Nanotechnology in Cuba

Nanotechnology in Cuba

Orfilio Pelez

NANOTECHNOLOGY, the driving force behind what many researchers see as the most important industrial development of the last 200 years, was initially developed by different branches of the military industry within a small group of highly industrialized countries, led by the United States, which had the resources to invest and the desire to maintain its position of global power.

This effort, which is little discussed and currently subsumed within strategic national initiatives, had as its main objectives the miniaturization of nuclear weapons; improved armor; new camouflage techniques and more effective, lighter bullet-proof vests to protect soldiers; and medications to control bleeding and treat injuries, in order to maintain the full fighting capacity of troops in the most difficult situations.

The term nanotechnology was coined in 1974 by Japanese scientist Norio Tamiguchi, using a new measurement system in which 1nm represents one millionth of a millimeter. Starting with the idea of creating new materials or changing the properties of existing ones by manipulating molecular structures at the nanometric level, the field progressively expanded into the aerospace, automobile, materials, electronics, communications, energy, health, food, environmental and cosmetics industries.

Over the last few years, Cuba has entered this promising, diminutive scientific world. To learn more about its impact and prospects internationally and within the country, Granma spoke with Dr. Fidel Castro Daz-Balart, scientific advisor to the Council of State.

"Nanotechnology has eliminated barriers in a way which just a few years ago would have been considered science fiction and is today making concrete progress in the design of more efficient technology to treat water, miniaturize integrated circuits used in computers and information processing and in the development of optimal strategies to conserve energy," he said.

"There are also promising results in the development of advanced diagnostic tools and new pharmaceuticals, capable of acting selectively at a specific site, making treatment more effective, with fewer side effects. Despite the results mentioned, the technology remains in the research and development stage, dominated by large U.S., European and Japanese companies."

What factors have led Cuba to enter the field, despite the countrys complex economic situation and the high costs involved?

The rate at which new knowledge and scientific innovations are emerging is so rapid that, if we do not now create the infrastructure needed to pursue selected goals and train experts to work in such a promising discipline, we run the risk of being irreversibly excluded from tomorrows world.

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Nanotechnology in Cuba

Taming Nanotechnology's Potential Risks

Taking a proactive approach to the possible liability implications of nanomaterials could save manufacturers major litigation trouble down the road.

All signs point toward the industrial and economic impact of nanotechnology getting exponentially bigger in the very near future -- to the tune of $3 trillion by 2015, according to some projections.

This microscopic technology, which utilizes particles and engineered structures as small as one ten-thousandth the diameter of a human hair, has already found practical application in medical technology, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. It is poised to transform electronics and communications, manufacturing processes and tools, materials development, pollution control, batteries, and other products and industries.

But the health and environmental effects of most nanotechnologies are not well studied or understood, and a growing body of evidence suggests that some types of nanotechnology might be associated with significant adverse effects on human health and the environment.

Some in the insurance industry have already labeled nanotechnology as an emerging risk, and, to compound the uncertainty, complex concerns regarding regulatory oversight are on the rise, not to mention calls to ban nanotechnology outright.

So where does this leave manufacturers, innovators and other businesses whose industries are ready to ride the wave of nanoparticles into the future? Likely facing a host of potential lawsuits at some point for a number of potential reasons.

While no nanotechnology-specific personal injury claims have been brought against manufacturers yet, and no specific human disease or verifiable environmental mishap has been ascribed to nanomaterials, such claims are practically inevitable.

But understanding the potential risks and courtroom implications can help manufacturers and other businesses in the supply chain take proactive steps to manage and minimize their exposure to liability.

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Taming Nanotechnology's Potential Risks

Nanotechnology developed at Louisiana Tech University leads to breakthrough in fuel conversion

Public release date: 29-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dave Guerin dguerin@latech.edu 318-257-4854 Louisiana Tech University

RUSTON, La. Recognizing a national need to eliminate U.S. dependency on foreign oil and reverse large trade deficits driven by oil imports, Jupiter Fuels a privately owned startup development company focused on proving the economics of breakthrough natural gas-to-liquid fuel conversion technology is capitalizing on nanotechnology energy research taking place at Louisiana Tech University.

Fuel conversion technology developed at Louisiana Tech can covert natural gas to liquid fuel more efficiently, at lower pressures (meaning dramatically lower capitalization costs), than current industry methods. Private investors in Jupiter Fuels, which include James Madden and his sons Doug Madden, David Madden and John Madden of Minden, Louisiana, are joining with Louisiana Tech to embark on a $3.3 million prototype development effort.

In an effort to continue working closely with faculty and researchers at Louisiana Tech, company officials announced today the establishment of a Jupiter Fuels, LLC development office located in Louisiana Tech's Humana Enterprise Center. David Madden, who will serve as president of Jupiter Fuels, Doug Madden and John Madden are all graduates of Louisiana Tech.

Joining the board of Jupiter Fuels are Dr. Chester Wilson, an associate professor of electrical engineering and nanosystems engineering at Louisiana Tech, and Dr. John McDonald, one of Wilson's former students. Wilson and McDonald are the inventors of the nanotechnology developed at Louisiana Tech.

"It's simple economics that drives the value of this invention and investment," said David Madden. "The cost of natural gas is pretty low while the price of liquid fuel is high. If we can more efficiently convert 9,000 cubic feet of natural gas to the same amount of liquid fuel that comes from a barrel of oil, then I think we may have something valuable for America."

Wilson and McDonald were introduced to the Maddens by Joel Martin, a retired Air Force colonel and local entrepreneur, who has experience in helping research and development efforts at universities.

Jupiter Fuels was created to prove the economic value of converting feedstock methane gas, such as Louisiana's plentiful natural gas reserves, to liquid fuel. The gas-to-liquid conversion is done using the Fischer-Tropsch process that was invented in Germany, originally for coal gasification, before World War II.

Wilson and McDonald found new bulk-process nanomaterial catalysts that greatly improve gas-to-liquid conversion efficiency. Their breakthrough research also allows the catalyst to convert gas to liquid fuel at far lower pressures than current industry methods. Lower pressures in their improved process means that the cost of the establishing and maintaining fuel production plants can be greatly reduced.

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Nanotechnology developed at Louisiana Tech University leads to breakthrough in fuel conversion

Team uses nanotechnology to create brain monitoring device

30 October 2012

Researchers in Switzerland are using nanotechnology to develop a device to monitor and transmit biological signals for the treatment of brain diseases.

A team from Guardian Angels For Smarter Life (GA) based at Swiss technology institute EPFL has partnered with US charity One Mind for Research to create demonstration technology for studying brain diseases using nanoelectronic systems that harvest their own power.

The scientists believe that such a device, which would use GAs new Zero Power Biosensor, could be used to monitor a patients health status or to study ambient conditions for environmental danger, and could eventually help to perceive a patients emotional conditions.

Our platform will create the ultimate smart device that will assist us from infancy to old age, said EPFL co-project leader Prof Adrian Ionescu in a statement.

One of the key features is its zero power requirement as it will scavenge for energy. Think of it as recharging using the environment, sun or movement a technology that will benefit from bio-inspired concepts.

Energy-harvesting technology is increasingly being used to power small medical devices from body movements, ending the need for batteries in implants such as pacemakers.

The new autonomous, self-powered, plaster-sized sensors will be able to record biological and environmental signals from a patient in a non-invasive way and transmit them automatically.

By embedding an array of sensors in small, lightweight, wearable devices, they will collect large amounts of data that could help drive advances in brain disease treatment based on very personalised diagnoses.

Magali Haas, chief science and technology officer for One Mind, said: The promise of individualised medicine for devastating brain diseases will be hastened through this unique interdisciplinary partnership.

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Team uses nanotechnology to create brain monitoring device

NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new Rice University paper

Public release date: 16-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: David Ruth david@rice.edu 713-348-6327 Rice University

The United States may lose its leadership role in space to other countries unless it makes research and development funding and processes -- especially in nanotechnology -- a renewed and urgent priority, according to a new paper from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The paper, "NASA's Relationship with Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future Challenges," investigates how NASA has both guided and defunded cutting-edge nanotechnology development since 1996 at its own research facilities and in its collaborations with university scientists and laboratories. The research was conducted by a team at Rice that included Baker Institute science and technology policy fellow Kirstin Matthews, current Rice graduate student Kenneth Evans and former graduate students Padraig Moloney and Brent Carey. The paper sheds light on a broad field that holds tremendous potential for improving space flight by reducing the weight of spacecraft and developing smaller and more accurate sensors.

This area of research, however, saw a dramatic cutback from 2004 to 2007, when NASA reduced annual nanotechnology R&D expenditures from $47 million to $20 million. NASA is the only U.S. federal agency to scale back investment in this area, the authors found, and it's part of an overall funding trend at NASA. From 2003 to 2010, while the total federal science research budget remained steady between $60 billion and $65 billion (in constant 2012 dollars), NASA's research appropriations decreased more than 75 percent, from $6.62 billion to $1.55 billion.

The authors argue that the agency should restructure, refocus and strengthen its R&D programs.

"The United States currently lacks a national space policy that ensures the continuity of research and programs that build on existing capabilities to explore space, and that has defined steps for human and robotic exploration of low-Earth orbit, the moon and Mars," Matthews said. "With Congress and the president wrestling over the budget each year, it is vital that NASA present a clear plan for science and technology R&D that is linked to all aspects of the agency. This includes connecting R&D, with nanotechnology as a lead area, to applications related to the agency's missions."

The authors said that to effectively engage in new technology R&D, NASA should strengthen its research capacity and expertise by encouraging high-risk, high-reward projects to help support and shape the future of U.S. space exploration

"Failure to make these changes, especially in a political climate of flat or reduced funding, poses substantial risk that the United States will lose its leadership role in space to othercountries most notably China, Germany, France, Japan and Israel that make more effective use of their R&D investments," Matthews said.

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NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new Rice University paper

NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new paper

The United States may lose its leadership role in space to other countries unless it makes research and development funding and processesespecially in nanotechnologya renewed and urgent priority, according to a new paper from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The paper, "NASA's Relationship with Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future Challenges," investigates how NASA has both guided and defunded cutting-edge nanotechnology development since 1996 at its own research facilities and in its collaborations with university scientists and laboratories. The research was conducted by a team at Rice that included Baker Institute science and technology policy fellow Kirstin Matthews, current Rice graduate student Kenneth Evans and former graduate students Padraig Moloney and Brent Carey. The paper sheds light on a broad field that holds tremendous potential for improving space flight by reducing the weight of spacecraft and developing smaller and more accurate sensors.

This area of research, however, saw a dramatic cutback from 2004 to 2007, when NASA reduced annual nanotechnology R&D expenditures from $47 million to $20 million. NASA is the only U.S. federal agency to scale back investment in this area, the authors found, and it's part of an overall funding trend at NASA. From 2003 to 2010, while the total federal science research budget remained steady between $60 billion and $65 billion (in constant 2012 dollars), NASA's research appropriations decreased more than 75 percent, from $6.62 billion to $1.55 billion.

The authors argue that the agency should restructure, refocus and strengthen its R&D programs.

"The United States currently lacks a national space policy that ensures the continuity of research and programs that build on existing capabilities to explore space, and that has defined steps for human and robotic exploration of low-Earth orbit, the moon and Mars," Matthews said. "With Congress and the president wrestling over the budget each year, it is vital that NASA present a clear plan for science and technology R&D that is linked to all aspects of the agency. This includes connecting R&D, with nanotechnology as a lead area, to applications related to the agency's missions."

The authors said that to effectively engage in new technology R&D, NASA should strengthen its research capacity and expertise by encouraging high-risk, high-reward projects to help support and shape the future of U.S. space exploration

"Failure to make these changes, especially in a political climate of flat or reduced funding, poses substantial risk that the United States will lose its leadership role in space to othercountriesmost notably China, Germany, France, Japan and Israelthat make more effective use of their R&D investments," Matthews said.

More information: "NASA's Relationship with Nanotechnology: Past, Present and Future Challenges" paper: http://www.bakerinstitute.org/policyreport54

Provided by Rice University

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NASA must reinvest in nanotechnology research, according to new paper

M+W Group Announced as Associate Member for Facilities and Infrastructure of Global 450 Consortium Headquartered at …

ALBANY, NY and STUTTGART, GERMANY--(Marketwire - Oct 16, 2012) - As further demonstration of Governor Andrew Cuomo's nanotechnology-driven innovation economy and its success at attracting global corporations, M+W Group (M+W) announced today that it has been selected by the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany, United States, associate member for facilities and infrastructure for the Global 450mm Consortium (G450C), where M+W will spearhead development of new facility and infrastructure technologies and manage building and facility suppliers selected to participate in the G450C program.

"A safe and sustainable environmental footprint is a key focus area for our facility program.The eco-friendly mandate calls for solutions that reduce energy and water consumption, and minimize generation of waste throughout the facility life cycle.Our G450C partnership allows us to align on facility standards with other industry forums and drive operational cost and duration improvements that provide a competitive advantage to the consortia members," said Rick Whitney, CEO M+W US.

"Through the vision and leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, as embodied by the establishment of the Global 450 Consortium at the UAlbany NanoCollege, New York is recognized globally as the leading location for nanotechnology research, development and commercialization," said CNSE Senior Vice President and CEO Alain Kaloyeros. "This effort will be further enhanced by the addition of M+W Group as an associate member of G450C for emerging building, facilities, and infrastructure technologies, bringing world-class expertise and a proven track record that will accelerate this critical technology transition to support the needs of our industrial partners."

Announced by Governor Cuomo in September 2011, the G450C's main objective is to enable the transition from existing 300mm wafer size production to the new 450mm technology.Managed by New York State through CNSE, the founding members of G450C are Intel, IBM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, TSMC and Samsung.

M+W Group and the G450C will work with facility suppliers selected from among the top-tier providers of critical semiconductor facility components, systems, and services.These suppliers will be designated as "G450C Affiliate Participants," providing a unique opportunity to leverage the strengths of the broader membership in order to provide facility solutions that are essential to industry growth and the 450mm transformation, and lead to tens of millions in additional private investments in G450C and New York State.

The G450C headquarters and core operations are located at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex, within the new NanoFab Xtension (NFX) building which is currently being constructed by M+W. NFX will provide 60,000 square feet of state-of-the-art contiguous cleanroom space, with completion scheduled for the end of 2012.

About M+W Group (www.mwgroup.net): M+W Group is the leading global engineering, construction and project management company in the fields of Advanced Technology Facilities, Life Science & Chemicals, Energy & Environment Technologies and High-Tech Infrastructure. From concept development to turnkey services the company manages projects of all sizes ensuring rapid realization, high quality standards and cost-effective completion. With its competence to link process and automation technologies and complex facilities to integrated solutions M+W Group primarily focuses on leading companies in the fields of electronics, photovoltaics, life science, chemicals, energy, automotive, security and communication, as well as research institutes and universities. M+W Group is the holding company with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2011 the company generated an order intake of $3.6 billion and revenues of $3.5 billion with more than 7,000 employees. In 2012 M+W Group celebrates its 100th anniversary.

M+W Group is owned by the Austrian Stumpf Group that is globally successful in the areas of High-Tech Engineering, Smart & Renewable Energy, Real Estate and Technology Investments.

About CNSE. The UAlbany CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience and nanoeconomics. With more than $14 billion in high-tech investments, CNSE represents the world's most advanced university-driven research enterprise, offering students a one-of-a-kind academic experience and providing over 300 corporate partners with access to an unmatched ecosystem for leading-edge R&D and commercialization of nanoelectronics and nanotechnology innovations. CNSE's footprint spans upstate New York, including its Albany NanoTech Complex, an 800,000-square-foot megaplex with the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 85,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,700 scientists, researchers, engineers, students and faculty work here, from companies including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Samsung, TSMC, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, ASML and Novellus Systems. An expansion now underway, part of which will house the world's first Global 450mm Consortium, will add nearly 500,000 square feet of next-generation infrastructure, an additional 50,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms, and more than 1,000 scientists, researchers and engineers from CNSE and global corporations. In addition, CNSE's Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon provides a prototyping and demonstration line for next-generation CIGS thin-film solar cells, supporting its leadership of the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC).CNSE's Smart Systems Technology and Commercialization Center of Excellence (STC) in Rochester offers state-of-the-art capabilities for MEMS fabrication and packaging. CNSE also co-founded and manages operations at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center at SUNYIT in Utica and is a co-founder of the Nanotechnology Innovation and Commercialization Excelerator in Syracuse. For information, visit http://www.cnse.albany.edu.

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M+W Group Announced as Associate Member for Facilities and Infrastructure of Global 450 Consortium Headquartered at ...

Penn State receives $4.2 million for nanotechnology career development

Public release date: 15-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bezilla mxb13@psu.edu 814-865-9481 Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State will receive $4.2 million over the next three years from the National Science Foundation to continue the work of the National Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge Network (NACK Network), founded at the University with a four-year grant from the NSF in 2008.

The NACK Network provides national coordination of workforce development programs and activities on behalf of NSF in an effort to meet industry needs for skilled micro- and nanofabrication workers.

"The continuation of NSF support reflects the successes the NACK Network has achieved in working with industry and educational institutions in finding ways to meet the growing needs for highly trained personnel," said Stephen Fonash, NACK Network director and Kunkle Chair Professor of Engineering Sciences.

The market value of U.S. products incorporating nanotechnology will total $1 trillion by the year 2020, according to an NSF report, and nanotechnology's share of the gross domestic product (GDP) will be 5.0 percent. The nation in 2020 will require 2 million people in the primary workforce engaged in nanotechnology production.

"Jobs in nanotechnology demand advanced skills and critical thinking, and offer the opportunity for so many 'gee whiz' moments that can excite students, even in secondary schools," Fonash said. "To have faculty and teachers who understand nanotechnology's workforce impact and who can create these eye-opening moments, they must be trained and have educational materials and equipment resources in hand, including web-accessed and web-operated tools. NACK's objective is to create and sustain these resources and to develop pathways from high school to skilled manufacturing careers across the country."

The NACK Network is a working, productive nanotechnology workforce development partnership involving educational institutions across the U.S. The network's mission is to enable core-skills nanotechnology education at two-year community and technical colleges and four-year universities and colleges through partnerships with research universities. It emphasizes broad student preparation and fosters sharing of such resources as course lecture information and lab materials, workshops for curricular development and faculty preparation, and industry-developed workforce skill standards.

The NACK Network currently has hubs built on this concept of nanotechnology education partnerships between a research university and other post-secondary institutions in place in seven states and Puerto Rico. Its Pennsylvania hub, for example, involves more than 30 undergraduate institutions and Penn State. Educators from all 50 states have accessed and used NACK Network materials and services, which are available at http://www.nano4me.org. A report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recently cited NACK's success in "bringing meaningful core-skills nanotechnology workforce education to technical and community colleges across the nation."

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Penn State receives $4.2 million for nanotechnology career development

Nanotechnology – 'All about doing more with less'

David Johnson, a chemistry professor and nanotechnology expert with the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry, displays a mobile communications device that has more information stored on it than some computers on college campuses in the 1980s. With Johnson is Andy Bedingfield, the centers director of outreach and education. BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH - The Observer

Professor visits region in effort to help Ore. companies create better products for digital marketplace

Struggling to explain the science of nanotechnology for a completely science-ignorant newspaper reporter last week, David Johnson held up a mobile communications device that fit neatly in the palm of his hand.

Theres more information stored on this than there was in the huge computers you found on college campuses in the 1980s, Johnson said. Nanotechnology is all about doing more with less.

Then he gave another example.

Think about what TVs were like 30 or 40 years ago. It used to take three people just to lift one, he said.

Johnson, a lead chemistry professor at the Corvallis-based Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry, spent last week on the road, staging a series of Science Pubs in Eastern Oregon communities including La Grande.

He was spreading the word about the centers research and its efforts to help Oregon companies especially start-up companies make better products for todays digital marketplace.

Electronic circuits are built on a nano-scale, so those products are smaller and lighter than anything people might have imagined decades ago. Thats good for businesses, and good for consumers.

But according to Johnson, its only one part of nanotechnologys benefit.

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Nanotechnology - 'All about doing more with less'

Alzheimer's tech spray being developed

A nanotechnology nasal spray is being developed that could transform the early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's.

The device shoots tiny magnetic particles into the nose which enter the bloodstream and are carried to the brain.

Each particle is fused to an antibody that targets and binds to rogue molecules believed to play an early role in the disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect both the particles and the molecules.

To date scientists have only tested the technique in the laboratory on human brain tissue cultures.

But if it can be shown to work in human patients it could lead to a major leap forward in managing Alzheimer's.

Scientists believe the changes that lead to Alzheimer's begin decades before the first symptoms appear.

By the time a patient is diagnosed the disease is already far advanced, and experts suspect that is the main reason why a number of promising drugs have failed in patient trials. Identifying the disease much earlier could make it far easier to treat.

Details of the new research were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans, US.

Lead scientist William Klein, from Northwestern University, Chicago, said: "We have created a probe that targets a unique marker of Alzheimer's disease. This technology is a promising tool for early AD diagnosis and for evaluating the efficacy of investigational new drugs at early stages of the disease."

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Alzheimer's tech spray being developed

Ivy Tech's nano hub

SOUTH BEND -- Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend next year will add an intensive, 18-credit summer nanotechnology study program that is expected to draw students from across Indiana and possibly from other states.

The new program will be funded with a $165,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the South Bend campus. The grant will allow the campus here to develop a Nanotechnology Application and Career Knowledge (NACK) Network teaching site hub here, one of just seven such hubs in the nation.

The teaching site here is being developed in partnership with Penn State University.

Nanotechnology involves research and technological development at a scale so tiny it's measured in nanometers -- billionths of a meter. It creates and uses structures that have novel properties because of their size, and it offers the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules.

Jobs prospects are expected to be good in the growing field of nanotechnology.

The initial 10-week summer program will have room for 20 students. The program will be intense: six courses, requiring class work eight hours a day, five days a week.

Ivy Tech in South Bend last year became the first -- and so far the only -- college in Indiana to offer an associate's degree program in nanotechnology.

Abdollah Aghdasi, chair of Ivy Tech's nanotechnology program, expects the summer program to draw students from Ivy Tech's other campuses around the state and also from some four-year colleges and universities.

"You don't need to be an Ivy Tech student. We can take students from Notre Dame, IUSB, Western Michigan University -- anyone who wants to come and get the exposure to nanotechnology," he said.

Although the nanotechnology degree currently is offered only in South Bend, students at other Ivy Tech campuses could take their general education requirements at their home campus, attend the intensive summer of nanotechnology courses in South Bend, then arrange to complete requirements (including an internship) for the nanotechnology degree back at their home campus, Aghdasi said.

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Ivy Tech's nano hub

Industrial Nanotech, Inc. Signs Distributor Agreement with DuPont

NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (Pink Sheets:INTK), an emerging global leader in nanotechnology based energy saving solutions, today announced that the Company has entered into a distribution agreement with DuPont Powder Coatings Andina to serve as a distributor in Columbia and Venezuela for the Companys patented Nansulate(R) product line of thermal insulation and protective coatings for the Oil and Gas Industry. Since 2004, Nansulate(R) coatings have been used as an innovative solution for effective thermal insulation and corrosion prevention for pipes, tanks, and other equipment and for the prevention of corrosion under insulation (CUI).

We look forward to working with DuPont Power Coatings Andina, stated Francesca Crolley, V.P. Business Development for Industrial Nanotech, Inc. They have a broad and extensive experience in the design, manufacture and supply of high-performance protective coatings focused on Oil & Gas and specialized industry. Their knowledge and experience supplying external coatings for pipelines and storage tanks, industrial process plants, petrochemicals, refineries, water industry, mining industry and many other sectors will greatly benefit the growth of our products in this region, as well as offer the opportunity for their company to supply leading edge sustainable technology to their customers."

One of the world's largest suppliers of powder coatings for heat setting, DuPont Powder Coatings has sixteen independent companies and fifteen research and development laboratories in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. DuPont Powder Coatings is a leading manufacturer of powder coatings in North America and the industry leader in decorative and functional coatings of high quality heat setting.

About DuPont Performance Coatings

Founded in 1922 and headquartered in Wilmington, Del., DuPont Performance Coatings is the leading global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of advanced coating systems primarily for the transportation industry. The company comprises four segments: refinish, OEM, industrial liquid and powder. The company operates manufacturing sites on six continents, serving customers in 120 countries directly and through 4,000 distributors.

About DuPont

DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. DuPont has been operating in Columbia since 1963. For more information, visit http://www.dupontpowder.com.co

About Nansulate(R)

Nansulate(R) is the Company's patented product line of award winning, specialty coatings containing a nanotechnology based material and which are well-documented to provide the combined performance qualities of thermal insulation, corrosion prevention, resistance to mold growth, chemical resistance and lead encapsulation in an environmentally safe, water-based, coating formulation. The Nansulate(R) Product Line includes industrial, residential, agricultural and solar thermal insulation coatings. Additional information about the Company and its products can be found at their websites, (www.inanotk.com) and (www.nansulate.com). Blog: http://www.nansulate.com/nanoblog, Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NanoPioneer, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Nansulate.

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Industrial Nanotech, Inc. Signs Distributor Agreement with DuPont

Iran mass producing over 35 nano-tech laboratory equipments

Source: ISNA, Tehran

According to The Secretary of Iran's Nanotechnology Initiative Council, Saeed Sarkar, Iran has been mass producing more than 35 types of nanotechnology laboratory equipments designed and made by Iranian researchers.

Iran's Nanotechnology Initiative Council Iran Nano 2012 was held October 4-8 in in Tehran

In an interview with ISNA, Sarkar, stressing on lack of laboratory equipments as one of the barriers of technology development, stated, Western countries had presumed that by imposing sanctions against Iran they are able to prevent it from developing the new technology, but the Nanotechnology Initiative Council identified the necessary advanced equipments and planed for their production in order to overcome the obstacles.

Iran currently stands at the 9th place in international ranking of nanoscience and technology production, the Secretary of Iran's Nanotechnology Initiative Council said and added, the country has succeeded in design and mass production of more than 35 kinds of advanced nanotechnology devices.

Various Iranian industries including laboratory equipments, antibacterial strings, power station filters and construction industries have employed domestic nanotechnology productions.

... Payvand News - 10/13/12 ... --

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Iran mass producing over 35 nano-tech laboratory equipments

pSivida CEO to Discuss Sustained Delivery and Nanotechnology in Ophthalmology at Upcoming Massachusetts Biotechnology …

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

pSivida Corp. (PSDV)(PVA.AX), a leader in developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases, today announced that its President and CEO, Dr. Paul Ashton, will discuss Cross Fertilization: Sustained Delivery and Nanotechnology in Ophthalmology at an upcoming Formulation and Drug Delivery Committee Meeting of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council on Wednesday, October 17.

Dr. Ashtons presentation will focus on delivery of peptides and proteins, primarily in ophthalmology. Currently the eye space is dominated by two anti-VEGF proteins, Roche/Genentechs Lucentis and Regenerons Eyelea. Both of these drugs must be repeatedly injected directly into the eye, typically every one to two months. The development of a sustained release protein delivery system would offer a significant advantage in ophthalmology, said Dr. Paul Ashton, president and chief executive officer of pSivida. pSivida is presently developing such a delivery system, called Tethadur, which is based on the companys BioSilicon technology platform. This delivery system could also have a significant clinical impact outside of ophthalmology for diseases requiring systemic administration, particularly in the BioSimilars era.

Tethadur is designed to provide sustained delivery of biologic molecules, including proteins, antibodies and peptides. It is composed of nanostructured porous material, in which the sizes of the pores are manufactured to accommodate specific protein, peptide or antibody molecules. Very simply put, Tethadur can be viewed as a high tech egg box where each protein molecule is contained in its own spot until it is released, said Dr. Ashton. We are able to control the release rate of a drug by controlling the pore size of the Tethadur delivery material.

pSivida recently announced a technology evaluation agreement with a leading global biopharmaceutical company to evaluate Tethadur in the field of ophthalmology. Although we are at the very early stages with Tethadur, the potential improvement in patient care and clinical outcomes could be highly significant, Dr. Ashton stated. We have already been successful in this field, working with partners we have developed three of the four sustained release devices for ophthalmic drugs approved in either the US or the EU.

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nations oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide.

About pSivida Corporation

pSivida Corp., headquartered in Watertown, MA, develops tiny, sustained release, drug delivery products designed to deliver drugs at a controlled and steady rate for months or years. pSivida is currently focused on treatment of chronic diseases of the back of the eye utilizing its core technology systems, Durasert and BioSilicon. The injectable, sustained release micro-insert ILUVIEN for the treatment of chronic Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), licensed to Alimera Sciences, Inc., has received marketing authorization in Austria, France, Germany, Portugal and the U.K. and is awaiting authorization in Italy and Spain. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared pSividas Investigational New Drug application (IND) to treat posterior uveitis with the same micro-insert. An investigator-sponsored clinical trial is ongoing for an injectable, bioerodible micro insert to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension. pSividas two FDA-approved products, Retisert and Vitrasert, are implants that provide long-term, sustained drug delivery to treat two other chronic diseases of the retina.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995: Various statements made in this release are forward-looking, and are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and potentially inaccurate assumptions. All statements that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect of believe may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The following are some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements: uncertainty as to the efficacy, risk/benefit profile and side effects of the posterior uveitis product candidate; uncertainties with respect to Alimeras ability to commercialize ILUVIEN for DME in the EU; no assurance that Alimera will resubmit its application or be able to demonstrate to the FDA that the benefits outweigh the risks of ILUVIEN for DME using data from their two previously completed pivotal Phase III clinical trials (FAME Study), that additional clinical trials will not be required, that the population of chronic DME patients will be acceptable to the FDA or that Alimera will be able to obtain regulatory approval for ILUVIEN for DME in the U.S.; the timing and conditions for additional regulatory approvals are subject to decisions by regulators; necessity to raise additional capital to fully finance Phase III posterior uveitis trials as well as other working capital needs; ability to obtain additional capital; ability to initiate and complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval of product candidates; adverse side effects; Alimeras ability to successfully obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize ILUVIEN for DME in the EU; actions with respect to regulatory approval of ILUVIEN for DME in the U.S.; ability to attain profitability; initiation of Latanoprost Product trials and exercise by Pfizer, Inc. of the Latanoprost Product option; uncertainties with respect to pre-clinical products using Tethadur and BioSilicon; further impairment of intangible assets; fluctuations in operating results; decline in royalty revenues; ability to find partners to develop and market products; termination of license agreements; competition; market acceptance of products and product candidates; reduction in use of products as a result of future guidelines, recommendation or studies; ability to protect intellectual property and avoid infringement of others intellectual property; retention of key personnel; product liability; consolidation in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; compliance with environmental laws; manufacturing risks; risks and costs of international business operations; credit and financial market conditions; legislative or regulatory changes; volatility of stock price; possible dilution; possible influence by Pfizer; absence of dividends; and other factors described in our filings with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the dates on which they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes makes it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.

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pSivida CEO to Discuss Sustained Delivery and Nanotechnology in Ophthalmology at Upcoming Massachusetts Biotechnology ...

Grant to aid nanotechnology training

JOHNSTOWN - Fulton-Montgomery Community College will use federal grant money to help train people in nanotechnology.

The program, which is still being designed, will help workers who lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. The program also will help unemployed veterans.

"What we are looking to do is find a way to put together a one-year program in nanotechnology and get them ready for a new job, versus our typical two-year curriculum," FMCC President Dustin Swanger. "I expect this could help 50 or more students locally over the next two years."

A Fulton-Montgomery Community College student works on the Atomic Force Microscope in May at FMCCs clean room classroom. The Leader-Herald/Amanda Whistle

The college will receive nearly $100,000 from the federal government for the job-training program.

Swanger said the program will be designed to aid people that have technology backgrounds and out of work by adding to their existing knowledge in the field. As a result, this program will only be offered to those with experience and not brand new, incoming students.

Swanger said he hopes to have the program available to the community by the fall semester next year.

Richard Prestopnik, a professor of electrical technology at the college, will head the program.

"Part of the funding is to allow us to do some curriculum development work," Prestopnik said. "We are concentrating on nanotechnologies and semiconductor manufacturing. We are attempting to design a program that will grant a one-year certificate targeted toward individuals with experience in advanced technical fields."

He said the course will include a lot of hands-on work so students can be prepared for what it will be like in the actual job.

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Grant to aid nanotechnology training

'Nanotechnology Revolution' Drives Big Growth to a Small Industry

A conversation with the Pixelligent Technologies CEO about what is behind the latest nanotech boom and what it means to the industry.

Since moving its operations to Baltimore in 2011, nanocrystal additive manufacturer, Pixelligent Technologies, has seen the kind of explosive growth and market success that seems only possible in business school fantasies and start-up legends.

In these past 17 months, the company has seen its customer pipeline increase tenfold and has grown to include some of the world's largest chemical-polymer manufacturing companies, prompting a 150% increase in its workforce and an expansion to a 13,000-square-foot facility.

According to CEO Craig Bandes, though this success appears to have struck fast, it has been long in coming for the industry.

"For ten years, people have been saying nanotechnology is going to hit next year," he joked. "Well, now it is actually happening and these companies are finally seeing that nanotechnology is real -- that it is having real, significant impacts in a number of different technologies and products."

"There is a convergence going on between a receptive market that is out there looking for nano-enabled solutions and companies like Pixelligent that have cracked the code on the technology." - Craig Bandes, CEO, Pixelligent Technologies

Of course, this newly realized and matured technology wouldn't mean much without a receptive market. Luckily, today's manufacturers seem very much in the mood for progress.

"In the industrial world, there is a real focus now on how to incorporate next-generation materials into what they are doing today," he explained. "There is a convergence going on between a receptive market that is out there looking for nano-enabled solutions and companies like Pixelligent that have cracked the code on the technology."

This convergence is translating into what many are calling a "nanotech revolution," as the long-awaited mainstream adoption of the technology finally takes hold.

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'Nanotechnology Revolution' Drives Big Growth to a Small Industry

Nanotechnology: A Realistic Market Assessment

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Nanotechnology: A Realistic Market Assessment

http://www.reportlinker.com/p096617/Nanotechnology-A-Realistic-Market-Assessment.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Nanotechnology

However, while the hype may have slowed somewhat, there is still some out there. Growing public awareness combined with the complex, diverse nature of the technologies that are commonly grouped together under the heading of nanotechnology virtually invites misunderstanding, if not actual misrepresentation. For example, in 2010, a respected journalist wrote a series of stories for AOL News entitled "The Nanotech Gamble: Bold Science, Big Money, Growing Risks" that faulted the U.S. government's performance in identifying and protecting the public against alleged health hazards posed by nanotechnology. One interviewee asked rhetorically, "How long should the public have to wait before the government takes protective action? Must the bodies stack up first?"

So stinging was the piece to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) that the director of the NNCO felt compelled to issue a formal rebuttal. According to the rebuttal, the author "takes an alarmist perspective," "uses irrelevant examples" and "fails to balance the risks against the benefits of nanotechnology." As some observers have noted, the debate over the AOL News article (which was still simmering when this report was written) is at best a distraction from the research that needs to be done.

Business, academia, the media, all have an incentive to attempt to cash in on nanotechnology. Various manufacturers have tacked "nano" onto their products and processes, whether or not they deal in nano-size elements, in an attempt to boost sales. Companies that have nothing to do with nanotechnology have "nano" in their names to make them sound more technologically advanced than the competition. Some academic researchers worry that the buzzword nano is being misused to bring in research dollars for dubious technologies and applications at the expense of legitimate research.

Hype inevitably carries with it the risk of a backlash because it can create unrealistic expectations for nanotechnology. Then, when expectations are not met, people tend to withdraw, or worse, turn oppositional. A blog entry on The Bespoke Investment Group's website observed that:

"Back in the 'good ol' days' of the mid-2000s, investors were riding a bull market wave and looking for 'the next big thing.' One of those 'next big things' was nanotechnology. Ever since the collapse began in 2007, however, the nanotech craze seems all but forgotten. We can't remember the last time we read or watched something about nanotech. Stocks and ETFs relating to nanotech have also lost investor interest."

As a result, legitimate nanotechnology products and applications are hurt along with the pseudos as funding and markets dry up. The dot.com boom and bust provides a cautionary example of the dangers of hype, but nanotechnology has a more tangible nature because it is a set of technologies. This report takes a realistic look at the nanotechnology field and offers a road map to the technologies and applications that are most likely to be commercialized in the next five years.

These differences reflect not only different analytical methods and assumptions, but also different definitions of the nanotechnology market (e.g., whether to include decades-old technologies such as carbon black rubber reinforcers and photographic silver, or whether to base the market value on nanotechnology inputs alone, as opposed to the total value of products that nanotechnology incorporates).

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Nanotechnology: A Realistic Market Assessment

NANO Connect Offers International Perspective With South Korean Nanotechnology Education Leader

SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Oct 3, 2012) - Wheeling High School, a recognized Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, announced today that Dr. WeonBae Ko, a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea, and the leader of the Korean Nanotechnology Researchers Society's Nanotechnology Education Committee, will give a presentation on the state of nanotechnology education in South Korea at its upcoming NANO Connect forum.

NANO Connect is a forum aimed at demystifying the rapidly emerging field of nanotechnology and demonstrating how nanotechnology education can be integrated into traditional high school science curriculums.It is sponsored by NanoProfessor, the global leader in hands-on undergraduate nanotechnology education, which has been chosen to serve as the foundation for undergraduate hands-on nanotechnology education by over twenty institutions in five countries.

"We are honored to have Dr. Ko speak at our inaugural NANO Connect forum and enlighten us on the state of nanotechnology education in South Korea," said Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Principal of Wheeling High School."Dr. Ko's presence at NANO Connect speaks to the growing importance of nanotechnology education both locally and internationally."

"I want to thank Dr. Lopez for inviting me to speak at NANO Connect, which will be a great opportunity to exchange ideas about nanoscience education," said Dr. Ko."South Korea is aiming to become one of the world's top three nations in global nanotechnology competitiveness by 2015.To do this, we are focusing on research and development, research infrastructure, and manpower cultivation, all of which start with education."

The NANO Connect forum will be held at Wheeling High School on Tuesday, October 9 from 8 a.m. to noon and will also feature keynote addresses from Illinois Congressman Bob Dold; Gayle E. Woloschak, Ph.D., Professor at Northwestern University; and Ted Fetters, Director of Program Management for the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition.The NANO Connect forum is open to students, educators, and those working in the nanotechnology field.In addition to the keynote addresses, graduate students from Northwestern University's International Institute for Nanotechnology will give hands-on demonstrations to Wheeling High School students, showcasing nanotechnology and its applications.

The event will also feature a display of the state-of-the-art, nano-focused instrumentation contained within the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program, including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop Nanofabrication System, the first desktop nanofabrication system allowing students to quickly and easily build custom-engineered nanoscale structures with a wide variety of materials from metal nanoparticles to biomolecules using NanoInk's proprietary Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN).Local companies working in the nanotechnology industry will be in attendance, as well.More information about NANO Connect, including registration, is available at: http://whs.d214.org/academics/nano_conference.aspx

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately one and 100 nanometers (nm), where unique phenomena enable novel applications which are not feasible when working with bulk materials.A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.A study funded by the National Science Foundation projects that six million nanotechnology workers will be needed worldwide by 2020, with two million of those jobs in the United States.However, as of 2008, there were only 400,000 estimated workers worldwide in the field of nanotechnology, with an estimated 150,000 of those in the United States.

Wheeling High School is a public, four-year comprehensive high school with a STEM focus that opened in 1964 and graduated its first class in 1966.It serves Wheeling and sections of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, and Prospect Heights and is one of the six schools in Township High School District 214.In the fall of 2010, Wheeling High School was officially rededicated as a STEM school and admitted as an institutional member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology -- one of only three in Illinois.More information is available at: http://whs.d214.org.

About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance undergraduate nanotechnology education and address the growing need for a skilled, nano-savvy workforce.The NanoProfessor Program, including instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for high schools, community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide.More information is available at: http://www.NanoProfessor.net or (847)679-NANO (6266).You can also like NanoProfessor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NanoProfessor1 and follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nanoprofessor1.

NanoInk, NanoProfessor, Dip Pen Nanolithography, DPN, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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NANO Connect Offers International Perspective With South Korean Nanotechnology Education Leader