About Andrew Maynard's Blog
In this blog I will be providing my personal perspective on all-things-nano - writing as Andrew Maynard the scientist, rather than Andrew Maynard of the Wilson Center Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (there is a subtle distinction!). Expect an eclectic view of what is happening in the nanoworld, with a bias towards the science of understanding and overcoming potential problems on the road to safe and sustainable applications.
Just like anyone else writing about nanotechnology, I come with my own biases and preconceptions-some of which you should probably know about as you read these blog entries. I'm a physicist by training (Birmingham University in the UK, followed by the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge Univerity), and that should tell you a lot about my world-view in itself! But most of my research career has been in aerosol science, and specifically in understanding the behavior of airborne particles in relation to peoples' health. I've had the privilege of working for both the UK Health and Safety Executive and the US National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOSH), and have published research that ranges from being applied as it gets (memories of sampling dust from pigs comes to mind), to really esoteric particle behavior modeling. For reasons I've never fully understood, more people read the pig stuff than the papers with equations!
My interest in nanomaterials goes back to my days at Cambridge, where I worked on using advanced analytical electron microscopy techniques to analyze ambient nanoparticles. After being told that "nanoparticles in the air are interesting but irrelevant", I focused more on larger particles-going up to particles several hundred micrometers in diameter-until Günter Oberdörster at the University of Rochester began to show through his research that small particles in the lungs might just be more harmful than larger ones.
My interests quickly turned to ultrafine particle exposures, mainly occurring as by-products from sources like welding and combustion. But as the nano craze swept the world, I turned my attention to engineered nanomaterials, and how they might lead to unexpected health issues. Having helped to develop the nanotechnology research program at NIOSH, I became increasingly involved in the US National Nanotechnology Initiative, and the federal governments attempts to address the possible health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology.
In 2005, I "sold my soul" (as I'm sure some of my science colleagues think) and joined a policy group addressing the potential benefits and risks of nanotechnologies. Working as the Chief Science advisor to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies has introduced me to the weird and wonderful worlds of policy, media and pubic engagement-where I see my role as helping decision-makers ground their judgments in sound science (no laughing at this point please). The Wilson Center itself is an odd beast: Established by the US congress in 1968 as a living memorial to commemorate president Woodrow Wilson (the only US president so far to have a Ph.D.), it is a quasi-government organization dedicated to exploring complex policy issues in an open and inclusive way. The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Pew Charitable Trusts, and is dedicated to supporting government, industry and other stakeholders working together towards developing nanotechnologies that are beneficial without being harmful. This partnership places us in a unique position of being able to work effectively with the full spectrum of nanotechnology stakeholders. Working within a government-supported organization means that we are not partisan and cannot advocate. But this does not stop the Project challenging people to think critically about how nanotechnologies are being developed, and how things might need to be re-thought if the benefits are to be fully realized.
So that's the "baggage" I bring to these discussions. Hopefully my entries will be built on sound science, but I'm sure readers will not hesitate to correct me if I stray. Happy reading!