Issue



IEST marches on to nanotech beat


01/01/2008







IEST sets goals for new nanotechnology Recommended Practice Working Group activities.

By John R. Weaver II, Senior Member, IEST

The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) is taking a leading role in addressing the needs of the important nanotechnology discipline through the formation of relevant Recommended Practices. The IEST Nanotechnologies Standards and Practices (S&P) Committee has defined its scope as follows: “To take the lead in the development of Standards and Recommended Practices and to establish related educational efforts in the field of nanotechnology by building on the established experience and expertise of IEST’s membership. In addition, the Nanotechnologies S&P Committee will strive to enhance IEST’s participation in this field by seeking out experts outside of the IEST from business, academia and government.”

Working Group 200 (WG-CC200) is developing an overview document, “Nanotechnologies Overview: Planning, Design, Construction, and Operational Considerations for Facilities Engaged in Research or Production at the Nanometer Scale.” This work is well underway and should be completed and ready for publication in 2008 as a Recommended Practice/Guideline.

In addition, Working Group 205 (WG-CC205), “Nanotechnology Safety: Applying Prevention through Design Principles to Nanotechnology Facilities” has recently been formed and held its inaugural meeting on November 14 at the IEST Fall Conference in Chicago, with a subsequent meeting planned for ESTECH 2008. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has indicated its interest in participating in this Working Group’s activities through a Memo of Understanding (MOU).

End users, vendors, and governmental and public participants are encouraged to attend the nanotechnology working group meetings.

ESTECH 2008, the 54th annual technical meeting and exposition of IEST, will be held May 4???7 at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale (Northwest Suburban Chicago), IL. In addition to the scores of presentations, tutorials, and working groups of interest and importance to the design, test, and evaluation, product reliability, and contamination control technical communities, a significant portion of the event will center on the burgeoning science of nanotechnology (see “ESTECH 2008: Focus on nanotechnology”).


John R. Weaver II serves as the facility manager for the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University. He is responsible for the facility infrastructure, safety and training activities, and cleanroom and laboratory operations. Weaver is a senior member of IEST, president of the Indiana Chapter, member of the editorial board for the Journal of the IEST, vice-chair of SPC-7: Nanotechnology, chair of WG205: Nanotechnology Safety, and is a principal member of the NFPA 318 committee, which writes fire standards for cleanrooms. He has published numerous papers in both the process development and contamination control fields, has two patents in process development, and authored a book and two book chapters in contamination control technology.

About IEST

Founded in 1953, IEST is an international technical society of engineers, scientists, and educators that serves its members and the industries they represent (simulating, testing, controlling, and teaching the environments of earth and space) through education and the development of recommended practices and standards. IEST is an ANSI-accredited standards-developing organization; secretariat of ISO/TC 209 Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments; administrator of the ANSI-accredited U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 209; administrator of the ANSI-accredited U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 142 Cleaning equipment for air and other gases; and a founding member of the ANSI-accredited U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies.


ESTECH 2008: Focus on nanotechnology

Keynote
IEST is pleased to announce that E. Clayton Teague, PhD, will give the keynote address at the Annual Awards and Membership Luncheon on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Teague is director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), and previously served as chief of the Manufacturing Metrology Division in the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Teague also served as editor-in-chief of the journal Nanotechnology for 10 years and is currently a member of its editorial board. He received a BS and an MS in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a PhD in physics from the University of North Texas. He has authored or co-authored 70 papers, has presented 50 invited talks in the technical fields described, and has six patents jointly with colleagues. Teague has received the Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and Allen V. Astin Measurement Science Award from the Department of Commerce.

Nanotechnology track

In addition to the keynote address, immerse yourself in all things nano at ESTECH 2008.

John Weaver, facilities manager of the Birck Nanotechnology Center (BNC) at Purdue University, will give a full-day tutorial on nanotechnology facility design on Monday, May 5. Nanotechnology working groups will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 6 and 7. A seminar (technical session) on nanotechnology will take place on May 6 and will be chaired by David S. Ensor, PhD, IEST Fellow and delegate to the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO Technical Committee 229 Nanotechnologies. The ESTECH nanotechnology track is sponsored by HDR Architecture, Inc., the architects of the BNC.

Birck Nanotechnology Center Tour

Concluding ESTECH 2008 on Thursday, May 8, will be an optional all-day tour by motor coach departing from Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort to the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. The BNC leverages advances in nanoscale science and engineering to create innovative nanotechnologies addressing societal challenges and opportunities in computing, communications, the environment, security, energy independence, and health. In turn, the BNC exploits the accelerating progress in nanotechnology, utilizing the most advanced nanoscale instrumentation to pursue answers to fundamental questions in the life and physical sciences. The interplay between these two complementary arcs of inquiry fosters a stimulating interdisciplinary environment for discovery well into the 21st century.

Watch for information about ESTECH 2008 at www.iest.org.