READING

NAME

AGENDA ITEM FOR DISCUSSION

Ed Regis,The Incredible ShrinkingMan  htt  

Mike Pennisi

In rejecting Drexler's goals, has the scientific community attempted to shift towards more realistic goals? Or is the community more interested in projects with more immediate results (and possibly more funding)?

Andrew Starr

Is it not short sighted to fund none of Drexler's research.  Should not some money at least have been given for it, so the discussion could be more easily settled on the feasibility of Drexler's goals?

 Tracy Breslin

Drexler believes that the suppression of research in molecular nanotechnology is the equivalent of unilateral disarmament.  Others believe that nanotechnology could lead to a superrace of humans or nanomachines that could be potentially dangerous to the human race.  If both statements are true, is this really a field that we should be exploring? Could it lead to a comparable event of the nuclear bombs that ended WWII?

Heather Lautman

"Drexler's ideas had always been outlandish and his political skills underdeveloped. That combination became an Achilles' heel as opposition emerged from two quarters." Shouldn't there be ways in our society in order to proneisimote new developments even if a scientist may have these qualities? Better system that will promote technological change/innovation?

UNESCO

http://unes

Joyce Chow

We say that nanotechnology can help developing nations and addresses the UN's Millenium Development goals, but will these countries even be able to afford the benefits of nanotechnology? Is this a "fair" reason to fund nanotechnology that will be developed and promoted in well developed countries, using resources from less developed, but results and products not being returned back to the less developed?

Rachel Ferebee

Who plays a hand in turning the general public against a particular field?  And who specifically would oppose or hinder nanotechnology?

Galen Frechette

"The danger created by excessive patenting in nanotechnology". Is there a way that patenting could be used to prevent dangers of nanotechnology, and thus be a good thing?

James Johnston

The implications of patent laws, copyright, and intellectual property on science and society in general has often in the past has been beneficial by allowing advancement and protection while also allowing such protected information to go back into public domain after a period of time, yet with then entrance into the age of the Sonny Bono Act, will practices of preserving intellectual stifle basic research through various means not intended (Such as having researchers pushing forward for an edge in the intellectual property market and thus cutting corners in safty, expermential procedures, etc.) [Linked to Section 3]

Christine O'Rourke

Instead of preparing ourselves for things that could maybe happen in the future such as the grey goo scenario shouldn't we instead be more worried about issues surrounding nanotechnology such as the environmental
hazard and exposure risks?

?

Matt Naples

Toxic Nano - Regulation Techniques and social implimentations of the public awareness

Adam Neisius

Pages 4 and 5 bring up the issue of how a lack of understanding of science by policy makers and the public at large has lead to difficulties in politics and public policy.  How pervasive and disruptive is this problem in general and what should be done to improve the general public understanding of science and the scientific community?

Jason Bernardo

When policies concerning the use of nanotachnologies are being drafted, who holds more influence, big corporations or the public interest, or can the policy makers simply make their own judgements?  Shouldn't we have the right to know what foods are being genetically modified and even the uses of nanotechnology by the military?

 Chris Toumey. “Apostolic Succession.” Engineering & Science ,

 1/2 (2005): 16-23. http://eands.

Molly Danskin

Page8: "Fourth, why is “Infinitesimal Machinery” unknown to those who enthusiastically embrace “Plenty of Room,” especially since Feynman described it as “Plenty of Room, Revisited”? "-> Probably because someone who believes that invoking Feynman and the “Plenty”  talk would transfer the ‘Feynman cachet’ to their research, would also tend to believe that citing even the words “infinitesimal machinery” (as well as the article) would link them to Drexler, a lack of research funding, “scaring children,” and other undesirables(?)

Grant Boucher

Why would Toumey chose such a Christian-loaded phrase as a title for this article? Giving Feynman any more than a "reflexive nod" (pg23) for advancements in nanotech is absurd.

Charlie Senness

The whole time I was reading this article I just wanted to say who cares?  Obviously, similar or identical discoveries have been made separate from each other.  However, we don't live in a bubble, and are influenced by any number of things around us.  At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter who came up with the idea or when, but that they did in fact come up with it.  If we spent half as much time celebrating a discovery as we do arguing who's it was or who was the first we could probably accomplish a lot more.

Ishan Gaur

The whole article gave a good history of how nanotech progressed from Feynman's speech till today, and also how its popularity has grown. But overall I could not understand why he went to such an extent to prove who was the actual father of nanotechnology.

Dance of Molecules introduction 

Sarah Petzold

 page 22 it is amazing how many basic shapes have likenesses on the nano-scale. From the buckyball to the soccer ball and the latex spheres and quantum dots. With such powerful microscopes it is possible to see on a scale of .1 nanometers, tools to manipulate parts on such a small scale would be a great next step.

Alex Lamparski

The parallel between the English alphabet and basic molecular structure is both a help and an obstruction when understanding nanotechnology. It allows for an easy understanding of how the many molecules can be used in different amounts and combinations; however it oversimplifies the structures of molecules and can limit the reader’s perspective when they think about nanotechnology. I point this out first because Drexler was criticized in a previous article of simplifying his concepts and second I don’t believe that boundless concepts should be explained with a concepts confined by linear progressions.

Jim McKenna

AB  The book makes the point even a small molecular difference in something can result in something deadly or something we use everyday (Chlorine and Sodium Chloride). If molecular engineering as Drexler invisions it becomes possible one day, will this technology be used more for good or for evil comsidering it would be just as easy to arrange atoms into something benificial as it would be something harmful. 

Andrew Cunningham

How far will we go with physical alterations of consumable goods?  We already color Salmon and the book talks about blue tomatoes sprayed red to be consistent with people's beliefs.  Will all of our food be so naturally bad that we need to genetically alter it if we keep on the same course? (p3-4)

Fullerenes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullerene  

Andrew Nelson

I wanted to talk about the paper battery that was discovered at RPI.  Last year I did research under on of the professors who wa son the team that discovered it and it seems like it could produce radical changes if it became mass produced.

Grant Kovach

"This same structure results in a less brittle material, as any impact that the structure sustains is spread out throughout the material" I found this very interesting and immediately thought of the uses that these nanotubes could have in the fields of warfare and crime prevention.

Andrew Krushelnyski

After reading over this wiki article, I really am not impressed as to this awesome discovery of the fullerines being put into new nanotechological ideas.  I feel as though just discovering the bucky ball was enough to these scientists.  I feel like there could be many different ways that these tiny structures of carbon could be used in other areas of nanotechonolgy.  For example maybe structues could be fortified stronger, paint be made longer lasting by adding these fullerines in the molecular cracks, or even maybe planting it in the bones of human beings almost making the bionic man.

Daniel Schaffer

"Because nanotubes are still very expensive to produce in useful quantities[citation needed], uses for a material lighter and stronger than steel will have to wait until nanotube production becomes more economically viable."  It is understandable that these materials are so expensive, but I don't understand why there is so little information on what is being done to solve the production issue.