WHO/WHAT: Northeastern University’s NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) and the Nanotechnology and Society Research Group is hosting a discussion on the possible environmental benefits of nanotechnology.

The discussion is titled “Museum of Science Forum on Nanotechnology and Alternative Energy,” and it is part of the Museum’s “NanoDays” event series, sponsored by the CHN. NanoDays is a week-long series of activities and exhibitions relevant to the science of nanotechnology. This forum will explore how the emerging field of nanotechnology presents great promise to address issues, such as climate change concerns, rising energy costs, and dwindling natural resources.

In this forum, participants will become the decision makers, as they weigh the benefits against the potential pitfalls in nanotechnology. It will be an opportunity to explore several questions, like should the bulk of research funding be dedicated to the implementation of existing technologies and to conservation, or should more efforts be dedicated to designing new nanotechnologies that might be of greater long-term impact?

The forum is free and open to the public, however, space is limited. Register by emailing forumrsvp@mos.org.

WHERE: 450 Dodge Hall, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115.

WHEN: Thursday, April 3, 2008, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Refreshments will be served from 6:30 until 7:00; the forum will begin promptly at 7:00.

For more information on the Museum of Science’s NanoDays taking place from March 30 to April 5, please visit: http://www.mos.org/events_activities/special_programs&d=2526

For more information on the Forum on Nanotechnology and Alternative Energy, and the CHN, please contact Renata Nyul at 617-373-7424 or at r.nyul@neu.edu, and visit www.nano.neu.edu.

About Northeastern

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university’s distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions. For more information, please visit www.northeastern.edu.