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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Results for "molecular nanotechnology"

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U.S. Nat'l Nanotech Initiative funded at 85% for 2001

from the it's-still-a-lot-of-money dept.
Check out this Nov. 9 slide presentation by NSF's chief nanoadvisor, Mike Roco, entitled National Nanotechnology Initiative: From Vision to Implementation. Note the mentions of "nanosystems" on slides 21-22, and the funding summary on slide 12:
NSF: $97M in 2000; $150M in 2001, up 55%
Dept of Defense: $70M in 2000; $110M in 2001; up 57%
Dept of Energy: $58M in 2000 ; $93M in 2001; up 60%
NASA: $5M in 2000; $21M in 2001; up 320%
Dept of Commerce: $8M in 2000; $10M in 2001; up 25%
Nat'l Inst of Health: $32M in 2000; $39M in 2001; up 22%
TOTAL: $270M in 2000; $423M in 2001; up 57%
Clinton had requested $495 for 2001, so that's about 85% of his target. IMPORTANT: only a fraction of this funding is relevant to molecular machine systems. Care to make any estimates of that fraction?

NCSU physicists find new way to "look" at nanostructures

from the why-didn't-we-think-of-this-before dept.
Senior Associate Braun Brelin brings our attention to an item from Science Daily: " A team of North Carolina State University physicists has discovered a new method for measuring the molecular properties of materials, which could assist in the development of a wide variety of cutting-edge nanostructure technologies. The technique…measures the behavior of molecules, at a scale of one-billionth of a meter, by reflecting light off the material being studied…'we can look at nanostructures of all sorts: semiconductors, biological materials and nanofabricated structures…If you have something small, nanometers in size, and want to know how it fits together, this is the way to do it.'…Science policy experts say nanotechnology advances could result in a science and technology revolution. But first, they say, we have to understand the principles of structures at such tiny scales. The work of Hallen and his colleagues is an important step in that direction."

Leaders in medicine look toward nanotech

from the now-here's-some-vision dept.
In a Perspective on "The Next Pharmaceutical Century", Chemical & Engineering News (subscription req'd) gives great quotes on nanotechnology-based medicine from two leaders: William Hazeltine, chairman and CEO of Human Genome Sciences, and Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute. Hazeltine: "The fusion of atomic-scale engineering technology with our bodies will enormously enhance human performance." Klausner: "Ultimately, what I think is a fantastic challenge is to link molecular sensing technologies with nanotechnology…" Read More for the full quotes.

Rhetoric heats up among nanotech researchers

from the it-can't-be-done-today-so-it-can't-be-done-ever dept.
Garrison Hamrick points out a Knight Ridder wire service story. Excerpts: "Meanwhile, Dr. Smalley, and many other academic scientists, say that basic research being done today doesn't reflect the original Engines of Creation vision. "I call it the silly side of nanotechnology," Dr. Smalley says. Dr. Vicki Colvin, another Rice researcher, adds that "to a chemist, the idea of a molecular assembler is anathema"…Harvard University chemist George Whitesides [argues] "We certainly cannot build a self-replicating robot at any size," he says. "The idea of building one on a nanometer scale does not make sense"…Dr. Evelyn Hu, an engineer at the University of California, Santa Barbara [opines] "I think what Drexler was talking about, what Richard Feynman was talking about," she says, "is a vision that is still ahead of us with all its positive, beneficial aspects and all its scary aspects." CP: It appears from the article that those attempting to critique the assembler concept are attacking a straw man, i.e. a proposal that no one is making. Note also that the engineer quoted has a sense of time; the others use the present tense only — typical.

Big excitement in biotech? Nanotech

from the boggling-profit-potential dept.
In a Morningstar.com item on Yahoo Finance, biotech expert Cynthia Robbins-Roth advises on investing in her sector: "I think that the big excitement will be in two key areas…The second arena of incredible opportunity lies in the so-far untested uses of biotech to create devices that don't yet exist. Nanotechnology, driven by a molecular understanding of how our cells work in sickness and in health, can lead to the creation of new approaches to cell engineering and transplantation. For example, the only real cure for diabetes will require the creation of a device that acts just like a real pancreas, one that would need to respond on a second-by-second basis to changes in blood sugar levels. Imagine an engineered pancreas that sits in the body and responds continually." Yes, and hurry it up please, 'cause some of us need one now. (Or a heart, intact spinal cord, etc.)

Commercialization of Carbon Nanotubes

from the can-they-really-trademark-"Bucky"? dept.
Bryan Hall writes "A recent press release from Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. discusses an advancement in the commercialization of carbon nanotechnology… “With the formation of CNI, we are seeding a new industry based on carbon,'' said Dr. Smalley. “Carbon is the most versatile of all elements. It is the very basis for life. Now we have a unique new form of carbon that has the potential to propel the 21st century in some fundamentally new directions. We are looking at a whole new field of chemistry with spectacular properties that can unlock a new future for a wide variety of industries.'' Read More for the full post.

Single-molecule-thick films show promise

from the OK-so-it's-only-nano-in-one-dimension dept.
A press release announces: "Lightyear Technologies Inc. announced today that it has made a major breakthrough in nanotechnology, the science of building products at a molecular level…the company is the first in the world capable of producing nanotechnology products in commercial quantities…The material, first developed at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, is just a single molecule thick, and is capable of building itself into many useful products…Lightyear so far is concentrating its efforts on energy and environmental uses…Lightyear is now concentrating on working with companies developing applications that could revolutionize water purification and energy storage, possibly making electric vehicles much more practical."

UW launches 1st nanotech PhD program in US

from the Seattle-in-the-lead dept.
Senior Associate Eamon Dowling reports that The Daily (campus paper of the University of Washington) announced the following news:
UW begins first nanotech program in country
The UW is launching the nation's first doctoral-degree program in nanotechnology in time for the official start of the 21st century…The Ph.D. in nanotechnology is an "option program" incorporated into already existing Ph.D. programs in a variety of scientific disciplines. Participating students will earn simultaneous degrees in both nanotechnology and in one of nine other departments including computer science and engineering…Offering America's only graduate nanotechnology track, the UW program is expected to draw 20 to 40 students per year. Students may enroll immediately…Nanotechnology has evolved into a scientifically and socially critical academic field…Advances in nanotechnology have forged the way for the building of machines, robots and materials on a molecular level….the need for such a program is overdue, according to Viola Vogel, director of the UW's Center for Nanotechnology: "Nanotechnology will be to the 21st century what microelectronics was to the past century," Vogel said…"There will be a great demand for people with proficiency in this field."

In-depth analysis of "rift" over nanotech goals

from the required-reading dept.
UIUC mechanical engineering student Jon Horek has produced an excellent study for the IEEE titled A Critical Analysis of National Nanotechnology Research Funding (in pdf). It accurately describes, in some detail, the "rift" between researchers who advocate molecular manufacturing (MM) and those who do not. Horek concludes that the U.S. gov't working group on nanotechnology should increase dialogue with the MM research community. An astute analysis, long overdue.

Nanotech seed fund: MMEI

from the from-acorns-large-oaks-will-grow-by-self-assembly dept.
Senior Associate StevenVetter is quoted in this piece from the Seattle-area Eastside Journal: "Where the real progress is made is when you get the people that can bridge the gap [among disciplines],'' said Steven Vetter, president and CEO of St. Paul, Minn.-based Molecular Manufacturing Enterprises Inc. Molecular Manufacturing Enterprises Inc., a firm that invests in nanotechnology companies…Vetter of Molecular Manufacturing is on the front line of commercialization. The company provides seed funding for nanotechnology projects. With assets of $1 million, Molecular Manufacturing has funded a few undisclosed ventures that are still considered too high-risk for venture capitalists. The returns on investing in nanotech are 10 or 20 years away, which is why backers have shied away. With the National Nanotechnology Initiative, however, and universities and other research organizations putting up matching funds, “traditional money is getting more interested,'' Vetter said. The piece also quotes Foresight advisor Ralph Merkle, and, er, me.

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