ICON Blog

The GoodNanoGuide is an interactive online collaborative site for developing, sharing and discussing good practices for handling engineered nanomaterials. [As I have only recently resurrected this blog please accept my apologies for not reviewing all the history of the GoodNanoGuide. An informational page about the project can be found here.] The beta site is nearly complete and will soon be ready for beta testing. Next week we'll preview the site with the Planning and Implementation Committee, make additional modifications, and proceed with further beta testing. Each beta test will open the site up to a larger group of testers culminating with a public launch in a few months' time.
Meanwhile, the GoodNanoGuide has been discussed within a number of forums recently, including Frogheart.ca and by Matthew Jaffe at the Food and Drug Law Institute's 2nd Annual Conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation & Policy. The Canadian coalition that is supporting the development of the beta site also brought information about the project to nano tech 2009 currently underway in Tokyo.
Stay tuned...

ICON is sponsoring a workshop on Eco-Responsible Design and Eco-Responsible Disposal of Engineered Nanomaterials on March 9-10 here in Houston. Nearly sixty people from US and Europe will participate in this workshop which has been designed using the Nominal Group Technique. It should be interesting to see how this works with a large group. Keynotes will be offered by Vicki Colvin (Rice), Joe Hughes (GA Tech), Jamie Lead (Birmingham) and EPA office of solid waste (TBD).

In addition, we are sponsoring a special presentation of the RCEP report Novel Materials in the Environment: The case of nanotechnology the evening of March 9. Many thanks to all our co-sponsors who can be found at the workshop site. @Kulinowski plans to live Tweet one or both of these events.