Today USC will begin playing host to the S.C. Citizens' School of Nanotechnology, a series of Wednesday night lectures sponsored by the USC NanoCenter at Sumwalt College.
The lectures, which will be conducted at 7 p.m. to a group of about 40 participants, will focus on the potential societal importance of nanotechnology in a way potential consumers will be able to understand. The lecturers - Cathy Murphy, Davis Baird, Donna Chen, Robert Best, Jonathan Fletcher and Steve Lynn - represent the departments of chemistry and biochemistry, philosophy and English, as well as the School of Medicine, and are members of the USC faculty nationally respected for its expertise in the field of nanotechnology.
The program was organized by Chris Toumey, a member of the anthropology department, as a function of the Societal Implications of Nanotechnology group directed by Davis Baird. Baird said the goal is to educate the public about an emerging science.
"It's meant to be, on the one hand, an introduction to 'What do we mean by nanotechnology?' and 'Why might it be exciting?' and, on the other hand, it's a discussion of where nanotechnology came from, historically," he said.
Aside from a $10 fee for reading materials, the lectures are free to attendees. The attendees themselves, as the name of the school implies, are not necessarily any more informed on nanotechnology than the average "Popular Science" readers, but will receive certificates to document their attendance.
"It's targeted at people in the general public who are interested, at people who have an interest in contemporary doings in science and technology," Baird said.
Toumey said in a news release that the lecture series was one of the first of its kind in the United States.
"Few universities have undertaken as broad a perspective on nanotechnology as this series, which brings together science, medicine and liberal arts, as well as business and industry," Toumey said. "Participants in the S.C. Citizens' School of Nanotechnology will be among the first in the Palmetto State to gain a comprehensive understanding of nanotechnology. Our intent is to develop an informed public who can have an active and constructive voice as nanotechnology policy issues evolve."
Planned lectures include everything from "NANO 101: A Friendly Introduction to Nanotechnology," to "Nanomedicine: How We Will Be Affected by Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Drugs," to "Nanotech in Science Fiction," and will run through April 21.
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