 UW-Madison MRSEC |
Preliminary Research in Policy for Nanotechnology and Society |
Principal Investigator:
Clark A. Miller - miller@lafollette.wisc.edu
| MRSEC has supported a seed project in nanotechnology policy under the direction of Clark A. Miller in the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison since September 2003. MRSEC seed grant funds have supported half-time research by Shisir Khanal, a graduate student in the La Follette School, who has conducted research on international nanotechnology policies, looking at the emergence of public concern about nanoscale science and engineering and the response of regulatory agencies in a number of countries. Trisha Schmid, a second student on the project, supported by funds from the La Follette School, has conducted a study of emerging concerns in the United States about the environmental impacts of new nanotechnologies and EPA's efforts to develop a regulatory approach to these issues. Ms. Schmid also holds an internship in the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin and, as a result of her involvement with the MRSEC seed project, has been tasked with the compilation, this summer, of a white paper on nanotechnology for the Governor. The project identified a number of promising arenas for future research on nanotechnology policy, which will developed into full-fledged projects over the next few years. The project also generated discussions of a curricular gap in the area of social and ethical implications of nanotechnology at UW-Madison, which led to the development of a successful NUE proposal by Miller, Wendy Crone (MRSEC director for education and outreach), and two collaborators. |
