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April 5, 2024
EVANSTON - Top nanoscientists and engineers from around the world will gather Oct. 6 at Northwestern University’s 2016 International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) Symposium to discuss the latest advances, issues and applications of nanotechnology.
Northwestern professor Fraser Stoddart, who has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will be recognized during the symposium.
Drawing more than 800 people each year, this popular symposium provides a platform for sharing today’s knowledge, ideas and aspirations. This year, experts will discuss a wide range of topics under the theme “Manipulating Light, Electrons and Life Through Nanotechnology.” The event also provides a fertile ground to strengthen existing connections and to cultivate new connections that advance scholarship.
Nanotechnology, the study of materials and processes that operate at the level of atoms and molecules, is a revolutionary new branch of science and engineering. Properties — optical, structural, electrical, mechanical and chemical — for nearly every material change when shrunk down to the nanoscale.
“Scientists and engineers around the world are beginning to fully comprehend the amazing properties of matter on the tiniest of scales, which is very exciting,” said Chad A. Mirkin, IIN director and the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “We are delighted to bring some of these renowned researchers to Northwestern to learn about their advances and to stimulate conversation and collaboration.”
The public symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Orrington Hotel, 1710 Orrington Ave., Evanston. The event is free, thanks to generous support from corporate sponsors, but registration is required.
After Mirkin’s welcoming remarks, the following researchers will present their work:
- Sir John Pendry (Imperial College London)
- Stuart Parkin (Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
- Harry Atwater (California Institute of Technology)
- Buddy Ratner (University of Washington)
- Kristi Anseth (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Jeffrey Hubbell (University of Chicago)
Northwestern has been leading and shaping nanotechnology research and innovation for nearly two decades. The University established the International Institute for Nanotechnology in 2000 as an umbrella organization that catalyzes and supports interdisciplinary research focused on the development of transformative nanotechnologies.
The institute currently represents more than $800 million in nanotechnology research, educational programs and supporting infrastructure at Northwestern. The work involves chemists, engineers, biologists, physicians, business experts and others and reaches into virtually every industry, including health, energy, electronics, security and defense, and the environment.
More information on the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the 2016 symposium is available online.
