Tag Archives: Nanotech BC

More bureaucracy for nanotechnology oversight?

J. Clarence (Terry) Davies has authored a second report on nanotechnology oversight for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies calling for a new government department, an environmental and consumer protection agency. The report and a brief video interview with Davies are here.

I did watch the video and as I’ve noted elsewhere I don’t think that Davies understands nanotechnology very well. His responses were a little over-rehearsed as were the questions. The most interesting part of the video was when he said that the reason for suggesting a new government agency was to stimulate discussion and thought rather than an exhortation to create yet another government entity.

Meanwhile, I got a notice today that Nanotech BC has suspended operations until they secure funding. As of May 1, 2009 the mailing address and telephone number will be:

Nanotech BC
c/o Michael Alldritt
FP Innovations — Forintek Division
2665 East Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5
tel (604) 222-5728
fax (604) 222-5690
info@nanotechbc.ca

Nanotech BC is at nano tech 2009 in Japan

Despite ‘pausing’ for a while, Nanotech BC (presumably executive director, Darren Frew) is at the big (they’re billed as the biggest) nanotechnology exhibition in the world) nano tech 2009 in Tokyo. As part of the Canadian delegation they will be presenting first hand information about the Good Nano Guide to an international audience. The guide (on a protected internet site) is an ICON (International Council on Nanotechnology) occupational health and safety project. It’s being beta-tested.  Read more about the guide and about nano tech 2009.

Nano haiku, nano in Finland, and NanoTech BC ‘pauses’

A haiku from NISE Net News: The Nano Bite (Feb. 10, 2009)

Space Elevator
Take me up into the sky.
It’s a long way down.
by Anders Liljeholm of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

According to a news item on the Nanowerk website here, Finland has tripled the number of nanotechnology companies in four years. In 2004, there were 61 nanotechnology companies while in 2008, there were 202 active companies. I noticed the item particularly because I came across a notice about a presentation By Kaija-stina Magnusson) part of a series sponsored by Nature magazine) that’s going to be contrasting the social capital aspect of the R&D investments in UK and Finland. If you’re in London (England) on March 12, 2009 and want to attend, you can get the details here.

Sadly, NanoTech BC is curtailing some of its activities for the next while as they deal with funding issues. The Cascadia Symposium won’t take place this spring (April 2009 as originally planned) and the breakfast meetings are cancelled for now. They’re hoping to schedule these activities for Fall 2009. They will be continuing their safe practices project with ICON (International Council on Nanotechnology based at Rice University in Texas) and working on a nanotechnology asset map for Alberta. You can read more details here.

Nano events

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) has a couple of events coming up later this month. The first one is this coming Thurs., Jan. 8, 2009 ‘Synthetic Biology: Is Ethics A Showstopper? from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm EST. The event features two speakers, Arthur Caplan, an ethicist from the University of Pennsylvania, and Andrew Maynard, the chief science advisor for PEN. They request an RSVP, if you are attending in person. Go here for more details and/or to RSVP. Or you can view the webcast live or later. Their other event is on Weds.,  Jan. 14, 2009 and is called ‘Nanotech and Your Daily Vitamins’. The time for this event is 9:30 am – 10:30 am EST. The featured speakers, William B. Schultz and Lisa Barclay, are the authors of a report for PEN about the FDA and how it can address issues surrounding dietary supplements that use nanomaterials. For more details about the event and/or to RSVP, go here. There is also the webcast option. There is a link to the report from the event page but you have to log in to view it (as of Jan.6.09).

Nanotech BC is cancelling its Jan. 15, 2009 breakfast speaker event. Meanwhile, Nanotech BC organizers are preparing for the second Cascadia Symposium on April 20 – 21, 2009 at the Bayshore. They’ve gone for a larger venue (250 people) than last year’s. No other details are available yet.

Nano in outer space, nano opportunties in Japan, and Bruce–The Musical

I don’t know how I missed it at the time but, there’s a very interesting article on Casimir forces and a DARPA (a US Department of Defense research agency) request for research proposals.  There’s a brief overview of Casimir forces when they were first postulated along with a brief description of what they are (with links to more details) along with a discussion as to possible applications which are of interest to DARPA. The Nanowerk article from Sept. 19, 2008 is here.

Nanotech BC sent this notice: you have until Nov. 19, 2008 to apply for a business matching session with Japanese companies at the world’s largest nanotechnology event, Nanotechnology 2009 (Feb. 18 – 20, 2009). For applications and more details, go here.

Bruce–The Musical is finishing its run this weekend.  If you’re a Vancouverite (BC not WA state), then go. It’s a piece of our own history (mostly true) and it’s hardly ever represented on local stages. The play’s about an activist, Bruce Eriksen who helped to define one of the most forgotten areas of the city as a neighbourhood. Referred to locally as ‘the skids’ or or ‘skid row’, it’s now known as the downtown eastside. (aside: Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since Eriksen’s day although I shudder to think what would have happened to the area without Eriksen’s intervention. ) Still the play commemorates something important in the city and it’s done in a thoroughly engaging fashion.

The person I went with and whose politics are right of Bruce Eriksen’s turned to me at one point and whispered, “I did that too and so did my brother.” I can’t remember if it was a song or dialogue but it revealed that Eriksen had worked on the boats, in the mines, and in the construction industry. The characters on stage are people you’ve seen or met and the places they’re talking about are a few blocks away. (BTW, I’ve been to four or five plays with this friend and it’s the first time I’ve seen him get excited about one. Oh, one other thing. He studied acting and playwriting in New York.)

There’s a lot of heart in this show. It’s not a perfect play as one local critic pointed out but I saw a show last year at the Stanley Theatre that had some of the same problems and that sucker had won a Pulitzer Prize.  Bruce-The Musical is at least as that one. The play is being produced at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave.; it’s one of those funny little residential pockets in that area and it is safe. If you’re interested, go here for tickets. The run ends on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008.

Full disclosure: I am taking an acting class form the play’s director, Jay Hamburger.

Bruce — The Musical and a nano breakfast reminder

I’ve been taking acting classes from a local theatre director, Jay Hamburger, whose theatre group is producing a play called Bruce — The Musical. It’s part of the Heart of Vancouver Festival in the downtown eastside and it’s about a guy who was an alcoholic and a longshoreman (if I remember rightly) with a grade three education who turned things around for himself and others. He founded the Downtown Eastside Resident’s Assn. (DERA) which is now known nationally for its advocacy work in one of the roughest urban areas in the country  and he was elected to city council for a number of years. The play opens officially on Nov. 6 and runs to Nov. 16, 2008 at the Russian Hall (600 Campbell Avenue).  You can buy tickets online here.

Nanotech BC’s breakfast event titled “Wood You Believe It? Nanotechnology Transforms the Forest Products Sector” is coming up on Friday, November 7 at the Listel Hotel (1300 Robson St., Vancouver) from 8 am to 10 am, Tickets can be purchased here.

Updates on Nanotech BC and Visible Verse

Dr. Jim Dangerfield will be talking about creating new products and new markets in the forestry sector at Nanotech BC’s Friday, November 7, 2008 breakfast meeting, from 8 am to 10 am at the Listel Hotel, 1300 Robson St., Vancouver. Dangerfield is the executive Vice President of FP Innovations and he will be highlighting nanotechnology breakthroughs and applications in as they pertain to pulp & paper, wood products, and “value-added” products.  Tickets are $25 + GST in advance and $30 + GST at the door. Pre- registration isn’t open yet but do check Nanotech BC’s website at www.nanotechbc.ca as it should be available soon.

Update of an update: It’s now possible to buy the tickets for Nanotech BC’s Nov. 7, 2008 event “Wood you believe it? Nanotechnology Transforms the Forest Products Sector. Go here for more details and to purchase tickets.

I just confirmed that Visible Verse the video poetry festival Heather Haley organizes is going to be on Thursday, November 6, 2008 starting at 7:30 pm at Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe St., Vancouver). The programme looks pretty interesting with heavy representation from Canada. There are some entries from the US, one from the UK, one from India, and one from Finland. There’ll be a live performance by BC poet, Susan Cormier. One of the video poetry highlights is a 30 minute piece by Henry Ferrinni based on Jack Kerouac’s classic (considered by some to be his masterpiece), Dr. Sax. You can’t get advance tickets yet but do keep an eye on Pacific Cinematheque’s website at http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/index.html.

Canada, India, and nanotechnology Part 2

Darren Frew, Executive Director for the Nanotech BC, kindly answered some questions about the Aug. 10 – 11, 2008 meeting held between Indian scientists and Canadian scientists at the [Canada] National Institute of Nanotechnology in Edmonton. Here is the second half of the interview (first half was posted on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008).

You organized the Cascadia Nano Symposium in March this year and I’m wondering if you’re thinking of inviting some Indian scientists to the next one (assuming you are organizing another one).

The Indian scientists I met in August will be invited to the 2009 Cascadia Nanotechnology Symposium, which will be held in late April or early May, 2009

Are there any similarities in the nanotech funding situation between Canada and India? (I’ve seen reports that India spends between $7M and $10M per year on nanotechnology funding. I haven’t seen any information about Canadian spending other than the odd report about a specific grant.)

There are similarities between the funding situation for nanotech in India and Alberta in that both jurisdictions are making strategic investments of several million dollars

How does the research approach to nanotechnology differ between Canadian and Indian nanoscientists? Or are the approaches similar?

There is a much more of a nationally co-ordinated research effort in India.  For example, the Indian Institute of Technology co-ordinates the overall nanotech research effort at the several office it has throughout the country. There is no such national coordination in Canada.

What are the advantages to a collaboration between Canadian and Indian nanoscientists?

Many Canadian  researchers and business people are form India or have roots there, so collaborations with India are both desirable and easy for them.  Also, much of the research being undertaken in India is complimentary to R&D being conducted here in Canada.

Thanks Darren and It sounds like  the 2009 Cascadia Nanotechnology Symposium holds some exciting potential. It’s a bit surprising that the scientists didn’t have a stop in BC since (as Darren points out albeit in a different context) there are many connections between BC and India.

I still haven’t received any confirmation of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies webcast (Nanotechnology? Synthetic Biology? Hey, What’s That?) which is supposed to take place tomorrow. I’ll update the blog if I get a confirmation or cancellation notice. (update) They now list tomorrow’s webcast on the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies website.

Canada, India, and nanotechnology Part 1

I mentioned a while back that there was a meeting with scientists from India and Canada at the National Institute of Nanotechnology in Edmonton, Alberta on Aug. 10 and 11, 2008. It was the one meeting they had in the west and Darren Frew, Nanotech BC‘s Executive Director, kindly answered questions about the meeting.

Did I get the following right?

Canada and India have a nanotech agreement to work together on some projects (recently announced)…there is funding available for this…based on this agreement, a group of Indian scientists came on a country-wide tour of Canada and met some of our nanoscientists…it was a 10 day trip with most of the stops in Eastern Canada…there was one meeting in Western Canada, held Aug. 10-11, 2008 in Edmonton at the [Canada] National Institute of Nanotechnology…

There is a working agreement on science & technology in general, not nanotech specifically

Here are the questions

Who was at the Edmonton meeting?

There were 10 visiting scientists from India, most of who are affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology, approximately 20 people from NINT, The University of Alberta (U of A), The Alberta government and companies that have spun off from the U of A. Dr. Peyman Servati from UBC (University of British Columbia) and I were the only BC reps.

Was there some solid discussion about collaborating on future project or was it more a ‘getting to know you’ situation for everyone involved?

There was very sound discussion regarding collaboration, in fact, an agreement was signed between the National Physics Laboratory in New Delhi and one of the Edmonton-based ‘spinoff’ companies.

What kinds of projects will come out of the Aug. 10-11, 2008 meeting? or if there weren’t any specific commitments made, what areas do you see as having the most potential for future collaboration?

See above

Will there be future visits from Indian scientists?

Almost certainly

Is there a possibility they’ll come to BC on their next official Canada tour (if there is one)?

Absolutely

On Monday I’ll have the rest of the Q & A including some info. about the 2009 Cascadia Nanotech Symposium and the differences and similarities between nanotech funding in Canada and India.

Continue reading

Nanotech events 2nd notice

Two events coming up this week and both on Wednesday. The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) has a webcast scheduled for Weds. July 23, 2008, 9:30 am – 10:30 am Pacific Time (12:30 pm – 1:30 pm ET). David Rejeski and J. Clarence (Terry) Davies, both from PEN, will be discussing a proposed nanotechnology oversight agenda for the new administration to be elected in the US in November. They give this url for the webcast: www.wilsoncenter.org/nano.

At almost the same time, in Vancouver, Canada, Nanotech BC is presenting Dr. Kristen Kulinowski from the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON). located at Rice University, Texas. She will be talking about their work and most especially about a new safe practices wiki that they are developing in her presentation titled “Creating a Global Community for Nanotechnology Safety.” It’s a breakfast meeting being held at the Listel Hotel, 1300 Robson St. in the Impressionist Gallery from 8 am – 10 am on Weds. July 23, 2008. Preregistration $25 or $30 at the door.  Register here.