FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2005
FY05-36
It’s a Nano Night—But It’s No Small Affair! Nanoscience Lecture to be Held in Pollard Tuesday Night
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—Just how tiny is something that measures only 100 nanometers? Did you know that one nanometer is only one billionth of a meter? For comparison purposes, the width of a single human hair is approximately 80,000 nanometers! This is your chance to actually see images of these tiny materials and learn more about how they are formed.
On Tuesday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in Pollard Technology Conference Center, Steve Pennycook, group leader for the electron microscopy group of the Condensed Matter Science Division of ORNL, will discuss the exciting new world of nanoscale science and how far microscopes have come in making nanomaterials visible to the human eye.
Lately, nanoscience and technology are all over the national news—as well as the local news with the opening of the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL (http://www.cnms.ornl.gov/). But just what is this tiny new science?
The exact size is less important than the possible applications of working with such tiny things. The capabilities of nanoscience are sure to be massive and may just impact science and technology beyond our current thinking.
Nanoscale materials are already used in electronic, magnetic and optoelectronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, energy, catalytic and materials applications. Areas producing the greatest revenue for nanoparticles reportedly are chemical-mechanical polishing, magnetic recording tapes, sunscreens, automotive catalyst supports, biolabeling, electroconductive coatings and optical fibers.
The Nano Nights nanoscience lecture will be held in the auditorium of Pollard with a brief question and answer session following the lecture. The event, which is sponsored by Oak Ridge Associated Universities, is free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information and directions, visit www.pollardcenter.org.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 91 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.