Experts from NSF, Venture Capital Leader to Speak at Integrated Nanosystems Conference (9/15/04)

Mihail Roco, from the National Science Foundation, and Warren Packard, from the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, will deliver the plenary speeches at ASME's Integrated Nanosystems 2004: Design, Synthesis and Applications.

Integrated Nanosystems 2004 is presented by the ASME Nanotechnology Institute, dedicated to furthering the art, science and practice of nanotechnology. The Institute is a clearinghouse for ASME activities in nanotechnology and provides interdisciplinary programs and activities to bridge science, engineering and applications.

The conference, which runs from Sept. 22-24 at the Westin in Pasadena, Calif., will draw a multidisciplinary group of engineers, scientists, government representatives and entrepreneurs to discuss the development and integration of functional nanosystems, nanomanufacturing, biomedical applications and nanoscale phenomena.

Roco, senior advisor for nanotechnology at the National Science Foundation, will present "The Strategic View of the National Nanotechnology Initiative" on Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 1 to 2 p.m.

In addition to his senior advisor duties, Roco chairs the National Science and Technology Council's subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET), and coordinates the programs on academic liaison with industry (GOALI). Prior to joining National Science Foundation, he was Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky (1981-1995), and held visiting professorships at the California Institute of Technology (1988-89), Johns Hopkins University (1993-1995), Tohoku University (1989), and Delft University of Technology (1997-98).

Packard, managing director at the renowned Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, will give his presentation, "Commercializing Nanotechnology: Approaches, Timelines and Predictions from the Venture Capital World," on Friday, Sept. 24, from 8 to 9 a.m.

Packard led Draper Fisher Jurvetson's investments in Hypernex, MEMGen, Chilisoft (acquired by Sun Microsystems), Direct Hit Technologies (acquired by Ask Jeeves), Enviz (acquired by Keynote Systems), Fogdog Sports (acquired by Global Sports), and NetMind (acquired by Puma Technology). Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Packard co-founded Angara Database Systems, a main-memory relational database company, which was acquired by Personify. Prior to Angara, he was an associate at Institutional Venture Partners, investing in early-stage technology companies.

In addition to these plenary sessions, Integrated Nano will highlight three panel sessions. A panel discussion on the topic of the Environment and Health Risk will feature Barbara Karn, of the Environmental Protection Agency; Christine Peterson, of the Foresight Institute; and Clayton Teague, of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office. The Business and Venture panel will include Mohanjit Jolly, of Garage Technology Ventures; Faysal Sohail, of CMEA Ventures; Michael Dierks, of Intel Capital; and Alexander Wong from Apax Partners. A panel on Government will be led by Mark Alper, from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Molecular Foundry; Jim Murday, from the Naval Research Lab; and Julie Chen of the National Science Foundation.

Integrated Nanosystems 2004 will also present the Nanotechnology Showcase, a premier community marketplace for the development of the nanosciences. The Showcase will offer a unique exhibition of the latest scientific research and nano-engineered products of leading businesses, institutions and universities.

For conference registration or further information call (800) 843-2763 and refer to program NA4. You may also register online at www.nanotechnologyinstitute.org.




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