About the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee is the interagency body responsible for coordinating, planning, implementing, and reviewing the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). As the active interagency coordinating body, the NSET Subcommittee establishes the goals and priorities for the NNI and develops plans, including appropriate interagency activities, aimed at achieving those goals. The Subcommittee also promotes a balanced investment across all of the agencies, so as to address all of the critical elements that will support the development and utilization of nanotechnology. The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) provides technical and administrative support to the NSET Subcommittee and supports the subcommittee in the preparation of multi-agency planning, budget, and assessment documents, including this report. For more information on NSET, see http://www.nano.gov/html/about/nsetmembers.html. For more information on NNI and NNCO, see http://www.nano.gov. About this document This document is the report of a workshop held under the auspices of the National Science Foundation and the NSET Subcommittee on December 3-5, 2003, at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. The primary purpose of the workshop was to examine trends and opportunities in nanoscience and nanotechnology toward maximizing benefit to humanity, and also potential risks in nanotechnology development. Cover and book design Cover design by Affordable Creative Services, Inc. and Kathy Tresnak of Koncept, Inc. Front cover image: Protein-templated assembly, Andrew McMillan, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). The Protein Nanotechnology Group at ARC works at the intersection of biology, nanoscience, and information technology. The computer-generated central image models heat shock proteins that have self-assembled into a double ring structure, 17 nanometers in diameter, called a chaperonin. The researchers can tailor both the chemical functionality of the chaperonin—in this case, the proteins have been genetically modified to bind to nanoscale gold particles—and its structural features. They can coax groups of chaperonins into a variety of 1-, 2-, or 3-dimensional structures, which serve as templates for creating ordered nanoparticle arrays. The group is exploring the use of protein-templated arrays as sensors and electronic devices. Background graphic at bottom of entire cover courtesy of L. J. Whitman, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Copyright information This document is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain. Subject to stipulations below, it may be distributed and copied, with acknowledgement to NNCO. Copyrights to contributed materials and graphics included in this document are reserved by original copyright holders or their assignees, and are used here under the Government’s license and by permission. Requests to use any images must be made to the provider identified in the image credits, or to the NNCO if no provider is identified. Printed in the United States of America. 2005. Nanotechnology: Societal Implications — Maximizing Benefit for Humanity Report of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Workshop December 3-5, 2003, Arlington, VA Principal Report Editors Mihail C. Roco National Science Foundation William Sims Bainbridge National Science Foundation Sponsored by National Science Foundation Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Acknowledgements The sponsors wish to thank all contributors to the report and participants at the December 3-5, 2003 workshop held in Arlington, VA (see Appendix B), particularly the members of the workshop organizing committee: Davis Baird, University of South Carolina Vivian Weil, Illinois Institute of Technology Rachelle Hollander, National Science Foundation and the staff of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). The presentations and discussions at that workshop provided the foundation for this report. Special credit is due to Cate Alexander and Tom Bartolucci of the NNCO for their editing and technical support, respectively, and to copyeditors Paul D. Lagasse, Paula Whitacre and Joanne Lozar Glenn. Thanks are also due to Geoff Holdridge, Stephen Gould, Philip Lippel, Sam Gill, and other staff members from NNCO and WTEC, Inc. who helped to organize the workshop and contributed to the production of this report. The work by M. C. Roco and W. S. Bainbridge was performed while serving at the National Science Foundation. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Finally, thanks to all the members of the Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology, who, through the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, co-sponsored the workshop with the National Science Foundation, and who reviewed the draft report prior to publication. This document was sponsored by the member agencies of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee, through the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, with particular guidance and participation by staff members from the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government or the authors’ parent institutions. Preface This report on societal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology is one of a series of reports resulting from topical workshops convened in 2003-2004 by the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee. The workshops were part of the NSET Subcommittee’s long- range planning effort for the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), an effort that is informed by broad community input, in part received through these workshops. The NNI seeks to accelerate the research, development, and deployment of nanotechnology to address national needs, enhance our Nation’s economy, and improve the quality of life in the United States and around the world, through coordination of activities and programs across the Federal Government. At each of the topical workshops, nanotechnology experts from industry, academia and government were asked to develop broad, long-term (10 years or longer), visionary goals and to identify scientific and technological barriers that once overcome will enable advances toward those goals. This particular workshop also had the broader goal of identifying and assessing the potential societal impacts of nanotechnology and suggesting ways that related public policy issues might be addressed. The reports resulting from this series of workshops inform the respective professional communities, as well as various organizations that have responsibilities for coordinating, implementing, and guiding the NNI. The reports also provide direction to researchers and program managers in specific areas of nanotechnology R&D regarding long-term goals and hard problems. This workshop was convened to solicit input and opinions on likely impacts of current and future advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology on the economy, quality of life, national security, education, public policy, and society at large. It also was intended to provide input to the NNI with regard to its research program aimed at understanding and addressing such impacts.The National Science Foundation conducted a similar workshop in September 2000, the report from which was published under the title Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This workshop was held in December of 2003 to update and extend the findings of the previous workshop. It should be noted that many people believe that predicting societal impacts is a speculative endeavor for an emerging technology such as nanotechnology. However, past experiences with technological change provide social scientists with insight into potential areas of impact. Theory and modeling based on these experiences are also helpful tools for identifying areas that might be affected by technological changes. It is widely agreed that to the extent we are able to anticipate change, the more prepared we are as a society when such changes arrive. Given the myriad applications of nanotechnology that are being explored currently, there is a wide range of opinions regarding possible future impacts and social scenarios. This report attempts to reflect the range of opinions expressed at the workshop on the sometimes controversial issues associated with assessing and addressing societal implications of nanotechnology. The reader is encouraged to review these and form his or her own opinions. The content of this report in no way reflects the considerations of the Federal Government or its constituent agencies, nor any consensus or policy of the Government. This workshop was originally organized into plenary and breakout sessions focused on areas of potential societal impacts of nanotechnology (e.g., economic, social, ethical, etc.). This report begins with an executive summary followed by an overview of the workshop (Chapter 1) prepared by the report editors, Mihail Roco and William Bainbridge. Introductory and summary comments from Nanotechnology: Societal Implications i Preface the plenary presentations are included in Chapter 2. The results of the 10 breakout sessions are summarized in the “theme reports” in Chapter 3. After the workshop,