SEMINARS FALL 2008
HONR 228J Nanotechnology: Fact, Hyperbole, and Fiction
Tuesday/Thursday, 2:00-3:15 p.m.
Dr. Jason Kahn, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Nanotechnology refers to the construction and uses of machines or materials with dimensions on the order of a nanometer, one millionth of a milimeter. Much current research in materials science, molecular biology, and engineering is directed at the control of the arrangement and function of matter on this size scale. As such, nanotechnology is an active and legitimate field that is strongly supported by federal research initiatives and industry. It has applications in electronics, bulletproof vests, computing, drug delivery, and many other areas. We will describe some of the science behind nanotechnology, assuming a background in high school biology, chemistry, physics, and pre-calculus. Areas of interest include the design of new materials, top-down vs. self-assembled synthesis, and bionanotechnology. This will be supported by a readable popular science book (Ratner and Ratner, Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea) as well as selected primary literature.
Nanotechnology has captured the public imagination to an unusual extent for such a technical area. It has been suggested that eventually it might be possible create tiny semi-autonomous machinery that could transform modern life; this notion was sparked by Drexler's Engines of Creation. For example, nanomachines could travel the bloodstream destroying arterial plaque, or repair rusting bridges, or provide efficient energy storage. Less desirably, nanomachines could also be agents of war or terrorism if they were used to kill nerve cells, release toxins into the food supply, or attack critical infrastructure. Self-replicating nanomachines might even cause ecological disaster, turning the biosphere to so-called "gray goo." In the short term, there are substantive policy issues surrounding the possible unexpected health effects of nanomaterials and their appropriate regulation.
The area also makes for a fascinating case study in the popularization of science: the intense hyperbole surrounding the field spawned a cadre of snake oil salespeople and then a backlash of skeptics and debunkers (Berube, Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz). While many of the future applications of nanotechnology will probably be realized, some of them violate fundamental physical principles or rely on technology indistinguishable from magic. In this course we will attempt to distinguish among the likely, the conceivable, and the impossible applications, and we will attempt to anticipate future ethical and policy issues.
Finally, the transforming potential of nanotechnology has led to some wonderful speculative fiction. We will explore the progression of science fiction focused on the very small, from Asimov's Fantastic Voyage through Greg Bear's classic bionanotechnology story Blood Music and Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk-flavored The Diamond Age. Besides being fun to read, science fiction has a history of anticipating societal dislocations caused by technology, and we may want to be prepared!
Grading will be based on brief reality checks (quizzes) on the science that we cover, student presentations on current nanotechnology applications, and a fictional short story on the future.
CORE: Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues [IE]
