Technical tracks at Congress examine homeland security, nanotechnology

Emily M. Smith
ASME NEWS

Homeland security issues and developments in nanotechnology are among the topics addressed in eight industry tracks to be featured next month during the ASME Mechanical Engineering Congress in Washington, D.C.

The Homeland Security track will have eight technical sessions featuring several experts in the protection of critical assets and the different industries that are potential targets of terrorism. This track is being organized in conjunction with ASME's Critical Asset Protection Initiative.

Six of the eight sessions will feature panelists who have been assembled to provide a balanced perspective on the nature, identification and quantification of risks; examination of threats; and responses in specific scenarios.

The panel topics will include discussions of lessons learned from those who have extensive experience examining terrorist activities. These sessions will cover Mechanical Building Systems, Nuclear Facilities, Electric Power, Risk Analysis and Management, and Transportation.

The session, entitled Applications of Defense Technology to Homeland Security, which has two parts, will feature presentations by experts from the defense industry on topics such as explosive detection, MEMS sensors, thermal imaging, maritime threat awareness capability, threat awareness, data mining, and other defense technologies applied to domestic security.

The Nanotechnology track will offer sessions on nanomanufacturing: The science and engineering of applying nano building blocks — atoms, molecules, DNA and particles — along with nano processing methods for realization of multiscale systems is the main theme of these sessions.

The leading edge discoveries in nanoscience and engineering arising out of diverse disciplines will be reviewed through technical paper presentations, panel discussions and related activities.

The experts will share their insights regarding research and education, while addressing design, synthesis, processing, manipulation, packaging and assembly, and control of multiscale systems leading to integration issues.

Small- and large-scale industry leaders, and scientists and engineers from national and international organizations will also address applications and paths leading to research and development, and their commercialization.

The other industry tracks with technical sessions are Biomedical Technology, Electrical Systems and Photonic Design, Energy, Engineering Business Management, Microelectromechanical Systems and Transportation.

To review the industry tracks and technical sessions that will be featured during ASME's 2003 Mechanical Engineering Congress, go to www.asme.org/congress.

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