The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and National Science Foundation (NSF) will host the Washington, DC, premiere event for the television series “Nanotechnology: The Power of Small” on Wednesday evening, April 2. The event—by invitation only—will include remarks by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a co-chair of the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus.
The series’ three programs explore critical questions about nanotechnology’s potential impact on privacy, the environment and human health: Will nanotechnology make you safer, or will it be used to track your every move" Will nanotechnology keep you young, and what happens if you live to be 150" Will nanotechnology help clean up the earth, or will it be the next asbestos"
“Nanotechnology: The Power of Small” is the first major television series to look at the implications of advances in nanotechnology—the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture materials that are usually between one and 100 nanometers in size. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide. More than $60 billion in products incorporating nanotechnology were sold globally in 2007. By 2014, Lux Research estimates this figure will grow to $2.6 trillion.
The series begins airing on local public broadcasting stations in April 2008 (see http://powerofsmall.org). It is funded by NSF and the presenting station and grantee for the series is Oregon Public Broadcasting. The series is a “Fred Friendly Seminars” presentation with award-winning National Public Radio correspondent John Hockenberry as host.
The programs involve Hockenberry asking policymakers, scientists, journalists and community leaders to wrestle with difficult but essential issues about nanotechnology’s potential to impact people’s privacy and security, health and environment. Featured experts include Harvard University researcher George M. Whitesides, PEN chief scientist Andrew Maynard, and author Joel Garreau, among others.
The reception marking the Washington, DC, premiere of “Nanotechnology: The Power of Small” will take place on Wednesday, April 2nd from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the 6th Floor Board Room and Auditorium of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (www.wilsoncenter.org/directions).
The premiere is a “NanoDays 2008” special event. “NanoDays 2008” is a weeklong series of community-based educational outreach programs focused on nanotechnology and engineering, sponsored by the NISE Network (Nanoscale Informal Science Education, see www.nisenet.org/nanodays). “NanoDays 2008” programs are being held at science and natural history museums, universities, and policy and education centers around the nation from March 29 through April 6.
What: Washington, DC Premiere Event for three-part public television series, “Nanotechnology: The Power of Small”
Who: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Arden L. Bement, Jr., director, National Science Foundation
Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 6th Floor Board
Room & Auditorium. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade
Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC; see:
www.wilsoncenter.org/directions
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology. For more information about the project, log on to www.nanotechproject.org.
The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialogue. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds and engaged in the study of national and international affairs.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…" With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. For more information, see: www.nsf.gov
Media planning to cover the event should contact Colin Finan at (202) 691-4321 or colin.finan@wilsoncenter.org.