03/24 -
Nanotechnology in the Forefront of TMS Activities
(March 24, 2005, WARRENDALE, PA, USA)…While nanotechnology involves science at the microscopic
level, it is taking a macroscopic position in the activities of The Mineral, Metals, and
Materials Society (TMS) over the next six months: The Pennsylvania Nanotechnology Conference
2005, April 18-20, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Materials Information Luncheon, May 12 on Capital Hill,
Washington, D.C.; and a nanotechnology lecture and short course at the MS&T conference, September
25-26, Pittsburgh, Pa.
“TMS is focusing its attention on a balanced approach of nanomaterials science coupled with
nanomaterials engineering,” according to the society’s technical director, Warren Hunt, Jr.,
Ph.D. “Nanomaterials engineering addresses the manufacturing issues that will be critical in
realizing their wide range of potential applications.”
TMS is the official society sponsor of the Pennsylvania Nanotechnology Conference 2005: The
Business of Nanotechnology to be held April 18-20 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel in
Pittsburgh. It will feature plenary as well as break out and panel sessions in nanotechnology in
electronics, semiconductors and instrumentation, nanomanufacturing and processing, nanotechnology
in the life sciences, and nanomaterials. Keynote speaker Edward Erickson, Chairman, President
and CEO of Immunicon Corporation, will discuss strategies for nanotechnology companies and
Immunicon’s progress one year post-IPO. “Nanotechnology: Transforming Traditional Products” is
one of four panel sessions featured and will be moderated by Robert D. Shull, Ph.D., of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, and incoming TMS vice president. Panelists
representing Alcoa, Bayer MaterialScience, Kennametal, PPG, and U.S. Steel will discuss the
practical, real-world applications of nanotechnology. Other sessions cover nanotech research and
development; nanotech IP landscape and patents; venture capital; nanotechnology approaches
outside the United States, which will be presented by business leaders from the United Kingdom,
France, Korea, and Singapore; and the Pennsylvania Nanotechnology Initiative, which has gained
millions in federal awards. For more information on the Pennsylvania Nanotechnology Conference
2005, visit www.pananoconference.org.
The National Nanotechnology Initiative, in part, has prompted the Materials Information Luncheon
(MIL) “Nanomaterials: Making It Real by Materials Science and Engineering” on Capital Hill, May
12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building. According to the Federation of
Materials Societies (FMS), if advances are to be made in consumer and industrial products using
nanomaterials, then materials research and development is key to developing theories, conducting
test experiments, and determining practical manufacturing processes. Keith Blakely, CEO of
Nanodynamics Inc. and a TMS member, is among three speakers who will address congressmen and the
media at MIL. Other speakers include Mark Kryder, chief technical officer of Seagate Corporation,
and Carl Koch, professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University.
The speakers will build their case for increased congressional support for materials science and
engineering research based on the need for nanomaterials to be developed for commercial,
military, and family use. They propose that advances in nanomaterials will result in economic
benefits to the U.S. and secure the country world-leader status in nanomaterials. The luncheon is
sponsored by FMS and supported by TMS in conjunction with the Congressional Research and
Development Caucus.
Another joint TMS venture is the lecture “Changing Our World Atom by Atom: The Transformative
Effects of Nanoscale Science and Technology” on September 26 to take place at MS&T, the Materials
Science & Technology conference, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. TMS is
partnering with ASM International in organizing the nano lecture, with speaker Bill Madia, Ph.D.,
vice president of laboratory operations at Battelle in Columbus, Ohio. The lecture will begin
with the conceptualization of nanotechnology by Richard Feynman in 1959, cover the scientific
tools used today to study materials at the atomic level, including computer applications, and
delve into emerging technologies and products enabled by nanoscale research and development,
touching on energy, national security, and health care. Realizing the need for a foundation in
the area of nanotechnology, TMS will also offer a one-day short course, “Introduction of
Nanomanufacturing and Nanotechnology,” on September 25 in conjunction with the conference. For
more information on the lecture, course and other MS&T sessions, visit www.matscitech.org.
TMS is the professional organization encompassing the entire range of materials and engineering,
from minerals processing and primary metals production to basic research and the advanced
applications of materials. Included among its professional and student members are metallurgical
and materials engineers, scientists, researchers, educators, and administrators from more than 70
countries on six continents. For additional details about an item in this press release or to
schedule an interview, contact Nancy Commella, TMS communications manager; telephone (800)
759-4TMS, ext. 218; e-mail ncommella@tms.org. |
