This is the website for Rice University course called "Nanotechnology: Context and Content." The goal is to teach students some basic nanoscience/nanotechnology by putting it in a social and cultural context. Students are expected to learn both some basic science and technology and at the same time, some techniques for understanding the social and cultural significance, role, and possible effects of this emerging science. Students from from all majors are encouraged to take this class. In addition, students are expected to assist each other in learning and discussing the content and the context, and to maintain respect for both the scientific and the social and cultural approaches.
The class is designed for, but not necessarily restricted to, freshlings and sophomores.
This CNN article shows how the health risks of nanotechnology are both (1) in the news at present and (2) a big unknown right now. Interesting...
WALKING through the town of El Puerto, Texas, one feels a sense of urgency in the community. Located just outside Houston, its citizens felt like they were falling beneath the shadow of the big city and would soon be engulfed as the future passed them by.
Fast-breaking pictures of today's city council hearing, courtesy of Kristen Kulinowski
The US Patent Office granted a patent for an antigravity device,
breaking the guideline for not granting patents to inventions that defy the laws of physics! I think this speaks to a question we had in Prof. Kelty's lecture about patents: What if the patent office doesn't know enough science to evaluate the patents?