Nanotechnology Briefing Educates Congressional Staff

by Bill Williams and Chris McManes

IEEE-USA Policy Forum

IEEE-USA was among several engineering organizations that hosted a congressional briefing on 2 June in Washington, D.C., to educate congressional staff on the basics of nanotechnology, and to review the two main nanotechnology legislative proposals before Congress. Dr. Ron Hira, chair of IEEE-USA’s Research & Development Policy Committee, moderated the event, which drew about 50 congressional staff members. IEEE’s Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT) and Nanotechnology Council, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Association of Engineering Societies cosponsored the briefing.

Author Kicks Off Briefing

Deb Newberry, a nanotechnology consultant and co-author of “The Next Big Thing is Really Small,” a primer for investors, executives and others in the nanotechnology business, was the first speaker. Newberry provided an overview of the history and fundamentals of nanotechnology, stressing that the field is highly interdisciplinary and has far-reaching potential to affect nearly every aspect of life. To accentuate how small the nanotechnology work area is, she said that a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter that one red blood cell is 7,000 nanometers in diameter.

Other Speakers Cover Future Trends, Legislation

Dr. Walt Trybula, IEEE Fellow and Senior Fellow of International SEMATECH, a global consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers, provided an industry perspective. He spoke about the future of nanotechnology, and the challenges facing the United States in maintaining leadership in this critical area — while other countries are investing heavily in nanotechnology research.

Peter Rooney, majority staff director for the House Science Subcommittee on Research, gave an overview of the nanotechnology legislation passed by the House of Representatives by a 405-19 margin on 7 May. The Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (H.R.766) authorizes $2.36 billion over three years for nanotechnology R&D programs at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Nanotechnology has the potential to become a $1 trillion global market in a little more than 10 years, and as such, countries around the world are in a race to develop their nanotechnology industries,” said Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), who, along with House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) is a primary sponsor of H.R. 766. “It is imperative that in this race the United States be first across the finish line.”

Ruchi Bhowmik, a legislative assistant for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Frank Cavaliere, a legislative assistant for Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), provided a perspective on the Senate's pending 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (S.189), for which Wyden and Allen are cosponsors. S.189 authorizes funding for 2004 only, but for a larger number of agencies.

“Nanotechnology has developed a tremendous amount of interest among all stakeholders,” Bhowmik said. “We want the United States to be the world leader in nanotechnology.”

Senate Commerce Committee staff member Ken LaSala wrapped up the afternoon with an outlook for S.189. He pointed out that Committee Chair John McCain (R-Ariz.) is eager to get the bill passed, but that differences need to be worked out between committee members and the Administration.

For More Information

You can visit IEEE-USA’s nanotechnology resource page at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/issues/nanotechnology/.

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Bill Williams is IEEE-USA’S legislative representative for Technology Policy Activities.

Chris McManes is IEEE-USA's Senior Marketing Communications/Public Relations Coordinator.