The American
Chemical Society (ACS) has announced the winners of the "What is Nano?"
video contest held by ACS Nanotation, the Web community site for nanoscience
and nanotechnology researchers and enthusiasts. Organized as an outgrowth of
the Society's peer-reviewed scientific publishing in the area of nanoscale science,
the contest sought creative videos that convey the scientific and cultural significance
of nanoscience to a broad audience.
"The Nano Song" won top honors in both the "People's Choice"
and "Critics' Choice" award categories. The video was a collaborative
effort by a research group from University of California, Berkeley, that included
Patrick Bennett, David Carlton, Molly Felz, Nola Klemfuss, Glory Liu, Ryan Miyakawa,
Stacey Wallace, and Angelica Zen. The People's Choice video award was based
on polling results from online voters, whereas the Critics' Choice award was
determined by a panel of expert judges that included Paul Alivisatos, Ph.D.,
(University of California, Berkeley), Angela Belcher, Ph.D., (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology), Aaron Rowe (Wired magazine), and Paul Weiss, Ph.D.,
(The Pennsylvania State University), who jointly evaluated video submissions
based on creativity, scientific clarity of explanation, originality, and quality.
Commenting on the top video, award recipient Bennett said the group "wanted
to make something that could be appreciated by everyone regardless of their
technical background." That achievement was reflected in the more than
17,000 Web accesses recorded for their submission, as well as the hundreds of
viewer feedback responses posted on ACS Nanotation.
"Nanotechnology Brings us Delicious New Solar Cells," created by
Blake Farrow at the University of Notre Dame, was the runner-up in the People's
Choice category. "Introduction to Nanotechnology," created by Dan
Graham of Asemblon Inc., was the Critics' Choice runner-up.