The Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, Mike Treder, is doing a world tour of sorts this summer, talking to audiences everywhere about the importance of studying and preparing for advanced nanotechnology. Here’s the info, as reported on CRN’s blog:
June 17-19: International Conference on Nanotechnology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
* Next month, I’ll make a presentation on “Responsible Nanotechnology” in Saudi Arabia as part of ICON008. This is the first International Conference on Nanotechnology (ICON) to be hosted by the Center of Nanotechnology at King Abdulaziz University. Their stated aim is “to provide a platform for eminent researchers from both academia and industry as well as graduate students to exchange their ideas and concepts about the latest developments” in nanotechnology.
June 25: Workshop on Emerging Issues, Washington, DC
* I’m giving a talk in Washington at a workshop in connection with the Issue Management Council’s 20th Annual Conference. This special one-day event “will feature a blue-ribbon collection of leading issue advocates. As change agents in their respective fields, these individuals and the organizations they represent are actively turning up the volume on issues that demand and deserve corporate attention.”
July 17-20: Conference on Global Catastrophic Risks, Oxford, UK
* This event, organized by the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, is built around a new book composed of essays on the full range of global catastrophic risks. Chris Phoenix and I co-authored a chapter on advanced nanotechnology for the book, and we will make a joint presentation at the conference on the subject of “Small Machines, Big Choices: The Looming Impacts of Molecular Manufacturing.”
July 26-28: WorldFuture 2008, Washington DC
* The annual conference of the World Future Society, where I have made presentations twice before, in 2005 and 2007. My talk this year, scheduled for 11:00 am to 12:00 pm on Sunday, July 27, will be on “Radical Technologies, Rapid Change, and the Real World.” You can download the preliminary conference program here [PDF].
September 3-5: Basque Country Program on Globalization, San Sebastian, Spain
* This is an annual event sponsored by the Basque Savings Bank Federation. In previous years they have covered the digital revolution, sustainable development, demographic evolution, climate change, and other issues. For this year’s conference, I’ve been asked to give a lecture “broadly focused on globalization and nanotechnology.”
Saudi Arabia in summer… stay hydrated, Mike! ;)
Perhaps the increased awareness from these talks could lead to more funding for projects like Freitas and Merkle’s Nanofactory Collaboration.