American Chemical Society celebrates National Nanotechnology Day

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2016 — In support of National Nanotechnology Day, which is Oct. 9, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is highlighting the contributions of chemistry to this field by launching a nano-focused microsite. Nanoscience focuses on the truly tiny — science, engineering and technology at the scale of the diameter of a strand of DNA. Working at the nanoscale enables scientists to utilize the unique physical, chemical, mechanical and optical properties of materials that naturally occur at that scale to advance medicine, new materials and even personal care products.

The ACS microsite (www.acs.org/nano) gathers resources in one place for multiple audiences. Among the resources appearing on the site are:

Education tools for teachers, including lesson plans

ACS “Nano Nuggets,” video profiles of leading chemists sharing where they see nanotechnology going in the future, as well as other videos and podcasts

A white paper for policymakers offering insights about future directions for nanoscience and technology policy

Nanotechnology background information providing context about scientific developments and their societal implications

Additionally, ACS is sponsoring an Edit-a-thon for Notable Chemists and Chemistry at WikiConference North America, a gathering being held in San Diego from Oct. 7-10. The Society encourages interested wiki editors and nano experts to improve the quality and accuracy of Wikipedia entries on nanoscience topics. More information can be found here.

A joint project of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office and scientific societies, National Nanotechnology Day will feature a series of community-led events and activities on or around Oct. 9 to help raise awareness of nanotechnology, how it is currently used in products that enrich our daily lives, and the related challenges and opportunities the future holds. The date pays homage to the nanometer scale, 10^-9 meters.

For social media, use the Twitter hashtag #NationalNanoDay.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.