Media Briefing: Nanotechnology - Planning for the future nowMay 19, 2003Thursday 22 May 2003, 3.45pm - 4.30pm 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT RSVP by Wednesday 21 May Speaker: Professor John Ryan Director, Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Bio-nanotechnology, University of Oxford Chair: Professor David Wallace President, Institute of Physics Also present for questions: Professor Mervyn Miles Co-Director of Interdiscipilinary Research Collaboration in Nanotechnology, and editorial board member of the journal Nanotechnology Dr Nina Couzin Publisher of the journal Nanotechnology The media briefing will precede a seminar of the same title, which will start at 5.30pm, and be followed by a reception at 7pm. Journalists are invited to stay for the seminar and reception. The seminar will be presented by: Professor Mark Welland, Director, Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Nanotechnology, University of Cambridge, Professor John Ryan, Director, Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Bio-nanotechnology, University of Oxford. Seminar synopsis: Nanotechnology involves the manipulation and manufacture of devices at the atomic level. One of the major challenges confronting scientists today is to understand the structure and function of biological devices and to use nature's solutions in advancing science and engineering. The enormous advances made in Nanotechnology mean that soon new materials will appear; computers will shrink and become more powerful; medical diagnosis and treatment will be faster, more efficient and non-invasive; and energy wastage will be dramatically reduced. But perhaps even more important are the new markets that will emerge due to the qualitative new properties and the functionality of nanodevices. The speakers will discuss the UK's participation in defining this new technology, and the commercial potential of its exploitation. Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary subject, so the seminar will also look at how the fields of physics, materials science, chemistry, engineering, biology and medicine will combine to form the basis for a whole range of technologies in the next twenty years. This seminar is the eleventh in a series demonstrating key routes by which contemporary physics and the skills of physicists will affect life in the 21st century. For the full seminar synopsis, see http://policy.iop.org/. If you would like to attend, please contact Michelle Cain, Corporate Communications Officer, tel +44 (0) 20 7470 4869, email michelle.cain@iop.org. For news and information about nanotechnology, see the world service for nanotechnology, nanotechweb.org. Institute of Physics |
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| Related Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles New study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. Behavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage treatment plants - their main gateway into the environment. UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles. Caltech scientists develop DNA origami nanoscale breadboards for carbon nanotube circuits In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. New 'finFET' promising for smaller transistors, more powerful chips Purdue University researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips. Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident. Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade. Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale processing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. An exquisite container In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it. University of Cincinnati researchers create all-electric spintronics A multidisciplinary team of UC researchers is the first to find an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles |
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