Blog @ NanoVic - Nanotechnology Blog

I came across the NASA Ames - Center for Nanotechnology website which caught my eye especially with the NanoVic Art Prizes currently on offer. Don’t forget to enter if you are a budding photographer or artist!

NASA Ames commenced their nanotechnology effort in 1996 and have grown to the point where they created the Center for Nanotechnology. The Center’s focus is to develop novel solutions in areas such as electronics, computing and sensors just to name a few. Like NanoVic, they see the interface between nano and bio as providing opportunities in the future.

The one part of their website I really liked was the Gallery. It contains some really great images and movie clips. At NanoVic we are always looking for ways to demonstrate how nanotechnology works therefore we are very much into the visual aspects.

Sustainability of water and energy resources is becoming increasingly important in this day and age. University of Technology Sydney industrial design student, Alexandra Gilmour, has recently been named as one of the Top 40 Australian Design Graduates, in Monument Magazine (March 2007, Edition 77) for her design of the “Swash” dishwasher. The Swash dishwasher is designed to use steam for cleaning and sterilisation, thus eliminating the need for detergent, and it also has a water reservoir and nanofiltration system, enabling the water supply to be continually purified and reused. The innovative design of Swash dishwasher also had Alexandra named as one of the 12 finalists in the 2006 Dyson Student Awards, one of the key events within the Australian Design Awards. Alexandra is currently undertaking a Masters Degree at UTS to develop a prototype system, to make this dream become a reality!

My posting has been a little lax lately as I have been busy pulling together our new symposium - ‘Weaving with Light: Advanced Technologies in Social Enterprise’. The symposium aims to bring a diverse group of people together such as artists, technologists, community groups, and government to consider how advanced technologies, including nanotechnologies, could be used by communities at risk of social disadvantage for their benefit and their own enterprises. There is a particular focus on the experience of Indigenous communities and e-learning champions from Arnhemland will be talking about the Homeland Computer Business project (pictured). The symposium is being co-hosted by NanoVic, Bridge 8 and the Equity Research Centre and will be held in Melbourne on 19th April. If you are interested in new technologies, communities or both, we would love you to join us. More information and a flyer is available on the NanoVic events page and registrations can be done online.