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| WHAT'S BIG IN SMALL SCIENCE? A Quarterly Newsletter of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) |
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DIRECTOR'S CORNER
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NNI |
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NANOTECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION A panel session discussing nanotechnology commercialization was held on Aug. 2, during the “Future of the NNI: A Stakeholder Workshop,” in Washington, DC. The panel discussions were moderated by Matthew Laudon (TechConnect Ventures). The panelists were Leonardo Spanu (Shell), Matthew Hull (Virginia Tech, NanoSafe, Inc.), Alexis Wells Carpenter (AxNano, LLC), and Jennifer Shieh (OSTP). A webcast archive of the panel session is available here. |
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NANOTECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY (nanoEHS) DEVELOPMENTS The 2019 EU-U.S. NanoEHS Communities of Research (CORs) Workshop will be held on Oct. 15–16 in Aix-en-Provence, France. The workshop is organized by the European Commission and the NNCO and co-hosted by the CEREGE (CNRS, AMU) and the Labex SERENADE. You can register for this workshop here. On Aug. 20, NIOSH released a snapshot of accomplishments and future activities of the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures. |
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STEM EDUCATION K–12 teachers, there is a vast array of classroom-ready nanotechnology resources. The Nano and Emerging Technologies Teacher Network connects K–12 teachers who are using or want to use nanotechnology and other emerging technologies in the classroom. This network facilitates K–12 teachers’ access to resources, including remote-use instrumentation, and helps them share best practices, exchange ideas for activities and examples, and promote local events. For more information about this network, please contact nanoed@nnco.nano.gov. If you are interested in free brochures for your classroom, please contact us. |
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NANOTECHNOLOGY AND YOU Join us in celebrating the 15-year anniversary of the authorization of the NNI! Fifteen years ago, on Dec. 3, 2003, the NNI was signed into law with the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. We are celebrating this anniversary with weekly episodes of Stories from the NNI podcast series. These podcasts are in the form of an interview between NNCO Director Lisa Friedersdorf and an expert from academia, government, or industry who shares his or her perspectives on key research and development advances in nanotechnology. In the most recent podcasts, Lisa interviewed Dan Herr (University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University), Jeff Neaton (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Christina Lomasney (Modumental Inc.), Bill Wilson (Center for Nanoscale Systems at Harvard University), Bob Ehrmann (Penn State University’s Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization), Tina Brower-Thomas (Center for Integrated Quantum Materials at Howard University), Julia Greer (Caltech), Chuck Black (Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory), Saniya LeBlanc (George Washington University), Supratik Guha (Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory), and Brent Segal (Lockheed Martin). New podcasts are released every Monday. |
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NNCO IN THE COMMUNITY NNCO Director Lisa Friedersdorf participated in the Advanced Materials Show in Telford, UK, on July 10–11. She presented in and moderated two sessions, “Ready for Industry? From Research to Mass Manufacture” and “Global Regulations and Standards for Nanomaterials,” and participated in several other technical sessions. The issue of nanomaterial safety was raised in the session moderated by the Executive Director of the Graphene Council, providing an opportunity to highlight the efforts of NNI agencies and research by the nanoEHS community. Other topics discussed throughout the meeting included commercialization, access to insurance, and support for the innovation ecosystem. Friedersdorf also presented an overview of the NNI and mechanisms to support small businesses at the NanoForum that was part of the International Vacuum Congress (IVC21) in Malmo, Sweden, on July 4. The event, organized by SwedNano, focused on the support for start-up companies and included case studies from the CEOs of two U.S. companies. Other presenters included investors active in Europe and the United States and academic representatives from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Portugal, and Lund University. NNCO Deputy Director, Stacey Standridge, moderated the Tiny Solutions to Big Problems: Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology session on Aug. 25 at the American Chemical Society’s National Meeting in San Diego, CA. This session, in support of the Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology Signature Initiative (Water NSI), included technical presentations on nanotechnology applications in water treatment, delivery, and monitoring. The panel discussion touched on a variety of issues, including the need to take a systems-level view when evaluating new technologies. Standridge also gave a presentation, “Facilitating Collaboration to Advance Nanotechnology-Enabled Wearable and Implantable Sensors: NNI Sensors Signature Initiative“ in the Wearable and Implantable Sensors session to highlight activities and resources available through the Sensors NSI. NNCO Director Lisa Friedersdorf was pleased to be a guest on Lynn Bergeson’s “All Things Chemical” Podcast, released Aug. 15. During the discussion, Friedersdorf mentioned several resources including the Stories from the NNI podcast series; information for small companies focusing on research and development of nanotechnology-enabled products and services; student and teacher networks; NNI user facilities and R&D centers and networks; and the U.S.-EU Communities of Research. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept. 24–26, 2019: Lago Maggiore, Italy Oct. 2, 2019, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET: Webinar Oct. 8, 2019, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET: Webinar Oct. 15–16, 2019: Aix-en-Provence, France Nov. 7–9, 2019: San Diego, CA Nov. 12, 2019, 11 p.m. – 12 p.m. ET: Webinar Nov. 15–17, 2019: Tampa, FL Dec. 10–12, 2019: San Diego, CA |
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This summer has just flown by! Perhaps it is a sign I am getting older, but I prefer to think it is because it has been such a busy summer for the NNCO. In addition to continuing my conversations with nanotechnology experts for our “Stories from the NNI” podcasts, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with academic researchers, industry representatives, and government officials at a variety of events and meetings. I very much enjoyed hearing the perspectives of three nanotechnology powerhouses during the 
The following examples highlight research advances that were recently announced: 
As highlighted in other sections of this newsletter, NNCO actively engages with the nanotechnology business sector. Exciting advances continue to be made in a wide variety of industries. Over the past several months, announcements have highlighted significant investments in nanotechnology, with the emergence of at least two “unicorns” (companies valued over $1 billion). NNCO is committed to assisting the small business community by sharing best practices and other resources though nano.gov, the 
A webinar on “Nanotechnology-Related Standards: Availability and Applications” was held on July 9, as part of the 2019 NanoEHS Webinar series. The webinar was moderated by Ajit Jillavenkatesa (NIST), and featured presentations by Scott Brown (The Chemours Company) and Katherine Tyner (FDA). The next webinar in the series will be held on Sept. 10. Junfeng (Jim) Zhang (Duke University Global Health Institute) will speak on “Respiratory Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials in Relation to Physiochemical Properties,” and John Howard (NIOSH) will moderate. More details about the NanoEHS webinars are available 
Undergraduates, we encourage you to get involved! Planning for 2019–2020 activities is underway. 
National Nanotechnology Day 2019
NNCO collaborated with TechConnect on several events for the 
Sept. 10, 2019, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET: Webinar
