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Forum supports furthering nanotechnology research
An informal vote by attendees at the forum Monday approved of investment in nanotechnology research
by Mark Noack | Freelance reporter |
Students and community members voiced cautious approval of the surge in nanotechnology research in an informal vote during a public forum at the University on Monday evening.
In the first half of the event, three chemistry professors gave brief lectures on nanotechnology and the issues it brings forward. Afterwards the forum shifted toward audience input, offering the scientists a chance to hear concerns about this lucrative, yet potentially dangerous, branch of science.
"In the coming years, nanotechnology will likely impact every aspect of our lives," said University chemistry professor Jim Hutchison. Nanotechnology, the study of super-small particles ranging from one to 100 nanometers, has become one of today's most heavily invested scientific frontiers. More than $1 billion has already been invested in its research, said Hutchison, adding that some estimates indicate that the market for nanotechnology products will be more than $1 trillion by 2015.
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institutes co-hosted the forum, and the group's funding from the U.S. Department of Defense has been the subject of past public protests on campus. The University is currently engaged in establishing itself as a premier center for nanoscience and is constructing a $16 million underground ONAMI laboratory, which ONAMI has said will house $100 million worth of research equipment. But Hutchison said that tampering with nano-molecules does invite some possible dangers. In the human body, some nano-materials can potentially induce tissue inflammation or damage cells and their DNA. Perhaps more troubling, Hutchison said, is that nano-materials are very environmentally mobile and are very difficult to track if exposed to soil or groundwater.
Rice University chemistry and chemical engineering professor Vicki Colvin said that many common products on the market already incorporate nano-materials. Sunscreen uses them to be transparent, she said, and tennis balls use them to be retain their bounciness. While Colvin is currently engaged in an effort to force industries to label products that incorporate nanotechnology, Hutchison said that the idea faces a lot of resistance.
In the first half of the event, three chemistry professors gave brief lectures on nanotechnology and the issues it brings forward. Afterwards the forum shifted toward audience input, offering the scientists a chance to hear concerns about this lucrative, yet potentially dangerous, branch of science.
"In the coming years, nanotechnology will likely impact every aspect of our lives," said University chemistry professor Jim Hutchison. Nanotechnology, the study of super-small particles ranging from one to 100 nanometers, has become one of today's most heavily invested scientific frontiers. More than $1 billion has already been invested in its research, said Hutchison, adding that some estimates indicate that the market for nanotechnology products will be more than $1 trillion by 2015.
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institutes co-hosted the forum, and the group's funding from the U.S. Department of Defense has been the subject of past public protests on campus. The University is currently engaged in establishing itself as a premier center for nanoscience and is constructing a $16 million underground ONAMI laboratory, which ONAMI has said will house $100 million worth of research equipment. But Hutchison said that tampering with nano-molecules does invite some possible dangers. In the human body, some nano-materials can potentially induce tissue inflammation or damage cells and their DNA. Perhaps more troubling, Hutchison said, is that nano-materials are very environmentally mobile and are very difficult to track if exposed to soil or groundwater.
Rice University chemistry and chemical engineering professor Vicki Colvin said that many common products on the market already incorporate nano-materials. Sunscreen uses them to be transparent, she said, and tennis balls use them to be retain their bounciness. While Colvin is currently engaged in an effort to force industries to label products that incorporate nanotechnology, Hutchison said that the idea faces a lot of resistance.
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