This morning I head to Lausanne to interact with one of the premier nanotech safety networks in the world, NanoImpactNet (though the Weather Channel prepares me to confront a somewhat different scene than that of sailboats lazily sailing around Lac Léman as depicted in the conference brochure).According to its website, NanoImpactNet is:
a FP7 [Framework Programme 7] network (not a research project) that will:
- Facilitate collaboration between projects
- Communicate results to stakeholders and their needs back to researchers
- Help implement the EU's Action Plan for Nanotechnology
Coordinated under the able leadership of Dr. Michael Riediker of the Swiss Institute for Work and Health, NanoImpact Net shares many of the same goals as ICON, namely to explore the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials to determine how they can be used safely and responsibly in beneficial applications. Also like ICON, NanoImpactNet is a network of individuals from various backgrounds including researchers, government, industry and civil society. Therefore it is with great anticipation that I head off for a few (chilly) days of networking and impacting.
My primary purpose is to introduce NanoImpactNet-izens to ICON's latest project, the GoodNanoGuide. A few brave souls have signed up for a hands-on tutorial on Thursday morning to put the beta site through its paces. Later that day I will give a talk within the plenary session.
If all goes well, I will have whet the appetites of a key group of stakeholders for active participation in the GoodNanoGuide. [We need protocols, people!] At the very least, we'll gain valuable information to help us work out the kinks in the tikiwiki platform upon which the GoodNanoGuide is built in preparation for its public launch.
P.S. Many thanks to Andrew Maynard for profiling my work within ICON as part of the global Ada Lovelace Day.
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