November 14th, 2008
The Center for Critical Zone Research (CCZR) and the Science, Ethics and Public Policy program (SEPP) co-sponsored a conference titled ?Environmental Nanoparticles: Science, Ethics and Policy? from November 10-11 at Clayton Hall. Leading experts in the areas of engineering, materials science, chemistry, soil science, physics, ethics and policy from academe, industry and government participated in the conference. Conference presentations addressed the characterization, reactivity, fate, and transport of nanoparticles, their impacts on human and environmental health, their usefulness in sensing and remediation and future policy directions. CCZR Director Dr. Donald Sparks and SEPP Director Dr. Thomas Powers decided to host the conference to foster a better understanding of nanoparticles among a wide range of stakeholders. ?Environmental systems are subject to influences from factors both big and small, and engineered and naturally occurring nanoparticles are at the smallest end of that scale,? said Sparks. ?The use of nanoparticles has much promise in a number of fields, including medicine, energy, manufacturing and remediation; however, there remain many unanswered questions.? ?The idea of combining science, ethics and policy came quite naturally,? said Powers. ?Both the SEPP program and the CCZR are committed to integrating science with policy and ethics.? UD President Patrick Harker praised Powers and Sparks for including an ?amazing array of people and perspectives? in the conference program. Harker mentioned the Initiative for the Planet, a milestone in the UD Strategic Plan that aims to make UD a national and international leader in the field of environmental research. ?This conference fits very nicely with that goal,? Harker said. ?Companies should be mandated to report what nanoparticles they are making to the EPA until those nanoparticles can be deemed safe for production,? said UD graduate student Matthew Siebecker, a member of the Sparks environmental soil chemistry research group in the Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, who attended the conference. ?The public also needs to be educated about nanoparticles, so they can weigh the risks and benefits.? Brandon Lafferty, another member of the Sparks research group, said, ?I thought the conference did a great job of bringing stakeholders together with different perspectives and providing a good platform for constructive interaction.? ?The speakers were very diverse and presented unique perspectives for the development of nanotechnology,? added Lafferty. ?I walked away with a much broader understanding of all issues surrounding nanoparticles in the environment.? --By Katie Ginder-Vogel
