Designing the new engineer and scientist

Keywords:
outreach, multi-disciplinary, nanotechnology

Abstract:
Bio-nano science and technology is reaching a high level of technical expertise and knowledge. It opens up completely new ways of design, production and manufacturing. It has the capacity to impact the whole industry, the economy, the society. First results are already visible in the biotech, biomedical and electronics industries. What it really means is that all this will change our world. The deep understanding of materials and living matter evolves into the design and creation of totally new products and industries. It changes the way we work, it changes what we create in our labs and produce in our factories. Take eco-efficient industries. Where technical nutrients can be re-used infinitely and organic nutrients are food for the soil. Bio-nano expertise requires expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, agriculture … in other words an interdisciplinary expertise. In the USA and Europe the first interdisciplinary labs pop-up. But not only do we need more interaction between people with various backgrounds in the labs, we also need more interaction between labs and industries, the creative art scenes, the humanities, the society… There is lots of expertise showing great potential, but we have got to share our knowledge over the borders of our expertise fields. And then try to integrate all these different ideas into what we are doing.

Nanotech 2008 Conference Program Abstract