Nanoscience and
nanotechnology are two of the hottest fields in research, investment, and
manufacturing. Some hail nanotechnology as enabling "The Next Industrial
Revolution."
But how many Americans know what nanotechnology is? Does the U.S.
public feel that the potential benefits of nanotechnology will outweigh
potential risks? Who do people trust to monitor the safety of new
technologies? And will they use food storage containers and food products
enhanced with nanotechnology?
These questions were part of a representative national telephone survey
of adults conducted in August 2007. It repeats a similar poll carried out
last year -- which found that only one in 10 Americans had heard a lot
about nanotechnology.
Results from the poll -- as well as from two complementary focus group
discussions conducted among adult men and women about nanotechnology and
food -- will be released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies on
Tuesday, September 25th at 12:30 p.m. at a program and live webcast at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Geoffrey Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, which
conducted the phone survey and focus groups, will present the findings.
Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in
manufactured goods last year. By 2014, Lux Research estimates that $2.6
trillion in manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology, or about 15
percent of global output. Nanotechnology refers to the emerging science of
manufacturing materials that are measured in nanometers, usually at the
1-100 nanometers scale. The head of a pin is 1 million nanometers wide.
For a list of over 500 company-identified nanotechnology consumer
products, see: http://www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts.
*** Webcast LIVE at http://www.wilsoncenter.org/nano ***
What: Results of U.S. Nanotechnology Opinion Poll
Who: Geoffrey Garin, President, Peter D. Hart Research Associates
David Rejeski, Director, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
When: Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (Lunch available
at 12 noon.)
Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 5th Floor
Conference Room. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade
Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
(http://www.nanotechproject.org) was launched in 2005 by the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is
dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and the public anticipate and
manage the possible health and environmental implications of
nanotechnology.
