- How did you become interested in nanotechnology? Did you have an epiphany or did your interest gradually grow?
"I was assigned to Clark for a Project Assistantship and he explained the field of nanotechnology to me, I really didn't have much of an understanding of it before. We then read many articles about the societal implications of nanotech[, and] from there I became interested in the potential health effects and the more I read about it the more interesting it became."
- What do you plan to do when you finish your degree?
"I'm hoping to work for a health organization doing policy work."
- What advice would you give to someone (a college or high school student) who is interested in pursuing nanotechnology research?
"I guess I would say that keeping up with current events would be really important; this field is changing so fast that you have to keep up with the news so that you have a good understanding of what the potential effects on policy and human health might be. Also if policy is an area of interest I would also suggest taking some science so that you are better able to understand the science behind the technology. It is very difficult to make sound policy when you don't really comprehend what is going on."
- http://olpa.od.nih.gov/tracking/senate_bills/session1/s-189.asp
- - a site by the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs that describes the 21 st Century Nanotechnology R&D Act and includes links to various versions of the bill.
- http://olpa.od.nih.gov/legislation/108/publiclaws/nanotechnology.asp
- - further information about the Nanotechnology Act.
- http://instapundit.com/lawrev/nanobills189.pdf
- - a PDF of S. 189, the Senate version of the Nanotechnology Bill (the version that was passed)
- http://www.nano.gov/html/facts/society.html
- - National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) web-site about the societal implications of nanotechnology
- http://www.wtec.org/loyola/nano/NSET.Societal.Implications/
- - the proceedings from a workshop held by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2001 on the societal implications of nanotechnology
- http://www.nano.sc.edu/thrust_societal.asp
- - a description of the University of South Carolina's program in nanoScience &Technology Studies
- http://www.cla.sc.edu/cpecs/index.html
- - the University of South Carolina's Working Group for the Study of the Philosophy and Ethics of Complexity and Scale (CPECS)
- http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-08-27-1
- - an article about the South Carolina center
- David B. Warheit, "Nanoparticles: Health Impacts?" Materials Today, February 2004, pp. 32-35.
- - technical, but a good, brief overview of some of the recent research on the health effects of nanoparticles
Trisha Schmid: A Policy Approach to Nanotechnology
Greta M. Zenner
Trisha (center) and Wisconsin's governor and first lady - Jim and Jessica Doyle |
As a nanotechnologist who studies policy, Trisha Schimd stands out wherever she goes because of her unique area of expertise. At a recent conference, Trisha was the only policy person present among a large group of scientists. And at the Wisconsin Governor's office, where she had a part-time internship during graduate school, her co-workers recognized her knowledge with the nickname "Nano Girl." If anyone needed information about nano-related topics, Nano Girl was called into action.
This doesn't mean Trisha's completely alone in what she does or that her work is uninteresting or unimportant. Instead, it's quite the contrary - cutting-edge and of extreme interest to a variety of individuals, including Wisconsin's Governor, Jim Doyle. As a graduate student studying with Professor Clark Miller at the University of Wisconsin-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs, Trisha got hooked on nano, but in a different way than most nanotechnologists. Instead of studying this emerging science in the lab, Trisha studies the policy surrounding it. When most people think about nanotechnology, they think about the science, but as a student in a Master's of Public Affairs degree program, Trisha realized there's a whole lot more to this new field than that. Trisha didn't always know she wanted to work on nanotechnology-related topics, but her strong background in science helped her get where she is today. As an undergraduate, Trisha took a variety of science and math classes, including physics, biology, geology, chemistry, and environmental science, and earned her Bachelor's of Science (B.S.) in environmental and public health. She first became interested in nanotechnology policy when she began working with Prof. Miller as her advisor and he encouraged her to think about nanotechnology as a possible area of research. |
Unfortunately, like most universities, UW didn't offer any courses in nanotechnology policy, so Trisha and Prof. Miller had to be more creative about building her expertise on the topic.
She began with a project assistantship with Prof. Miller that included two months of reading a mix of resource materials by groups like Greenpeace, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the military about this exciting new technology and its potential societal implications. This, combined with graduate courses in sustainability, health care and U.S. public policy, women's studies, and management, and Trisha was both hooked on nanotechnology policy and an expert in it. After focusing her Master's work on the health effects of nanotechnology and attending a large toxicology conference in Washington, D.C., Trisha became even more convinced that it's crucial we begin to think seriously about the societal implications of nanotechnology. By doing so, she believes, we can prevent the social backlash and unpredicted problems associated with other emerging technologies. "We need to consider [these issues] because we don't need another asbestos or GMO [genetically modified organisms] situation. If we want to go ahead, we need to consider [nanotechnology's social impact]," she asserts. |
Trisha researching the policy surrounding the health effects of nanotechnology |
There's also the "21st-Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act" to consider. The act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in December 2003, allocates $3.7 billion for nanotechnology research during the four-year period of 2005 to 2008. With numbers like these, it's important to think about what kinds of policy we want.
So far, though, we're not studying the health effects and other societal implications of nanotechnology very much. According to Trisha, the only topic that has received any significant attention is the inhalation of carbon nanotubes, tiny tubes of carbon that are about 4 nanometers - or billionths of a meter - in diameter. Because these tiny molecules resemble the long, thin molecules of asbestos, immediate concern was raised about their potential to cause harm when inhaled - which they indeed appear to do, researchers from various institutions have found.
However, says Trisha, nanotechnology goes far beyond just carbon nanotubes. She thinks we also should be looking at, for example, the effects of releasing nanoparticles into the environment and water supply.
Unfortunately, these don't make for popular research topics, explains Trisha. "There's money for finding new stuff, whereas finding problems isn't exactly a lucrative business. Nobody wants to be the bad guy." Current research, she says, focuses primarily on "finding the positive health effects and forgetting about the negative ones."
As an example, Trisha discusses the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in sunscreen. While using this compound to protect our skin from the sun is nothing new, the size of the particles currently being used is.
Trisha at work in the Governor's office |
Titanium dioxide-based sunscreens of the past were opaque and white - not the most attractive option for consumers. Recently, though, scientists discovered that nano-sized particles of this compound can still protect us from the sun's rays, but are clear, making them a popular ingredient in this year's sunscreen formulas. Check the labels of the bottles on the store shelves and you're likely to see it included in the ingredient list. When it came to making a decision about whether to test this nano version of titanium dioxide in sunscreen, the FDA opted not to - they had already authorized and regulated the use of the larger scale particles. However, some argue, including Trisha, that further studies should be done of the effect of nanoscale titanium dioxide because it functions as a completely different particle. The nano-sized version of these particles demonstrates properties dissimilar from the micron-sized version, which is approximately 1,000 times larger. Whether or not the FDA should recognize this difference as significant enough to warrant new studies and a new regulation process is an area of debate. |
Despite the relative unpopularity of conducting scientific research on the potential health implications of nanotechnology, Trisha predicts that universities, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will consider these issues. Unlike investigating products designed for general consumer consumption, notes Trisha, occupational risk is an area in which people are more willing to conduct research.
In the future, Trisha hopes to use her knowledge and expertise to influence nanotechnology policy and those making the policy decisions. The best place to do this, she feels, is in non-profit organizations or the federal government, perhaps in the Department of Health and Human Services, a career path for which she is well prepared because of her two-year Master's in Public Affairs program at UW.
With these goals in mind, Trisha's standout presences at the Wisconsin Governor's office and at the toxicology conference were excellent starting points. In the future, she looks forward to continue talking with scientists about the latest research and working for the critical evaluation of nanotechnology on all sides - both good and bad. "I think [the social impact of nanotechnology] really needs to be something we look at," Trisha sums up. "I think with everything we need to look at the good and bad. We need to know what we're dealing with."
An interview with Trisha
Additional Information
Copyright © 2004 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
This page created by Greta Zenner. Last modified May 4, 2005.