THE SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION APRIL 9, 2003 Serial No. 108–13 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/science U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 86–340PS WASHINGTON : 2003 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE HON. SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York, Chairman LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas RALPH M. HALL, Texas CURT WELDON, Pennsylvania BART GORDON, Tennessee DANA ROHRABACHER, California JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois JOE BARTON, Texas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas KEN CALVERT, California LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California NICK SMITH, Michigan NICK LAMPSON, Texas ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland JOHN B. LARSON, Connecticut VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan MARK UDALL, Colorado GIL GUTKNECHT, Minnesota DAVID WU, Oregon GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR., MICHAEL M. HONDA, California Washington CHRIS BELL, Texas FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma BRAD MILLER, North Carolina JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas W. TODD AKIN, Missouri ZOE LOFGREN, California TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois BRAD SHERMAN, California MELISSA A. HART, Pennsylvania BRIAN BAIRD, Washington JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma DENNIS MOORE, Kansas J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York PHIL GINGREY, Georgia JIM MATHESON, Utah ROB BISHOP, Utah DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas VACANCY JO BONNER, Alabama TOM FEENEY, Florida VACANCY (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 C O N T E N T S April 9, 2003 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Sherwood L. Boehlert, Chairman, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 10 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 11 Statement by Representative Ralph M. Hall, Minority Ranking Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ..................................... 11 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 12 Prepared Statement of Representative Nick Smith, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................. 13 Prepared Statement of Representative Jerry F. Costello, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 14 Prepared Statement of Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Member, Com- mittee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................ 14 Prepared Statement of Representative Michael M. Honda, Member, Com- mittee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................ 15 Witnesses: Mr. Raymond Kurzweil, Chairman and CEO, Kurzweil Technologies, Inc. Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 17 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 19 Biography .......................................................................................................... 47 Financial Disclosure ......................................................................................... 48 Dr. Vicki L. Colvin, Executive Director, Center for Biological and Environ- mental Nanotechnology; Associate Professor of Chemistry, Rice University Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 49 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 50 Biography .......................................................................................................... 53 Financial Disclosure ......................................................................................... 54 Dr. Langdon Winner, Professor of Political Science, Department of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 55 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 57 Biography .......................................................................................................... 61 Financial Disclosure ......................................................................................... 62 Ms. Christine Peterson, President, Foresight Institute Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 63 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 64 Biography .......................................................................................................... 67 Financial Disclosure ......................................................................................... 68 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 69 Appendix 1: Additional Material for the Record H.R. 766, Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 .................... 96 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 THE SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2003 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:15 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Sherwood L. Boehlert (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. (1) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 2 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 14:27 Aug 31, 2003 Jkt 086340 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 C:\WORKD\FULL03\040903\86340 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 3 HEARING CHARTER COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The Societal Implications of Nanotechnology WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2003 10:00 A.M.–12:00 P.M. 2318 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 1. Purpose On Wednesday April 9, 2003, the House Science Committee will hold a hearing to examine the societal implications of nanotechnology and to consider H.R. 766, The Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003, in light of those implica- tions. 2. WITNESSES Mr. Ray Kurzweil is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Kurzweil Technologies, Inc., a software development firm. A pioneer in artificial intelligence, he is the author of The Age of Intelligent Machines (1990) and The Age of Spiritual Machines (1999). He received the 1999 National Medal of Technology and in 2002 was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, for his 1976 invention of the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the first device to transform print into computer-spoken words, enabling blind and visually impaired people to read printed materials. Since 1973, he has founded nine companies. Dr. Vicki Colvin is the Executive Director of the Center for Biological and Envi- ronmental Nanotechnology and Associate Professor of Chemistry at Rice University. Research underway at the center focuses on nanomaterials’ behavior in the environ- ment and the body and considers risk assessment and safety factors. Dr. Langdon Winner is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where he serves as co-director of the newly founded Center for Cultural Design. He is a political theorist who focuses on social and political issues that surround mod- ern technological change. Ms. Christine Peterson is cofounder and President of Foresight Institute. She fo- cuses on making nanotechnology understandable, and on clarifying the difference between near-term commercial advances and the ‘‘Next Industrial Revolution’’ arriv- ing in the next few decades. Foresight Institute has developed guidelines that in- clude assumptions, principles, and some specific recommendations intended to pro- vide a basis for responsible development of molecular nanotechnology. 3. OVERARCHING QUESTIONS The hearing will address the following overarching questions: 1. What are the concerns about existing and potential applications of nanotechnology? 2. How is it possible to anticipate the consequences of technology development? 3. How can research and debate on societal and ethical concerns be integrated into the research and development process, especially into projects funded