Appointments
UCSC engineering dean Steve Kang appointed
to blue ribbon panel on nanotechnology
By Tim Stephens
Steve Kang, dean of UCSC's Jack Baskin School of Engineering,
has been appointed to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology
(BRTFN), a joint federal-state venture to benefit Silicon Valley
and promote California as the premier center for nanotechnology
research, development, and commercialization.
Steve Kang UCSC Photo Services
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The BRTFN is cochaired by U.S. Representative Mike Honda of
San Jose and California State Controller Steve Westly. Members
of the task force include nanotechnology experts with backgrounds
in industry, academia, government, medical research, and venture
capital.
"BRTFN members will have the opportunity to influence
the regional development of nanotechnology, helping usher in
a revolutionary new era in technology that will attract investment
from governments and businesses around the world," Honda
said. "Working in conjunction with the NASA Ames Research
Center, Controller Westly and I have the highest expectations
for the potential of this endeavor."
UC Santa Cruz, with its close ties to NASA Ames through the
University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), is in a strong
strategic position to help develop the nanotechnology industry,
Kang said.
"This appointment provides a great opportunity to contribute
to the creation of new industry for Silicon Valley and California,"
Kang said. "Nanotechnology is a critical enabling technology
with a broad spectrum of applications and will surely need a
strong home base in California, in particular in the greater
Silicon Valley region."
Nanotechnology has the potential to yield revolutionary new
materials and processes by enabling scientists and engineers
to control how things are made on the atomic and molecular scales.
The National Science Foundation predicts the worldwide market
for nanotechnology products and services to reach $1 trillion
by 2015.
"Nanotechnology sounds like something out of Star Trek,
but it's already being used in cars, tennis rackets, and stain-proof
pants," Westly said. "To stay at the center of innovation,
California needs to be the worldwide headquarters for nanotechnology.
We're asking this group to think big about the future of small
technology."
The BRTFN will document its work in a series of white papers
that analyze the direction and state of nanotechnology, followed
by specific recommendations aimed at promoting Silicon Valley
and California as the national and worldwide center of nanotechnology
research, development, and commercialization. Congressman Honda
said he will sponsor federal legislation necessary to advance
BRTFN recommendations, while Controller Westly will coordinate
state-level efforts.
"The BRTFN has the potential to generate new state revenues
from a multitude of job opportunities," Honda noted. "The
patents, royalties, and other economic effects of this industry
could benefit the state budget for decades to come."
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