NSF report addresses social, legal ethical implications of nanoscience

NSF report addresses social, legal ethical implications of nanoscience

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued a report that urges the White House National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) to establish a mechanism to inform and educate the public about the potential impact of nanotechnology. The NSF made three broad charges to the NNCO.

First, government funding agencies should support the NNCO (or some other advisory group) in monitoring the developments and examining the socio-legal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The government should take action based on this information and then communicate such to the public.

Second, NSF recommends that government make research on the social and economic implications of nanotechnology a high priority. This could be done by involving social scientists in nanotechnology research, as well as creating a distributed research center for social and economic research.

The third major recommendation is to create a system of accountability by way of a knowledge base and institutional infrastructure to evaluate short- and long-term scientific, technological and societal impacts of nanotechnology.

The intent of NSF is to encourage a more diverse and interdisciplinary field of nanotechnology and nanoscience for the future. To view the full report released by NSF, visit http://www.nano.gov/start.htm.