This book celebrates a few examples of the many women who have advanced the field of nanotechnology. The book opens with an overview of the field, illuminating how nanotechnology is opening the door to manipulating matter on a scale one billionth of a meter. Then the use of nanotechnology to improve science and scientific literacy is discussed, and strategies for incorporating nanotechnology in K-12 education are presented. Next, an array of female scientists provide technical descriptions of how their work is impacting their respective areas. Topics include applications in the energy, electronics, water, communication and health care sectors, among others. The book closes with a historical perspective on the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative and future prospects for nanotechnology. This book provides the opportunity to appreciate some of the key advancements made by women engineers in nanotechnology and to become inspired by the ingenuity and creativity, collaborative nature, and altruistic inventiveness of women engineers. Includes contributions from leading female scientists in nanotechnology Highlights topics in nanotechnology ranging from health care, to sensors, to alternative energy, to clean water, to nanoelectronics Presents an opportunity to learn about the breadth, depth and impact of the field of nanotechnology and women’s important contributions to it

Nanotechnology, the science of molecular engineering at the atomic scale, has captured the popular imagination. From movies to TV series to video games, utopian fantasies and horror scenarios involving nanotechnology have become a staple of the entertainment industry. The hyperbole surrounding this new technology comes not only from the media but also from scientists who exaggerate the anticipated benefits of nanotechnology to justify research funding, as well as from environmentalists and globalization opponents, who sometimes indulge in doom-and-gloom prophecies to advance their own agendas. The result is widespread misinformation and an uninformed public.In an effort to set the record straight, professor of communication studies David M. Berube has written this thoroughly researched, accessible overview of nanotechnology in contemporary culture. He evaluates the claims and counterclaims about nanotechnology by a broad range of interested parties including government officials and bureaucrats, industry leaders and entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists, and other persons in the media. Berube appraises programs and grand initiatives here and abroad, and he examines the environmental concerns raised by opponents, as well as the government and private responses to these concerns. With so much argumentation on both sides, it is difficult for anyone to determine what is true. Nano-Hype provides up-to-date, objective information to inform the public.Based on over a decade of research and interviews with many of the movers and shakers in nanotechnology, this critical study will help the reader separate the realistic prospects from the hype surrounding this important cutting-edge technology.

At present, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are discouraging girls and women away from science-related fields, and STEM research in particular. Science and gender equality are, however, essential to ensure sustainable development as highlighted by UNESCO. In order to change traditional mindsets, gender equality must be promoted, stereotypes defeated, and girls and women should be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. The work presented here highlights the diversity of research performed across the entire breadth the nanotechnology field and presents advances in theory, experiment, and methodology with applications to compelling problems.

A small revolution is remaking the world. The only problem is, we can’t see it. This book uses dazzling images and evocative descriptions to reveal the virtually invisible realities and possibilities of nanoscience. An introduction to the science and technology of small things, No Small Matter explains science on the nanoscale. Authors Felice C. Frankel and George M. Whitesides offer an overview of recent scientific advances that have given us our ever-shrinking microtechnology—for instance, an information processor connected by wires only 1,000 atoms wide. They describe the new methods used to study nanostructures, suggest ways of understanding their often bizarre behavior, and outline their uses in technology. This book explains the various means of making nanostructures and speculates about their importance for critical developments in information processing, computation, biomedicine, and other areas. No Small Matter considers both the benefits and the risks of nano/microtechnology—from the potential of quantum computers and single-molecule genomic sequencers to the concerns about self-replicating nanosystems. By making the practical and probable realities of nanoscience as comprehensible and clear as possible, the book provides a unique vision of work at the very boundaries of modern science.

This book begins with an examination of the numbers of women in physics in English-speaking countries, moving on to examine factors that affect girls and their decision to continue in science, right through to education and on into the problems that women in physics careers face. Looking at all of these topics with one eye on the progress that the field has made in the past few years, and another on those things that we have yet to address, the book surveys the most current research as it tries to identify strategies and topics that have significant impact on issues that women have in the field.

The editors, both leaders in the nanotechnology field, take readers to the front lines of this exciting new field and discuss actual applications of nanotechnology being used in a variety of industries today--including computer design, materials, and biochemistry.

In this STEM-ready book, an acclaimed physicist takes readers into the cutting-edge world of nanoscience where they will learn about the tiny building blocks that make up the world around us.