocols and enabling policies. And that’s exactly what we intend to do at GN11, Greener Nano 2011, May 2-3 at Hewlett-Packard’s Cupertino site in the heart of Silicon Valley. We’re assembling a great program and attendance of the right people and organizations to “Advance Applications and Reduce Risks” – including the risk of not innovating in the first place.

There is no time to lose, because other countries (especially in Asia) seem determined to win the opportunity to lead in 21st century manufacturing.

Skip Rung is certainly addressing an important problem. As someone who has followed nanotechnology closely since 1986, I have to say that, despite substantial advancements in nanoscience and nanotechnology, progress has been disappointing in two areas: (1) there has not been major investment in developing advanced nanotechnology (high throughput productive nanosytems) based on the Feynman vision as articulated by Eric Drexler, Ralph Merkle, and Robert Freitas; (2) advances in nanotechnology have not launched a large and rapidly growing nanotechnology industry in the way that advances in semiconductor manufacturing and integrated circuits launched the computer industry. A vibrant industry focused on near- and intermediate-term applications advances the technology base needed to develop advanced applications. Many early nanotechnology enthusiasts were drawn from the computer industry because they perceived the possibility of a parallel course for nanotechnology development. However, the anemic growth we have witnessed in nanotechnology reminds me more of the biotech industry. When I was in the early phase of my career as a molecular biology researcher 35 years ago, the development of recombinant DNA technology inspired the hope that learning to produce in bacteria otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain molecules like interferons would launch a huge biotech industry that would rival the size and importance of the computer industry. Actual growth, while real, was much more modest because it turned out we had only scratched the surface of the necessary underlying science. The immune system was much more complicated than we realized, the genome was a vast, unexplored frontier, and the existence of such crucial phenomena as epigenetic regulation and RNA interference was unsuspected. Has the growth of the nanotechnology industry been slow because we are still as ignorant of nanoscience as we were of biology in 1976? Or is Skip Rung correct that government policies are at fault? There are clearly significant environmental, health, and safety issues with some nanomaterials that need to be managed so that we do not create a public relations nightmare for the fledgling nanotechnology industry. Can government provide necessary regulation without strangling innovation?

Today, Research and Science Education Subcommittee Chairman Dan Lipinski (IL-03) expressed his strong support for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s draft Strategic Plan, in particular its focus on ensuring that America’s substantial investment in nanotech research and development is turned into new companies, products, and jobs.

“I firmly believe that nanotechnology has enormous potential to create domestic jobs, and as a result I strongly support the draft strategy’s emphasis on technology transfer and commercialization,” Congressman Lipinski stated in a letter to John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. “Over the past decade the NNI agencies have invested billions of dollars in nanotech research, and as a result we have seen tremendous advancements in materials science and engineering. But we cannot afford to let these discoveries follow the unfortunate pattern of American innovations turning into products manufactured in China or Japan. The proposals in this draft are a good first step toward avoiding this problem and creating the kind of good-paying high-tech jobs we need.”

Nanotechnology has the potential to have a transformative effect on numerous fields, and in some cases is already beginning to realize that potential. In medicine, it could lead to devices able to detect cancer in its early stages. In the clean energy industry, it is reducing the cost of solar panels and increasing the efficiency of batteries for alternative-fuel vehicles. In information technology, it is needed to enable continued increases in processor speeds. And in manufacturing, exceptionally strong, light, and durable nanomaterials can be used to improve existing products and create new ones. Nanotechnology involves manipulating materials as small as a single nanometer. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

In his letter, Congressman Lipinski commends the draft Strategic Plan’s proposal to double federal investment in nanomanufacturing research and increase public-private partnerships that can boost commercialization. In addition, he applauds the plan’s three Signature Initiatives, especially the sustainable nanomanufacturing initiative. Since nanotechnology’s promise can only be fulfilled if suitable manufacturing processes are developed, this initiative aims to develop industrial-scale, safe, and environmentally sustainable methods for manufacturing nanodevices for a variety of applications.

“After a decade that saw American manufacturers shed 5.6 million jobs, we must seize the opportunity to revitalize this critical sector by translating nanotechnology research into jobs and economic growth,” Congressman Lipinski said. “In my home state of Illinois, research performed at the state’s eight NNI-supported Centers of Excellence has helped lead to a variety of startups with names like Nanosphere, Nanophase, NanoInk, and Nanotope. But there’s no doubt we need to accelerate commercialization, and I’m pleased that the Strategic Plan takes that obligation seriously. With the right vision and the right execution, I’m convinced nanotechnology will be the foundation of the next industrial revolution.”

One of the few members of Congress who holds an engineering degree, Congressman Lipinski wrote a bill reauthorizing the National Science Foundation; cosponsored and helped pass in the House last year the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act, which would have reauthorized the NNI; and this year helped pass in the House the America COMPETES Act, which includes both pieces of legislation. He is also a strong supporter of domestic manufacturing, having authored the National Manufacturing Strategy Act, H.R. 4692, which passed the House in July with bipartisan support.

The NNI coordinates nanotech research across 25 federal agencies and has helped create a network of state-of-the-art nanoscale research centers. It is required to produce periodic Strategic Plans outlining its vision, goals, and R&D investment strategy.

(December 6, 2010)

Posted by Travis Earles on November 01, 2010 at 12:07 PM EDT

Starting today, public comment is being accepted on the draft Strategic Plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which is posted at the NNI Strategy Portal. The NNI is an interagency program for coordinating Federal research and development in nanotechnology, which is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers. At these super small scales, unique phenomena emerge, enabling the development of materials and devices with novel applications. Research in nanoscale science and engineering has the potential to bring about new nanotechnology innovations, such as improving how we collect and store energy, reinforce materials, sense contaminants, target drugs, and shrink and accelerate computational devices.

The NNI Strategic Plan is the framework that underpins the nanotechnology work of 25 NNI member agencies. It aims to ensure that advances in nanotechnology R&D and their applications to agency missions continue unabated in this fledgling field. Its purpose is to facilitate achievement of the NNI vision by laying out targeted guidance for agency leaders, program managers, and the research community regarding planning and implementation of nanotechnology R&D investments and activities.

…You may review the draft Plan and submit comments of approximately one page or less (4,000 characters) from now until November 30, 2010.

To comment on the DRAFT National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan 2010, you must first register. In a quick scan I did not find any mention of the advanced nanotechnology that is Foresight’s primary concern. Searches for the phrases “atomic precision”, “atomically precise”, “productive nanosystems”, and “molecular manufacturing” all came up negative. The various program component areas (see page 5) do make a strong case for expanded incremental improvements in the design, manufacturing, and use of nanostructured products in a wide range of applications—electronics, materials, energy, medical, environment, health, and safety, etc. Perhaps the closest indirect allusion to advanced nanotechnology is Program Component Area 5 – Nanomanufacturing:

R&D aimed at enabling scaled-up, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing of nanoscale materials, structures, devices, and systems. Includes R&D and integration of ultra-miniaturized top-down processes and increasingly complex bottom-up or self-assembly processes.

Whether your primary interest is near-term or long-term, let them know what you think of their plan.