Dept. of Energy to Hold First National Users Meeting for Nanoscale Science Research Centers

2/24/2003

From: Mona S. Rowe, 631-344-5056, or Peter Genzer, 631-344-3174 for DOE's Nanoscale Science Research Centers

News Advisory:

EVENT: DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers Workshop First national users meeting for DOE's Nanoscale Science Research Centers

WHEN: Feb. 26-28

PRESS OPPORTUNITIES: Two events have been specially arranged for interaction with workshop principals: -- Wednesday evening reception, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Feb. 26 -- Thursday morning breakfast, 7:30 - 8:30 a.m., Feb. 27

WHERE: Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C. 9th Street and L (Gallery Plaza-Chinatown Metro station)

DETAILS: The emerging fields of nanoscale science and engineering promise unprecedented understanding of the basic building blocks and properties of all things natural and human-made. As scientists develop the ability to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures with fundamentally new properties and functions, society could reap the benefits of functional materials with novel properties, leading to new opportunities for advances in science and technology.

The DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers Workshop, held at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26-28, will provide a forum for communication among agencies, policymakers, and the scientific community. Participants will learn about national priorities in nanoscale science and engineering from key Senators and Representatives, the President's Science Advisor, and funding agency and scientific community leaders. Program sessions will cover research opportunities at the U.S. Department of Energy's five nanocenters, supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within DOE's Office of Science.

Reporters are encouraged to attend the Wednesday reception and/or the Thursday breakfast to meet with workshop speakers, including Illinois Congresswoman Judy Biggert; Nobel laureate Richard Smalley, Rice University; Gabor Somorjai, University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Patricia Dehmer, Associate Director of Science, Basic Energy Sciences; and the five DOE nanocenter directors.

The workshop registration fee is waived for press, but media are asked to register by contacting Mona S. Rowe, mrowe@bnl.gov, or Peter Genzer, genzer@bnl.gov. Details on the workshop, including the complete program, are posted on the Web at http://www.ornl.gov/doe_nsrc_workshop/ .