This proposal is for support of a dedicated track on Nanotechnology and Public Health at the ASME Nanoengineering in Medicine and Biology (NEMB)Annual Global Congress. Funds will be used for travel to bring speakers and other participants to the meeting who would not otherwise attend, thereby enlarging and enriching the community.
Intellectual Merit
NEMB provides in-depth coverage of recent advances nanomedicine, nanobiology, and nanotechnology and public health. The event has become a premier conference in the field of nanomedicine internationally and encompasses a vast range of multidisciplinary ideas. For students, postdoctoral researchers, and principal investigators alike, this is an ideal platform for exposure to the state of the art developments in a broad range of fields. This is uniquely beneficial to the study of EHS issues related to nanotechnology because it allows EHS-nano researchers a unique opportunity to see novel developments in fields that have potential for direct human and elevated ecological exposure (i.e., through excretion and wastewater discharge). It will allow these researchers to target the most pressing materials and fill vacancies in the knowledge base that could allow early prediction and remediation of potential consequences associated with novel nanotechnologies.
NEMB also provides an opportunity for those who are currently the primary practitioners of nanotechnology to better understand the downstream and potentially unforeseen impacts associated with their novel technologies. Armed with such knowledge, these architects of novel nanomedicines may incorporate environmental and public health objectives into the design of their materials and treatments at an early stage. Such an exchange of ideas is critically needed in order to enable the environmentally sustainable development of nanotechnology.
Broader impact
Students and post-doctoral researchers will participate through presentations in technical sessions and discussions. Posters will be on display throughout the duration of the Congress, allowing students and postdocs to maximize interactions with senior colleagues. Furthermore, each session is planned with experts from industry, academia, and government to help provide future directions and career advice. The session moderators are familiar with the participants and many audience members and will actively solicit interaction from students and postdoctoral associates. Lastly, ASME has targeted the Nanotechnology and Public Health Track for the professional production of a meeting podcast to be posted on asme.org, intended to target the broader public. Track organizers have already contributed to an ASME-sponsored public news piece highlighting the important topics that will be covered in the conference and the relevance to the public at large. Additionally, track organizers are in the process of reaching out to local radio producers in Boston to cover the event and interview speakers for a public media broadcast.
