Nano ... what?

If you're searching for a new

buzzword, look no further.

Nanotechnology is it.

That was essentially the message

of Dr. Haris Doumanidis,

nanomanufacturing program director

at the National Science

Foundation, during a recent visit at

the University of Nevada Reno.

Nanotechnology is molecular

manufacturing, or assembling

things one atom at a time.

Although it sounds a little like

science fiction, nanotechnology is

simply part of an evolution, said

Doumanidis, citing the ongoing

trend towards miniaturization in the

electronics industry.

NSF's nanotechnology initiative,

which provides more than $300

million in grants, falls into five categories.

The majority of its funds

goes to fundamental research into

nanodevices and biosystems at

nanoscale, among other things. It

funds research and research instruments

curriculum development,

workforce training and research on

social impacts of nanotechnology.

In fact, the greatest challenge

facing nanotechnology's future, said

Doumanidis, isn't money or science

- it's people. The area lacks both

experienced scientists and

researchers as well as students who

are studying it.

The technology is promising

though. Potential applications are

amazingly varied, from tissue engineering

of skin, for example, to

batteries and fuel cells.