The 2011 Workshop in Applied Philosophy will be held from September 30th – October 2nd at Northeastern University in Boston. The topic will be “Ethical issues in Engineering Biological and Ecological Systems.” For more information, visit the workshop page at: http://www.northeastern.edu/ethics/workshop/.

This summer, the Nanotechnology and Society Research Group and the newly formed NU Ethics Institute initiated a fellowship program to support the study of social and ethical issues associated with the development, dissemination, regulation, and use of emerging technologies. The program, which embodies Northeastern University’s commitment to being a leader in responsible technological innovation, brought [...]

NSRG researchers Ron Sandler, Jacqueline Isaacs, and Christopher Bosso participate in a workshop on the Global Regulation of Nanotechnology, sponsored by the Northeastern University School of Law.

On October 8, NSRG researchers Christopher Bosso and Jennifer Nash hosted the workshop, “Environmental Policy in Massachusetts: Promoting Safe Development in a Time of Economic Uncertainty.” The workshop explored the key role that states play in advancing the dual—and sometimes competing—agendas of economic development and environmental quality. The springboard for discussions was four case studies [...]

Nanotechnology promises to transform the materials of everyday life, leading to smaller and more powerful computers, more durable plastics and fabrics, cheap and effective water purification systems, more efficient solar panels and storage batteries, and medical devices capable of tracking down and killing cancer cells. Policy analysts predict a radical change in the industrial sector. Yet the nanotechnology revolution is not straightforward.  Edited by Director and Principal Investigator Christopher J. Bosso, Governing Uncertainty: Environmental Regulation in the Age of Nanotechnology contains perspectives from economics, history, philosophy, and public policy. This new resource illuminates the challenges inherent in the development of nanotechnology and works toward a reconceptualization of government regulatory approaches.

Order the book from Earthscan Publishing here.

Nanotechnology is a continually developing branch of science, one with political, environmental and ethical implications that are not yet fully understood. Among those taking the lead to clarify those issues is Christopher J. Bosso, associate dean of Northeastern’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and director and principal investigator for the University’s Nanotechnology and Society Research Group. Bosso is also author of a new book “Governing Uncertainty: Environmental Regulation in the Age of Nanotechnology.” Here, he discusses public policy related to nanotechnology and the potential impact of the fast-growing science, for good and ill.