Ongoing nanotechnology standardisation activities and particular areas of focus needed for nanotechnology standards will be discussed at a meeting called by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)’s Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) this month (September) in Chicago.
The meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of September 9 and is co-located with the NanoBusiness Alliance’s Eighth Annual NanoBusiness Conference.
“The growing number of nanotechnology-based industrial products and services has created a critical need for standards to support trade in this arena and to be used in protecting the environment and the health and safety of consumers and workers,” said Clayton Teague, chairman of ANSI-NSP and director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO).
“But in order to move these standards forward, we need active engagement by technical experts from academia and significant industry sectors that are working to advance this important and promising technology.”
Formed in 2004, the ANSI-NSP serves as a cross-sector coordinating body that facilitates the development of standards in the area of nanotechnology. The panel does not itself develop standards; rather, the ANSI-NSP works with other national, regional, and international standards groups, as well as industry, academic, and government stakeholders, to establish work plans, harmonise efforts, and mitigate duplication or overlap.
Third meeting
This is the third meeting of the ANSI-NSP. Previous gatherings were held in September 2004 and March 2008.
The panel meeting will be co-located with the NanoBusiness Alliance Conference at the McCormick Place in Chicago. Scheduled for September 8-10, the NanoBusiness Alliance Conference will bring together a wide array of stakeholders to develop a range of initiatives to support the nanotechnology business community. With a series of keynote speakers, workshops, and moderated discussions over the course of the event, participants will discuss the economy’s effect on nanotechnology, best workplace practices to protect employees, water and energy, and other crucial topics.
A meeting of the members of the ANSI-accredited US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 229, Nanotechnology, will also be co-located with the conference.
ANSI is the official US representative to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and, via the US National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a US representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
