Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology

The list of social and ethical issues associated with nanoscience and technology is extensive, arising in at least four broad areas:

• economic and political implications of potential technology
• implications for science and education
• medical, environmental, space exploration, and national security implications
• social, ethical, legal, and cultural implications

Researchers associated with the NNIN proposal have particular interests in ethical issues arising in the context of nanoscience and technology; public and researcher understanding, awareness, and responsiveness to social and ethical issues associated with nanoscience and technology; work processes and structures within the nanoscience and technology community; technology transfer/diffusion between the research community and industry; and social and historical analysis of the growth of nanoscience and technology.

To address this broad range of issues, the NNIN hosts network of scholars with the expertise to examine social and ethical aspects of nanotechnology.  This network mirrors the overall structure of the NNIN, and has a dual purpose.  First, it constitutes an enabling infrastructure aimed at fostering exchange, producing resources for research and education, and catalyzing additional social and ethical research and discussion.  Second, researchers associated with the NNIN will explore issues of ethics, communication, workforce change, industrial innovation, and other social implications of nanotechnology, especially as they emerge in the NNIN community.