By Porter Wright on "A thing of beauty" , as John Keats once wrote, may be "a joy forever", but works of art, whether they are sculptures, paintings, buildings, or books, do not last forever. Over time, delicate pigments fade, restoration or conservation attempts may go wrong, or objects of art may be attacked, such as the attack by … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is part of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Services located in UCSF’s School of Medicine. PRHE just published its "Recommendations for Addressing Potential Health Risks from Nanomaterials in California” which was commissioned by California’s Office of … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on Monday’s Federal Register carried a notice from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Nanoscience, Engineering and Technology Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council inviting the public to comment on the 2010 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan. The NNI Strategic Plan is the framework that underpins the nanotechnology work of the … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on TheSwedish Royal Academy of Sciences, in accordance with the will of Afred Nobel, announced the winners of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday October 5, 2010. As most people have heard by now, the winners were Russian expatriates Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov , both Professors at the UK’s University of Manchester. Professors Geim … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on In an article in the September issue of Nature ("Nanotechnology: Small wonders"), Corie Lok reviews the beginnings and accomplishments of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) over the last ten years. The article attributes the creation of the NNI to four factors: – A booming US economy, particularly in the high tech sector – Support from the Clinton … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on This article originally appeared on the National Nanomanufacturing Network’s InterNano website earlier today. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported. Maxine Savitz[1] and Ed Penhoe[2] provided a recent presentation summarizing the highlights of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)[3] report on the status of the US National Nanotechnology Initiative … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on This article was written by John C. Monica, Jr. and Dr. Diana Bowman and originally appeared on the National Nanomanufacturing Network’s InterNano website earlier today. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported. Dr. Bowman is a Senior Research Fellow in the School for Population Health at the University of Melbourne and a Visiting … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The National Nanomanufacuring Network (NNN) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst just published its October newsletter which you can find here. There is a nice article by Barbara Beck and Chris Long from Gradient regarding the recent Song nanoparticle study from China which was my first contributing editor piece for NNN’s InterNano. Please read the newsletter … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The last decade has seen the rise of the People’s Republic of China as a major economic, industrial and military power. According to a recent article in the UK’s Guardian, it might soon become a major power in nanotechnology and nanoindustry. The article by Tom Mackenzie may be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/26/nanotechnology-china .… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on Battelle Memorial Institute, the University of Washington, and the University of Oregon are co-sponsoring the international Nanotechnology Health and Safety Forum (NHSF) in Seattle, Washington on June 8 – 9, 2009. The NHSF is coinciding with the first world-wide meeting of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC 229 — Nanotechnologies being held in the United States, … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) "helps the Agency protect the environment in a more efficient and cost effective manner. [It] consist[s] of auditors, program analysts, investigators, and others with extensive expertise" who are tasked with evaluating EPA’s ability to deliver on key Agency policies. Risk Policy Report ran an article yesterday (October 14, … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on Switzerland’s food retailers association, IG DHS, has released a Code of Conduct for food and packaging suppliers with regards to nanotechnology usage in their products. The Code is fallout from earlier criticism, and is aimed at avoiding similar public backlash, over the use of genetically modified food in Switzerland.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on Nanotechnology is coming to a television near you. No, not through some technology breakthrough that will make your HD flatscreen razor thin, but rather through the upcoming series, "The Power of Small." Check back in April for the dates and times of this new show, which will address how nanotechnology will "change our world." Funded … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The Chinese government it attempting to "leapfrog" the United States in nanotechnology by 2020. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at University of California at Santa Barbara conducted about sixty interviews with Chinese officials determine the current state of Chinese nanotechnology development. China’s research effort focuses on two sectors: technology transfer and increasing domestic research capacity.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The National Science Foundation has announced it call for proposals for creating the new Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology. The proposal is for grant money to help create a "national Center to conduct fundamental research and education on the implications of nanotechnology for the environment and living systems at all scales."… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on No, I’m not talking about the insurance policy that you may need for buying that big holiday gift. Rather, I’m talking about the conference that Lloyd’s of London has scheduled to discuss nanotechnology risks in the context of insurance.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on By Helen Kim: On November 13, 2007, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted “Breaking the Barriers: The BIG Business of Nanotechnology” at 1615 H Street NW in Washington, D.C. The conference focused on issues of commercialization, regulatory concerns, and consumer education for the emerging field of nanotechnology. Events included speeches by Senator Ron Wyden; Dean … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on Rick Weiss reported in yesterday’s Washington Post that the EPA plans to regulate silver nanomaterials used in consumer products as "germ-killing" agents: The decision — which will affect the marketing of high-tech odor-destroying shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, washing machines and a wide range of other products that contain tiny bacteria-killing particles of silver … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on An October report authored by Michael R. Taylor, Esq., former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy (1991-1994) may not be warmly received by all nanomanufacturers. Taylor’s report focuses on what he sees as FDA’s three primary purposes in relation to nanotechnology: (1) ensure product safety; (2) foster innovation; and (3) maintain public confidence in nanoproducts. Taylor … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on In the September 2006 edition of Nanotechnology Law & Business, two (2) employees of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (“CDER”) — Nakissa Sadrieh and Parvaneh Espandiari — published “Nanotechnology and the FDA: What Are the Scientific and Regulatory Considerations for Products Containing Nanomaterials?” The article begins with a disclaimer that the authors’ views … Continue Reading
