Ethical, Legal and Other Societal Issues
The impacts of new technologies, including nanotechnology, on individuals and society is a subject of inquiry for philosophers, sociologists, ethicists and psychologists, among others. Today, the NNI activities in this area include funding research in economic, ethical, legal and cultural implications, as well as implications for science and education, quality of life, and national security. Some examples of priority research in this area are:
- Assessment of education and workforce development needs.
- Additional means of effective public engagement on technology issues.
- Barriers to adoption of nanotechnology in commerce, healthcare, or environmental protection.
- Nanotechnology impacts on economic growth, standard of living, and competitiveness.
- Ethical issues in the selection of research priorities and applications.
The NNI also supports efforts to create a variety of opportunities for a broadly inclusive interdisciplinary dialogue on nanotechnology and to assess and analyze public understanding of, and attitudes toward, nanotechnology. A component of this research is the identification of effective means to raise awareness of nanotechnology and obtain input from the general public.
In addition, the NNI plans to
- Foster and encourage forums for dialogue with the public and other stakeholders. Such forums include museums and other science centers, various programs organized by NNI-funded research centers, the USDA extension program, and other agency outreach mechanisms.
- Create and distribute new informational materials about nanoscience and nanotechnology to better communicate with the broad public. Further, periodic measurements of public perceptions of nanotechnology will provide important feedback to the NNCO and agencies, as well as to the scientific community and policy makers.
New NSF Centers announced in October 2005
NSF's Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network was announced in October 2005. This award will support a national network of science museums, providing informal educational activities for schoolchildren as well as adults. Two Centers for Nanotechnology in Society are being created through NSF funding. Through a network of social scientists, economists, and nanotechnology researchers, each Center will address key issues of societal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The Centers, which were also announced in October 2005, are to formulate a long-term vision for addressing societal, ethical, environmental and education concerns; involve partners or affiliates to collaborate on topics related to responsible nanotechnology; include plans to involve a wide range of stakeholders; and develop a clearinghouse for information on communicating about nanoscience and nanotechnology and engaging the public in meaningful dialogue. Read more about these NSF awards.
Readings in Societal Issues:
Center for Nanotechnology in Society (NSEC), Arizona State University
Center for Nanotechnology in Society (NSEC), University of California, Santa Barbara
Final Report on the South Carolina Citizens' School of Nanotechnology for Spring 2004, an outreach program of the University of South Carolina
International Nanotechnology and Society Network
National Nanotechnology Initiative to Advance Broad Goals from the MRS Bulletin, June 2003*
and
Broader Societal Implications of Nanotechnology, by NSF Senior Advisor and NSET Chairman Mihail C. Roco, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003*
NSF and the Societal Dimensions of Nanoscience and Technology
by R.D. Hollander, September 2003
NSF Awards New Grants to Study Societal Implications of Nanotechnology
NSF News Release, Aug. 2003
Societal Implications of Nanotechnology, edited by Mihail C. Roco and William S. Bainbridge*
U of Wisconsin-Madison
* Note pages require Adobe Acrobat plug-in to view.