Environmental experts to address nanomanufacturing workshop
Northeastern’s Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN), the University of Massachusetts—Lowell and the University of New Hampshire will present the 6th New England International Nanomanufacturing Workshop on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 11– 12. The workshop will be held at the Raytheon Amphitheater, located in the Egan Research Center, on the Northeastern campus.
The workshop, “Breaking the Barriers to Nanomanufacturing to Enable the Commercialization of Nanotechnology,” will bring together experts from all sides of nanomanufacturing— – business, industry and academia— – to discuss collaborations and bring nanotechnology from the research laboratory to the manufacturing floor.
The environmental health and safety (EHS) implications of nanomaterials remain a concern as the field of nanotechnology continues to evolve. Questions about the occupational risks, how to address future environmental and health safety standards, as well as associated production and compliance costs for nanomanufacturing processes, will be the focus of Friday’s agenda.
Current EHS information and resources, such as InterNano, will be showcased. A workshop about the research highlights from the Emerging Nanoscale Materials Specialty Group of the Society of Risk Analysis is also on the agenda.
“The NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing is committed to assessing the potential societal and environmental impacts that are emerging from nanotechnology advances,” said Ahmed Busnaina, the William Lincoln Smith Professor and Director of the NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing. “This workshop will be a forum for experts in their respective areas of nanomanufacturing to discuss their concerns so that we can confront and resolve issues as they happen.”
In addition, Friday’s program, which was organized by professor Jackie Isaacs, associate director for responsible nanomanufacturing, includes experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance and Technology and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
In addition, recent findings from the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing and the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute will also be presented.
Participants can expect to learn more about current practices for managing the hazards and risks of nanoscale materials. An afternoon panel discussion will explore inquiries on the commercialization of nanotechnologies in light of the uncertain regulatory environment. The panel is moderated by Carol Lynn Alpert, the director of strategic projects at the Museum of Science in Boston.
For a list of confirmed speakers, please click on the following link: http://www.nano.neu.edu/events/conferences_workshops/6th_new_england/speakers/
For the two-day workshop’s agenda, please click on the following link: http://www.nano.neu.edu/events/conferences_workshops/6th_new_england/agenda/
For more information about the workshop, or to register, please click on the following link: http://www.nano.neu.edu/events/conferences_workshops/6th_new_england/