UW MRSEC Co-hosts a Workshop for Journalists: Nano Meets Bio: The Risks and Rewards As scientists and engineers converge on techniques to make molecular-scale devices and structures, nanotechnology and biology are increasingly intertwined in the laboratory. From using viruses as scaffolds to make novel molecular-scale structures to detecting pathogens in real time, biomedical and other applications of nanotechnology are emerging from labs worldwide. The potential for human health and safety is significant as the federal government, through entities such as the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Homeland Security, increase funding for exploring biomedical and environmental sensing applications, among others. But there are also risks to deploying untested technologies as the implications for biology and human health have yet to be fully explored. In an effort to encourage informed and balanced media coverage of these emerging research areas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Interfaces and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will co-host a workshop on nanotechnology for journalists, September 14-16, 2008, on the University of Wisconsin campus. The workshop, titled “Nano Meets Bio: The Risks and Rewards”, features leading researchers and a veteran journalistic perspective and addresses the increasing overlap between nanotechnology and biology and the challenging task for reporters of assessing the potential risks and benefits of a host of new technologies. Fellowships for the reporters are funded by a grant from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. The 18 journalists who will be attending the workshop represent a variety of local, regional, and national media outlets, including Scientific American Online, Wired.com, Highlights for Children, Environmental Health Perspectives, Material World (blog), and the Madison Capital Times. During their two and a half days on campus, the journalists will hear lectures by MRSEC professors and external invitetd speakers. Topics will include nanoparticle biocompatibility, the science of effective communication, nanotechnology and small businesses, the organic-inorganic interface, writing about nano, and more. In addition to lectures, workshop attendees will also visit a Madison-area nanobio start-up company and participate in hands-on educational activities about nanotechnology. The workshop was collaboratively organized by the MRSEC Interdisciplinary Education Group, MRSEC professor Nick Abbott, and UW University Communications. In the Spring 2006 Baldwin nanotechnology workshop for reporters, Brian Clark of wisbusiness.com (left) and Andreas von Bubnoff (right), a freelance reporter for the Los Angeles Times, performed a nanolithography experiment in the lab of Prof. Paul Nealey (Chemical and Biological Engineering). In the Spring 2006 Baldwin nanotechnology workshop for reporters, the journalists gathered around Prof. Mark Eriksson (standing, Physics) as he and a graduate student demonstrate using an atomic force microscope to probe a carbon nanotube. Juan J. De Pablo, University of Wisconsin-Madison, DMR