Vol. 38, No. 18

3-15-2006
By: Pam Frost Gorder

Ohio State to co-sponsor 2006 nanotechnology summit

Nanotechnology isn't just futuristic computers and medical devices. It's fast-swinging golf clubs. It's iridescent eye shadow.

And it's pants.

New-fangled slacks woven with minute fibers that repel stains are sold at the Gap and Old Navy. Light, strong golf clubs made of nano-composites are sold in sporting goods stores. And L'Oreal plans to offer an eye shadow containing nano-particles later this year; the look is supposed to resemble a hologram on the eyelids.

Steven Ringel, the Neal A. Smith Professor of electrical engineering and professor of physics, admitted that he hadn't heard about the new "nano-pants" until recently. But this surge in consumer uses of nanotechnology does suggest that the second annual Ohio Nanotechnology Summit is happening at a time when the public is getting to know nano in a down-to-earth kind of way.

"Of course, there are more serious applications of nanotechnology than golf clubs or pants," said Ringel, who is chairing the summit. "The consumer side of nano is important for the economy, but the applications to come are what I find really exciting."

In his own research, Ringel uses nanotechnology to design new materials for solar energy. One of his solar cells - devices that convert solar energy to electrical energy - is currently circling the Earth on the International Space Station. The solar cell has performed flawlessly so far, and NASA may ultimately use it to make solar sails for spacecraft and satellites.

Nanotechnology, the science and technology of manipulating materials on atomic or molecular scales, has come a long way since the concept first entered popular culture as a curiosity in the 1980s. If the summit agenda is any indication, the public perception of nanotechnology has evolved beyond the "wow" factor.

The Ohio Center for Technology and Science - under the direction of Stephen Pinsky, professor of physics - is coordinating the event. Special sessions will focus on how nanotech can harness new sources of energy, and how powerful computers such as those at the Ohio Supercomputer Center can help researchers visualize the nano world. Another session will address the health and safety concerns of doing this research in Ohio.

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson top the agenda, which features nanotech experts from all sectors of industry, academia and government. Keynote speakers hail from Battelle, Procter & Gamble and the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT. Ohio State speakers include James Lee, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of the NSF Center for Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering; and Robert Davis, director of the MicroMD Laboratory.

Sponsors include Ohio State, University of Toledo, University of Dayton Research Institute, University of Cincinnati, Ohio University, Miami University, University of Akron, NASA, Wright State University, Battelle, and the Ohio Department of Development. Ohio State's new Institute for Materials Research will sponsor a poster contest for the more than 100 expected graduate students.

Ringel, who directs the IMR, said that this is an exciting time for nanotechnology. He sees new opportunities from Third Frontier programs on the horizon - the result of the recent passage of
Issue 1, a $2 billion state bond issue that aims to invest $500 million in Ohio technology.

"President Bush even mentioned nanotech in his State of the Union address," he said. "These are issues that affect everyone. The whole country can benefit from the statewide partnerships that grow out of this summit."

The summit will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center April 4-5; register online at www.ohionanosummit.org or contact Kris Dunlap of OCTS at 292-2368 or dunlap.151@osu.edu.

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