“The mission of Nanotech 2009 is to unite innovators in a manner that brings nanotechnology from the laboratory to the marketplace,” said Bart Romanowicz, executive director and co-founder of NSTI. “To do this, we assemble a community of more than 5,000 technology and business leaders from academia, government, startups, and Fortune 1,000 companies to discuss needs, solve problems, and create the types of partnering and venture opportunities that turn ideas into commercial solutions.”

January 9, 2009: From the structure of DNA to nautical rope to distant spiral galaxies, helical forms are as abundant as they are useful in nature and manufacturing alike. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered a way to synthesize and control the formation of nanobristles, akin to tiny hairs, into helical clusters and have further demonstrated the fabrication of such highly ordered clusters, built from similar coiled building blocks, over multiple scales and areas.