SEPT. 13, 2001 – Out of respect for the national recovery period, Small Times Media announced Wednesday that it is restructuring “Small Tech 2001: The Microsystems Advantage,” a conference and trade show that had been scheduled for Sept. 18-21 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
“Our show will go on but in a different format,” said Jon Pepper, president of Small Times Media. “Rather than hosting a live event, we will present the content via the Internet and in Small Times magazine.”
A detailed schedule for those events will be posted next week on www.smalltimes.com. The restructured Small Tech 2001 will present information about small tech, including microsystems, MEMS and nanotechnologies.
More than 300 attendees, six sponsors and 27 exhibitors from eight countries had been expected to attend the D.C. show. Former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, technology forecaster Daniel Burrus and entertainer Ben Stein were to be among 25 featured presenters.
Small Times Media’s next conference is The Power of Small Tech: The Energy Efficient Solution,” in Phoenix on March 11-13.
Two conferences scheduled for today in Washington, D.C., and New York City have been postponed.
The National Science Foundation announced Wednesday that it had postponed a National Nanotechnology Initiative symposium scheduled for today at the Reagan Center. NSF spokesman Bill Line said the foundation is exploring other dates for the event, “Small Wonders: Exploring the Vast Potential of Nanoscience.”
The New York Infotech Forum is postponing a scheduled appearance by Joshua Wolfe, managing partner of Lux Capital Group LLC and co-author of “The Nanotech Report.” Originally slated for Sept. 13, Wolfe’s talk on “Nanoscience and Nanotech” will “probably” take place on Sept. 20, according to information posted on the Web.
Other upcoming small tech conferences are still proceeding as scheduled, pending further developments.
“We can’t let our way of life and our dreams to advance things to get compromised by these cretins,” said Mark Modzelewski, organizer of the Business of Nanotechnology symposium scheduled Oct. 3 in New York City. “I was in the city earlier today, and New Yorkers are cleaning up, shopping, working and generally showing their indomitable strength of character.”
As for other small tech events:
- The MEMS Materials Issues workshop, set for Miami Beach from Sept. 19-21, is still on. “At this point it is still on, depending on what the FAA does about resuming flights,” said John Balance, chairman of the sponsoring organization, the Materials Research Society.
- BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology World 2001 in Columbus, Ohio, is still scheduled for Sept. 22-25. “We may lose a bit of money,” said 0hio State University professor Mauro Ferrari, the conference chairman. “We are taking a stand and saying `Life goes on. You can’t disrupt us anymore than you already have.’ But I expect a 50 percent falloff in attendance.”
- The HDI Expo 2001 Conference on semiconductor packaging and related substrate technologies will be in Phoenix on Sept. 24-26. “We’re going forward,” said Kim Sullivan. “I’ve received e-mails from people around the world concerned about whether to keep their flights.”
- The Red Herring Nanotechnology Briefing is set for Sept. 24 in Boston.
- The Sensors Expo 2001-Fall show is proceeding in Philadelphia from Oct. 2-4.
- The NanoBusiness Alliance will hold Small Talks, the first in a series for the nanotechnology field, October 3 in New York City. The series will focus on bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, policy makers, journalists and the public at large.
— Tom Henderson, Candace Stuart and Jacqueline Emigh