Aug 3 2009
Current developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology and their extensive impact on our lives will take center stage at the 1st Nano Today Conference that will be held at the Biopolis in Singapore from August 3 to 5. 33 of the world's leading nanotechnology experts will address over 450 international delegates at the three-day conference organized by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, and Nano Today, a leading nanoscience and nanotechnology journal, published by Elsevier, with an impact factor of 8.795.
This inaugural conference features plenary lectures by 3 eminent pioneers of the field, 30 invited talks by leading scientists from 26 internationally renowned institutions, 75 contributed oral and 205 poster presentations by researchers from 33 countries. The contributed presentations were selected from over 600 abstract submissions from countries including Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.
Chaired by Nano Today Editor-in-Chief and IBN Executive Director, Professor Jackie Y. Ying, the 1st Nano Today conference will focus on the latest advances in nanostructured materials and systems for wide-ranging applications in fields such as electric, optical, magnetic and biomedical devices, chemical and biologics synthesis, energy generation and storage, as well as biomaterials and biomimetic systems.
“Nanotechnology is making a big impact in the scientific world today because of its multidisciplinary nature, and its tremendous potential in areas such as biomedicine, chemical synthesis, energy generation and photonics. The Nano Today journal and IBN are delighted to organize the first Nano Today Conference to provide a platform for researchers from all over the world to share the latest developments in this exciting field. It is also our privilege to have many distinguished scientists, who have made invaluable contributions to nanotechnology, as our speakers at this conference. Moving forward, this conference will be held on a bi-annual basis, and we look forward to a successful conference this year,” said Professor Jackie Y. Ying.
“At a time when this field is continuing to provoke huge interest, discussion, and serious research output, the opportunities for publishers have never been more exciting. Nano Today is a serious reviews and opinions publication, publishing world class content as rapidly as possible. Elsevier is delighted that Professor Jackie Y. Ying brought the first Nano Today conference here to Singapore, at the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute,” said Deborah Logan, Executive Publisher, Nano Today.
The first Plenary Lecture (August 3, 9:45am to 10:30am) titled “Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: The Key to New Studies in Other Areas of Science and Technology” will be delivered by Professor Herbert Gleiter from the Institute of Nanotechnology Research Center Karlsruhe, Germany. Professor Gleiter pioneered a new field of materials science research by generating well-defined, uniform nanocrystals using a novel vapor phase synthesis approach. This has made possible major advances in nanostructured materials. His talk will focus on the emergence and diversity of nanoscience and nanotechnology that enables new scientific discoveries, and opens the way to novel applications in scientific areas such as cancer research, molecular biology, astronomy and new materials. In honour of his achievements and leadership, the first Nano Today Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in the field, will also be awarded to Professor Gleiter at the Conference Dinner on August 4.
The second Plenary Lecture (August 4. 9:30am to 10:15am) on “Graphene, The New Nanocarbon” will be presented by Professor C. N. R. Rao from the Jawaharalal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, India. Professor Rao is one of the world's foremost solid state and materials chemists. He was one of the earliest to synthesize two-dimensional oxide materials such as La2CuO4. He is the author of over 1,400 research papers and 41 books. His talk will focus on the unique and noteworthy properties of graphene, a fascinating new nanocarbon possessing single or multiple layers of carbon atoms forming six-membered rings.
The third Plenary Lecture (August 5, 9:30am to 10:15am) on “Proteins That Nature Never Made” will be presented by Professor David A. Tirrell from California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA. Professor Tirrell is a pioneer in genetically engineered polymers. He is the Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor and Chair of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech. His talk will focus on bridging the gap between polymers and proteins by using artificial genes to direct the synthesis of artificial proteins in bacterial cells, and to combine the physical and informational properties of macromolecules.
The conference also features an impressive line-up of 30 invited speakers from leading institutions around the world, including Brandeis University, Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, IBM, Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Jilin University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, National Taiwan University, Rutgers University, Sandia National Laboratories, Seoul National University, University of Aarhus, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Melbourne, University of Pennsylvania, University of Queensland, University of Rochester, University of Washington, and US Naval Research Laboratory.
To inspire and engage young researchers, 28 students from 18 countries have been granted the Nano Today 2009 Student Travel Awards to present their research results at the conference. The award recipients were selected from over 170 applications, and they received travel funding along with a waiver of the conference registration fee. The international exposure and opportunity to confer with leading nanoscience researchers will be an invaluable experience for these budding scientists.
Please refer to Appendix for the list of conference topics and abstracts of the 3 plenary lectures. More information about the event and the speakers are available at http://www.nanotoday2009.com.