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Title:  Worldwide Experts Evaluate Nanotechnology
Date:   February 9, 1998



               NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


MEDIA ADVISORY
February 9, 1998
PA/M 98-4


WORLDWIDE EXPERTS EVALUATE NANOTECHNOLOGY

From durable drill bits and drugs to disk drives; cosmetics to
infrared camouflage; hard ceramics to biological structures,
research on nano-scale science and engineering is leading to
changes in the way we live.

New concepts and methods in generating and applying functional
nanostructures will be the subject of an upcoming workshop led by
top scientists and engineers from universities and government,
and highlighted by speakers from Kodak, Motorola and Exxon.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is planning a $75 million
investment in nano-scale science and engineering research in FY
1999.

The novel physical, chemical and biological functions of
nanostructures are obtained by assembling molecules and atoms
under controlled conditions.  This process results in examples
such as metals and ceramics that can be made several times harder
and more ductile and become superconductors or optical devices.
Nanoscale applications also may make electronic circuits many
thousands of times more efficient and increase the effectiveness
of medicines and implants in biomedical applications.

The nanotechnology workshop is directed to researchers, industry,
investors and policy-makers, and is open to the media.
Government experts from NSF will be joined by those from the
Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, National Institute
of Standards and Technology, National Institutes of Health,
Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


What:   Worldwide Evaluation of Nanotechnology Workshop

When:   8:45 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.,  Tuesday, February 10, 1998

Where:  Westpark Holiday Inn Hotel, Rosslyn, VA


To register for the free conference, or for an agenda,
see: http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/workshop.htm

For more information contact:
Beth Gaston or Bill Noxon
(703) 3061070/egaston@nsf.gov/wnoxon@nsf.gov