Good afternoon and thank you for being here. Today, we’ll take a big picture look at the future and development of the world’s smallest particles.
Before we get started, I want to thank all of our presenters and panelists who have taken time out of their schedules to help us all gain a better understanding of what nanotechnology is, the state of nanotechnology in Oregon, and to lead us in a discussion of the future of nanotechnology and the federal government’s place in this future.
I want to say a special thank you and hello to students and faculty at Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Linn Benton Community College, Chemeketa Community College and the Oregon Coast Community College who are joining us through videoconference, and also to everyone watching the live stream of this event on the internet.
I also want to thank our hosts at OMSI, and congratulate them on their recent National Science Foundation grant to develop exhibits, education programs, and public forums that explore benefits and concerns about nanotechnology. Senator Ron Wyden was instrumental in securing this grant funding, and unfortunately cannot be here with us today. OMSI has always been a leader in innovation, and has captured the imagination of thousands of young scientists. I can think of no better place to have this event.
When I started talking with my staff about hosting a nano-event, I said, “you know guys, this nanotechnology is a HUGE deal. We really shouldn’t call it a ‘nano-event’.”
The potential of nanotechnology is enormous. I think we can all agree that it will have a profound and lasting impact on our world, to a scale we may not yet be able to comprehend.
Applications for the technology span from medicine to energy to manufacturing to telecommunications. Commercial benefits stemming from nanotechnology can already by seen in dent resistant bumpers, stain resistant pants, and tennis balls that stay bouncy longer.
It could cure cancer, fix the ozone, and end the global energy crisis.
The challenge before us all is to sort through all the claims that are being made about the technology and what it could do and decide what is science and what is science fiction. We must work to identify the risks associated with this technology and figure out how to make nano safe.
Another challenge for those of us in this room, and perhaps most directly for those students who are participating via video-conference across the state, is to keep Oregon at the forefront of this “nano-revolution”. Nanotechnology has the potential to play a very large role in Oregon’s economy, and we are well positioned to be a leader in the field. We have a unique partnership that has already been established between the research universities and colleges in the state and the high technology companies of the Silicon Forest. And we have people like Dave Chen and others in this room, who are working tirelessly to keep Oregon ahead.
So far, Congress’s role has been primarily to establish and provide funding for various initiatives to encourage private research investment and more collaboration between industry and non-industry partners.
In January 2000, President Clinton requested $227 million to invest in nanotechnology research and development. This funding started the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
Four years later, President Bush designated the National Nanotechnology Initiative as a multi-agency research initiative aimed at maximizing the return on the federal investment in nanoscale research and development through coordination of funding, research, and infrastructure development activities at individual agencies.
Since 2001, funding for the National Nanotechnology Initiative has increased from $454 million in FY2001 constant dollars, to an estimated $1.111 billion in FY2006, a 144 percent increase in real dollars.
The Bush Administration has requested $1.277 billion for nanotechnology research in FY2007, and the Oregon Congressional delegation has been actively pursuing federal appropriations for ONAMI and other nanotechnology projects in Oregon.
Just this week, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill that passed the House contained $1.5 million dollars for a nanotechnology project at Chemeketa Community College.
As nanotechnology continues to develop, the federal government will likely assume oversight and regulation roles, in addition to investing in nanotechnology’s future.
It is my hope that the various points of view that are assembled here today and the discussion that we will engage in will provide direction on what form this oversight should take and who in the federal government would be best suited to undertake it.
Before I turn it over to the panelists I want to leave you with this:
An article in the June 2006 National Geographic compares the emergence of nanotechnology to a tsunami. Spotting a technological revolution in early form is as difficult as detecting a tsunami wave in the open ocean. But as it approaches shore, it dominates the horizon. Once it strikes, it has the potential to fundamentally alter our world, and transform our landscape. I think the wave is poised to hit.
I look forward to the rest of this event, and hearing from all of our expert panelists, and questions from the audience.
