Abstracts for 2005 Nanotechnology Symposium Invited by NIOSH, Co-Sponsors by March 31

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 401-3749

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its fellow sponsoring and co-sponsoring organizations are inviting abstracts for the Second International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Occupational Health. The deadline for abstracts is March 31, 2005.

The symposium will provide a global forum for presenting and discussing the latest findings and activities in research on nanotechnology and occupational health. It will be held on October 3-6, 2005, in Minneapolis, Minn., following up on the First International Symposium, which was co-sponsored in October 2004 in Britain by NIOSH and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive.

"This area of research is a key component of maintaining U.S. leadership and competitiveness in the dynamic nanotechnology market," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "We encourage the scientific community to share new results, progress reports, and recommendations that will make the 2005 symposium as stimulating as its predecessor in 2004."

Further information about the call for abstracts and the announcement of the 2005 Second International Symposium is available at www.cce.umn.edu/conferences/nanotechnology/ . The symposium will be of interest to researchers, occupational health and safety professionals, policy makers, government representatives, and other stakeholders concerned with the wise development of nanotechnology.

Sponsors for the symposium are NIOSH, the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Rice University Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology. Co-sponsoring organizations are the U.K. Health and Safety Executive, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the Institute of Occupational Medicine, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, and the American Industrial Hygiene Association. The symposium is facilitated by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota.

NIOSH is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related illnesses and injuries. It is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the National Nanotechnology Initiative and other partnerships, including membership on the Nanostructured Science, Engineering and Technology subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council committee on technology, NIOSH conducts a robust program of research on nanotechnology and occupational health. More information is available on the NIOSH nanotechnology topic page at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/ .