Whether to have an undergrad major in nanotechnology is controversial, but many students are interested. To those wanting to get started now, we say, “Go north, young man or woman, to University of Waterloo”: “The Nanotechnology Engineering honours undergraduate degree program at UW is designed to provide a practical education in key areas of nanotechnology, [...]

The new Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University has their website up. The Center’s director, David Guston, has some comments in his blog [links added]: “It is also this realm of Engines of Creation and “Plenty of Room at the Bottom” where scientists allowed their minds to take flight and speak of [...]

We earlier covered informal comments by Sonia Arrison of PRI, but the organization also has an official press release on the recent widely-publicized Wilson Center report calling for regulation of nanotechnology. Some excerpts: “The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a California-based free-market think tank, has challenged the conclusions reached by a recent report released by the [...]

Photonics.com gives an overview of speakers on atomically precise fabrication at the Photonics West conference. An excerpt: “Mark Lurie and Eric Drexler of the Foresight Nanotechnology Institute, a nanotechnology think tank and public interest organization, and Tom Hausken of Strategies Unlimited, a technology-focused market research and strategic planning company, appeared before a packed auditorium at [...]

From Nanotechwire.com: “Chemists at Italy’s University of Bologna, UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute have designed and constructed a molecular motor of nanometer size that does not consume fuels; their nano motor is powered only by sunlight…The nano motor can work continuously without any external interference, and operates without consuming or generating chemical fuels or [...]

A brief nanotech white paper from Cientifica (registration req’d — press oblong “download” button on left to get reg screen) explains the reason why government research spending on nanotech takes a while to reach commercial use. From the conclusion: “Given the two to three year lag between funding being granted and a laboratory starting work, [...]

Los Angeles will be the place to be March 29-30 when the Society of Manufacturing Engineers holds its Nanomanufacturing Conference. Keynoting will be Eric Drexler on “Engineering from the Bottom Up – Productive Nanosystems and the Future of Technology”. Also not to be missed: Foresight director Jim Von Ehr of Zyvex on “Assembly Pathway to [...]

A prominent new report on nanoparticle safety issues from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is generating a bit of controversy. Author J. Clarence Davies, a former EPA Administrator, advocates new federal legislation, while others see the situation differently. From a Chicago Tribune article: “Davies said that because nanoparticles behave differently than traditional materials, [...]

Nanofilm president Scott Rickert, a Foresight Participating Member, advises firms on how to integrate near-term nanotech into their products in a piece on the Industry Week site. He also gives advice on nano-jobs, which should not have nanoscale salaries: “According to National Science Foundation estimates, the US will need 800,000 to 1 million nanotechnology workers [...]

Dr. Anita Goel, who won the 1999 Foresight Distinguished Student Award, went on to earn a PhD and MD from Harvard/MIT and then founded her own company, Nanobiosym. She explains the motivation and process in a Technology Review article: “More than 10 years ago, as a physics undergraduate at Stanford University, I fell in love [...]

For a lighter moment here at Nanodot, we look at nanotechnology from the Socialist Worker perspective: “Capitalism, forever in search of updated means of production, has seized upon nanotechnology as a panacea for its present ills and invested huge amounts in research programmes…The possibilities offered by nanotechnology and nanoscience have been hyped to attract investors [...]

Having trouble keeping up with patents in nanotechnology? Sure you are! The folks at Nanotechnology Now have a new nanopatent info service, the NanoTech Transfer Report, which they will send you free. OK, not forever, but free for 90 days, which should be long enough to see if it’s worth $39.95 a month to you. [...]

In a TechNewsWorld column Sonia Arrison, director of Technology Studies at Pacific Research Institute, calls for strong self-regulation in nanotech: “The scientific community is well aware of the potential dangers with nano-scale particles. The public will be glad to know that the discussion over proper methods is thriving and developing in tandem with the technology. [...]

As part of the EC-funded Nano2Life program, Aharon Hauptman and Yair Sharanhaupt of the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting (ICTAF) at Tel-Aviv University have written a 39-page report titled “Envisioned Developments in Nanobiotechnology” based on a survey of 139 experts from 30 countries. The 50% median date estimate from “experts and knowledgeable” for [...]

In a study by Edna Einsiedel of University of Calgary, it was found that the U.S. and Canadian publics trust nanoscientists much more than they do those in charge of nanotech regulation. About a quarter of those responding claimed to have discussed nanotechnology previously. Over 70% agreed that “Nanotechnology will be one of the most [...]

In a piece titled When Technology Displaces the Farmer, Arnold Munthali presents the ETC Group’s concerns about nanotech-based competition for African farmers, and responses from the farmers’ representatives attending the World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong: “While delegates are negotiating for better trade, however, Jim Thomas of the ETC Group, which campaigns on ecological [...]

From the International Journal of Surgery, an editorial on Nanotechnology, nanomedicine and nanosurgery by Robert A. Freitas, Jr. It reviews Feynman’s vision, today’s microrobotic surgical devices, and projects advanced medical nanodevices: “We envision biocompatible surgical nanorobots that can find and eliminate isolated cancerous cells, remove microvascular obstructions and recondition vascular endothelial cells, perform ‘noninvasive’ tissue [...]

In the journal Nanotechnology Law & Business, there’s a book review by J. Steven Rutt of Foley & Lardner titled “Bayh-Dole and Nanotechnology: A Review of University Inc.: The Corporate Corruption of American Higher Education”. The abstract: “Nanotechnology joined the Dummies book series in 2005.  While Dummies is a light read, Jennifer Washburn’s grave book, [...]

From Nanotech Briefs, on whose Editorial Advisory Board I am privileged to serve: “Nanotech Briefs announces the Second annual Nano 50™, the ultimate list of the top 50 technologies, products, and innovators that have significantly impacted – or will impact – key nanotechnology commercial markets, from automotive and electronics, to biomedical and materials. The Nano [...]

Prof. David Berube’s new book has just been published: Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz. From the publisher: “Nanotechnology, the science of molecular engineering at the atomic scale, has captured the popular imagination. From movies to TV series to video games, utopian fantasies and horror scenarios involving nanotechnology have become a staple of the [...]