Science and Technology Innovation Program
Events
Nanotechnology and the Environment
November 19, 2002 // 12:30pm — 2:00pm
Following on the footsteps of Bill Joy's now famous Wired article (Why the Future Doesn't Need Us), a number of people and organizations have begun to raise serious questions about the potential social and environmental impacts of nanotechnology. A recent piece by the ETC Group (No Small Matter! Nanotech Particles Penetrate Living Cells and Accumulate in Animal Organs) has received significant coverage in the popular press. How much do we know about the environmental impacts of nanotechnonly? Who is looking at these issues and who should be? How do we separate science from pseudoscience and hype? And what can we do to ensure that the public and policy-makers do not become so fearful of nanotechnology's risks that they reject or restrict its promise?
Positive Feedback, Technology Lock-in, and Implications for Policy
November 14, 2002 // 8:00am — 9:30am
David Kline, Ph.D.National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Who Owns the Genome?
September 24, 2002 // 7:00am — 8:15pm
What Might the World Look Like in 50 Years?
May 20, 2002 // 12:00am
Planning Twenty Years Out
January 17, 2002 // 11:00pm
The Future of Technology Assessment
The Foresight and Governance Project has released a new report titled The Future of Technology Assessment, a collection of three essays designed to explore the issue of technology assessment with a look towards the future--a future that will be continually transformed by investments in science and technology.
Public Awareness of Nano Grows - Majority Remain Unaware
Research findings released from the first major national poll on nanotechnology in more than two years indicate that while more Americans are now aware of the emerging science, the majority of the public still has heard little to nothing about it.
The Promise of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is used to make hundreds of different consumer products and is already revolutionizing medicine. The Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, is assessing the enormous potential while keeping an eye on environmental and safety concerns.
