Smaller nanotech programs proliferate

from the catching-the-wave dept.
In the wake of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, and the establishment of major nanotechnology programs in California, New York and other states, smaller-scale programs are also springing up in other states and regions of the country. Two recent items from the trend:

Functionalized nanotubes as circuit elements

from the Molectronics dept.
An article in Science News ("Chemists decorate nanotubes for usefulness", by J. Gorman, 23 June 2001) describes work by researchers who have developed a new technique for attaching groups of atoms to the sides of carbon nanotubes, creating compounds with extraordinary strength and conductivity. The article is not available at the SN website, but is reprinted on the SmallTimes website. The work is described in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (123:6536).
The research team was led by James Tour of Rice University and Paul Weiss of Pennsylvania State University. The article suggests the functionalized carbon nanotubes could be used for making electronic circuits that are far tinier than today's silicon-based circuitry. Doing so will require chemically hooking carbon nanotubes to other microscopic electronic components, comments Weiss. One of the functional groups that the Rice researchers successfully attached to carbon nanotubes has exhibited both memory and switching behaviors necessary for electronic devices, says Tour. The researchers are investigating whether a nanotube and its functional groups retain their desirable strength, conductivity, and chemical traits after they're combined.

As noted here on nanodot, a team led by Tour and Weiss announced in June 2001 that they have demonstrated single molecules that switch between "on" and "off" states based in part on conformational changes.

Kinesin motors in cells "walk" along microtubules

from the step-by-step dept.
Researchers at Stanford University led by chemistry professor W. E. Moerner have gained further detail on how the kinesin molecular motor pulls objects along microtubule tracks inside cells. Their studies reveal that while one end of a kinesin molecule holds onto its cargo, the other end uses a remarkable two-headed structure to grab the microtubule and pull the cargo forward – a process called "kinesin walking" The work is described in the June 2001 issue of Nature Structural Biology.

As reported here on nanodot in June 2001, other research indicates kinesin systems may also harness the energy of random Brownian motions to move along microtubules.

Kinesin molecular motors are also employed in the microtubule molecular shuttles developed by a team led by Viola Vogel at the University of Washington (Seattle) Center for Nanotechnology. The shuttles are capable of moving cargo along engineered paths. Vogel and her co-workers have demonstrated methods of controlling the direction of motion of microtubules on engineered kinesin tracks, how to load cargo covalently to microtubules, and how to exploit ultraviolet light to turn the shuttles on and off sequentially. These are the first steps in the development of a tool kit to utilize molecular motors for the construction of nanoscale assembly lines. This work was described at the 2000 Foresight Conference in November 2000.

JINN will sponsor nanotech workshop in August

from the out-of-the-bottle dept.
The Joint Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (JINN), a collaborative program of the University of Washington Center for Nanotechnology (UWCNT) and DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), will initiate their collaborative projects in nanoscience and nanotechnology with a Nanoscale Science and Technology Workshop to take place on the UW campus Thursday, 16 August and Friday, 17 August 2001. UW faculty, students, and PNNL scientists will present their most exciting research. Three invited speaker from outside community will highlight the event.

Cost for the event is $US 275 for UW or PNNL staff, and $375 for members of the general public, with a $25 discount if you register before 3 August 2001. Students may register for $85. To register, there is an online registration form. The deadline for registration is 8 August 2001. For more information, contact the UW CNT at [email protected] or call (206) 616-9760. There appear to be limited accommodations in dormitory rooms on campus for an additional charge.

Nanotech covered in American Demographics magazine

from the wider-audiences dept.
An brief interview with Dr. James R. Baker, Jr., who heads the University of Michigan's Center for Biologic Nanotechnology, appeared in the June 2001 issue of American Demographics ("FutureSpeak: Nanotechnology"). While short on substance, the interview does introduce some interesting aspects of nanotechnology to a different audience (demographers and sociologists, presumably).

Mindpixel project will apply psych test to AI model

from the real-world-AI dept.
On a more practical note, the Mindpixel Digital Mind Modeling Project has announced that a standard psychological test used by clinicians worldwide in the evaluation and treatment of adults will be administered to a machine-based artificial personality.
The Mindpixel Project is a large worldwide AI effort, with nearly 40,000 contributing members in more than 200 countries. The project's goal is to build a highly accurate statistical model of an average human mind which they hope can be used as a foundation for true artificial consciousness. The test will be applied to GAC (Generic Artificial Consciousness — pronounced "Jack"), an artificial personality being developed by Mindpixel. GAC will be evaluated over the next several months to assess its learning of human consensus experience from the Mindpixel project's large and diverse group of users from many different cultures.
The test will be supervised and interpreted by Dr. Robert Epstein, an expert on human and machine behavior. "Nothing like this has ever been attempted," said Epstein. "We're evaluating thousands of people worldwide as if they were one collective individual . . . We don't know if it is possible to build a normal personality out of millions of little pieces. This experiment will tell us how reasonable the idea is."

Analysis of Spielberg's move, AI

from the gradual-future-shock? dept.
redbird (Gordon Worley) writes "Most of this is filled with spoilers, so I recommend that, unless you've seen the film, don't click read more. For those of you looking for a basic review, this is an okay movie (I'd give it about 2.5 out of 5 stars), but certain aspects of the film really ruin it. Basically, I consider this a cute movie about subhuman AIs and is not dangerous to the public's perception of AIs (in fact, it may actually help it by gradually future shocking them)."

Read more for the redbird's review . . .

Texas Nanotechnology Initiative goes online

from the oil>energy>nanotech? dept.
The Texas Nanotechnology Initiative (TNI) now has a web site, although there is currently not a great deal of information available.
TNI is a consortium of industry, universities, government, and venture capitalists whose goal is to position Texas as the nanotechnology state by recruiting companies, researchers and grant money. It is a state-wide effort to bring nanotechnology companies, researchers, and funding together to create an environment conducive to the rapid commercialization of nanotechnology in Texas.
Currently, the TNI website features some pointers to news coverage, and an FAQ about the initiative and its mission.
To date, the major result of TNI activities has been funding of a nanotech center at the University of Texas-Dallas, reported here on nanodot in May.

China continues to expand nanotech programs

from the World-Watch dept.
In the online version of Peopleís Daily, Chinaís Xinhua news agency reports ("China's Bid to Establish Nanotech Research Center", 29 June 2001) that China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have unveiled the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), in an effort to push forward advanced research on nano technology.
In April, Jiangsu Province announced research and industrialization of nanometer technology will be one of the main priorities in the province's new century drive to develop its science sector, according to an official from the provincial Development Planning Commission. And the coastal province of Shandong recently worked out its blueprint for developing nano-meter industry.

For some perspective on how nanotechnology fits into Chinaís overall plans to advance its science and technology programs, an interesting commentary from the Chinese National Science and Technology Awards Ceremony appeared in February.

CNSI researchers working toward optical quantum computing

from the fast-spin dept.
Researchers with the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) have developed a new way to manipulate optically quantum spin states on ultrafast time scales (femtoseconds). They suggest that the ability to quickly manipulate electron spins could pave the way for all-optical quantum computation in solids by loosening the stringent requirements on coherence times. In a paper published in the 29 June 2001 issue of Science ("Ultrafast Manipulation of Electron Spin Coherence"), a team led by University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) physicist David Awschalom described their experiments. Awschalom is director of the UCSB Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation, a central component of the new California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) located jointly at UCSB and UCLA.

For more information about CNSI, see Foresight Update #43.

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