Experts to Host Nanotech R&D Forum in Boston

The public is invited to a roundtable discussion forum on the topics of nanoenergy and nanomedicine Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Suffolk Room, 110 Huntington Ave., Boston. The event is sponsored by the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Arlington, Va.; the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.; and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va. Four of America's foremost experts will discuss and answer questions about nanotechnology's impact on energy security and production and about taking nano-based alternative energy applications, such as Power Plastic, from the lab to the marketplace. They will also discuss using the technology to more effectively deliver drugs to diabetics and cancer patients, abd the role of the federal government in nanotechnology research. Participants will include: Robert Langer, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the 2006 US National Medal of Science; Emilio Mendez, director of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory; Rick Hess, president and CEO of Konarka Technologies Inc.; and Altaf Carim, co-chair of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council. For information or directions, call (617) 236-5800.