Minutia of nano advancements profiled during ASME's Bootcamp

Emily Smith
ASME NEWS

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., will be the site of ASME's third annual Nano Training Bootcamp. The event, scheduled to take place July 12–15, is structured to offer a detailed and tutorial-based account of advances in the fundamentals related to nanoscience in a wide variety of fields, as well as the prospects for translating these advances into useful nanotechnologies.

During the Bootcamp, more than 20 experts in academia and industry will lead intense sessions on characterization, solids and devices, and fluids/synthesis/devices. Attendees will be challenged with open-ended questions about opportunities in engineering nanosystems.

In the past, attendees have included engineers, scientists, research and development professionals, government leaders, attorneys, marketing professionals, and business development staff.

New to the program this year will be opportunities for hands-on practical experience at Howard University's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility, which contains five laboratories. This established centralized user facility contains more than $10 million of micro- and nano-fabrication and characterization equipment. Participants will actively engage in four modules: biology, instruments for nanotech, microfabrication, and soft lithography/self-assembly.

Mihail Roco, an ASME member who works at the National Science Foundation, will give the plenary lecture. His focus will be on "Transforming and Responsible Nanotechnology Research and Development."

"Nanotechnology has opened an era of scientific convergence and technological integration with the promise of broad societal implications," he said in explaining his lecture topic. "The foundation of understanding, manufacturing and medicine is changing from the macro and micro domains to the nanoscale, where all fundamental material structures, properties and functions are defined," he added. "It is expected that this general-purpose technology will affect almost all sectors of the economy, and will cause structural changes in markets, industrial organizations and business models. This makes it all the more critical that we strike a proper balance between the promised benefits, and the necessary measures to mitigate and prepare for possible undesirable secondary effects."

David Nagel, a professor at George Washington University, will give the keynote address. He will discuss "The Impact of Nano-Materials on Sensors." Because nano-materials have important structures on the molecular scale, Nagel believes they will be used primarily for detecting and quantifying chemical and biological substances. His presentation will review the principles, structures and operation of current chemical sensors and biosensors.

The review will show where new nano-materials can fit into existing sensors. Examples of possibilities will be given. Prospects for new nano-enabled sensors will also be examined. Some significant challenges in improving existing sensors with nano-materials and in making new nano-enabled sensors will be noted.

Applications within diverse industries and operations, including both military and homeland security, will be cited.

For more information about other speakers and topics that will be discussed during the Nano Bootcamp, or to register online, visit www.asmeconferences.org/nanobootcamp05. To register by phone, call (800) 843-2763 or (973) 882-1167.

Registration fees for the bootcamp are $595 for students; $995 for government workers; $1,595 for members of professional organizations, such as ASME and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; and $1,995 for the general audience.

The first year of ASME membership will be free for registrants who are not ASME members.

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