"There is a lot of conversation and debate about the pros, cons and possibilities of nanotechnology," said Scott Mize, President of Foresight Nanotech Institute. "Our conference is designed to highlight what is happening on the cutting edge today, illuminate how it can solve key problems facing humanity, ask the hard questions, and contemplate the future of this powerful technology."

Panels and presentations include the following: Nanotech for Clean Energy, Capturing the Environmental Benefits of Nanotechnology, Assessing Risks of Nanoscale Materials, Nanotech for Clean Water, Federal Government Regulation of Nanotechnology -- Present and Future Trends, Health Applications of Nanotech, Nanotechnology and the Environment, State-of-the-Art Nanotechnology for Space -- Near-Term and Long-Term, Nanotech for Food Production and Reducing the Environmental "Footprint" of Agriculture, Nanotech for Ubiquitous, Inexpensive Information Technology, From Carbon Nanotubes to the Space Elevator, and Is the Public Interest Being Protected?

Advancing Beneficial Nanotechnology: Focusing on the Cutting Edge is organized into three stand-alone, complementary sessions -- Vision, Applications & Policy, and Research -- featuring world-class speakers discussing key advances, funding and applications, and debating the controversial issues surrounding this new Industrial Revolution.

The Vision Weekend provides a rare opportunity to hear speakers including: Peter Diamandis, X Prize Foundation; Aubrey de Grey of University, Cambridge; Eric Drexler, Nanorex; Carl Kohrt, Battelle; and Richard A.L. Jones, University of Sheffield, discuss the future of nanotechnology candidly and off-the-record. Scheduled for October 22-23, 2005, these sessions also feature a debate, "Nanotechnology: Revolutionary or Questionable?" between Jerry Mander, Director, International Forum an Globalization, and Ralph Merkle, Dept. of Computer Science, Georgia Tech.

The Applications & Policy sessions focus on the Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges, and will examine the commercial breakthroughs and public policy actions that are driving nanotechnology solutions to these challenges facing humanity. Speakers include: George Atkinson, U.S. Department of State; Scott Hubbard, NASA Ames Research Center; Randy Hayes, Rainforest Action Network; Peter Singer, University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics; David Bishop, Lucent; Jim Von Ehr, Zyvex; and Adam Werbach, Conservationist and former President, Sierra Club. Scheduled for October 24-25, 2005, this segment also features presentations and panels on nanotechnology applications for clean energy, clean water, human health, agriculture, information technology, and space development.

The Research sessions are a forum for researchers from all disciplines to present and discuss important recent work and results. The research days include technical talks from: Steve Mayo, Caltech and Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Z.L.Wang, Georgia Tech; Roy Bar-Ziv, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel); William Goddard, Caltech; Alex Zettl, UC Berkeley; and Hiroshi Yokayama, AIST (Japan). Scheduled for October 26 and October 27, 2005, these sessions also include a presentation on the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems, a joint initiative between Foresight Nanotech Institute, Battelle and The Waitt Family Foundation.

Attendees can customize this "a la carte" conference experience by choosing the days and sessions that provide the nanotechnology information and contacts they are seeking. Participants choosing to attend all six days receive a comprehensive overview from Vision, through current Applications & Policy, to Research.

Current sponsors of the Advancing Beneficial Nanotechnology Conference are: Battelle, The Waitt Family Foundation, Biophan Technologies, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Zyvex, Buchanan Ingersoll, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sun Microsystems, Nanoscience Technologies, NaturalNano, Nanorex, Inc., Foley & Lardner LLP, Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin, White & Case, Greenberg Traurig and nanoTITAN Incorporated.