Last month on June 14-17th, the NanoBusiness Talent Program www.nanobusinesstalent.org kicked off its third year in Argonne, IL. The event, which was led by NanoBusiness Talent Program Director, Lesley Hamming, PhD, was a nanotechnology boot camp in conjunction with several of the nation’s top scientists at the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL.

Twenty-five students from Illinois, North Carolina and Colorado participated in hands-on laboratory experiments, demonstrations and lectures by CNM scientists. Nathan P. Guisinger, PhD, taught students about the fundamental instruments of nanotechnology, including scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Elena Shevchenko, PhD, demonstrated self assembly, and Elena Rozhkova, PhD, lectured on protein synthesis.

Students conducted experiments such as synthesizing gold nanoparticles with Galyna Krylova, PhD. Gold nanoparticles could ultimately be used in novel cancer therapies and diagnostics. Daniel Lopez, PhD, discussed MEMS/NEMS while Dave Czaplewski, PhD, gave the students a tour of the clean room.

The NanoBusiness Talent Program is a nonprofit dedicated to connecting high school students with leading nanotechnology innovators by arranging educational opportunities and internships. Funded through a grant by the Department of Energy, the NanoBusiness Talent Program’s mission supports President Obama’s push to make U.S. students more competitive globally in science, technology, engineering and math.

“The students at the camp had a unique opportunity to learn about nanotechnology directly from the leading scientific staff at the Center for Nanoscale Materials,” says NanoBusiness Talent Program Director Lesley Hamming, PhD. “Not only did the scientists generously share their knowledge with the students, the passion they exuded for their work was infectious. The teenagers benefited immensely from gaining exposure to technology and training not otherwise available to students until college or graduate school.”

“The experience I had at the Argonne camp is unparalleled,” says participant Amishi Bajaj, 16, of Oakbrook, IL. “I was able to achieve a greater understanding of the implementation of nanotechnology in the lab with such processes as e-beam lithography and atomic force microscopy as well as in the real world with lectures presented by pioneers of their respective fields.”

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

I would like to commend Lesley Hamming, PhD for her enthusiasm and passion in leading the NanoBusiness Talent Program for the past three years. We look forward to Lesley’s vision for further growth in 2011.

NANO NEWS

I will be in DC for the NNI Strategic Planning Stakeholder Workshop, July 13-14, 2010
http://www.nano.gov/html/meetings/NNISPWorkshop/index.html

Researchers use nanoparticles to shrink tumors in mice
http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/News/Feeds/2010/07/disease-research-researchers-use-nanoparticles-to-shrink-tumors-in-/

Findings hold important implications for cancer therapy
http://7thspace.com/headlines/350317/findings_hold_important_implications_for_cancer_therapy.html

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
www.vincentcaprio.org
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Alliance
203-733-1949
vincentcaprio@nynanobusiness.org