2017 Environmental Nanotechnology GRC/GRS

The goals of the Gordon Conference on Environmental Nanotechnology are to draw attention to the need to proactively manage the emergence and implementation of nanotechnology into society so as to avert such problems that arose with earlier research such as those involving DDT, leaded gasoline, PCBs, CRCs and numerous other substances and to discuss opportunities for using nanotechnology to benefit society while protecting the environment in the areas of air, water, soil treatment plus energy and agriculture production. This is a critical research area for several reasons and one which is very relevant to the missions of EPA and particularly to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture as the number of engineered nanomaterials currently on the market in the agricultural food and fiber sector is growing and expected to increase rapidly as scientific knowledge increases and technological development advances; secondly, there are a number of important unresolved questions concerning the safety of these materials; third, the potential exposure scenarios, and their interaction with the biological and environmental systems are largely unknown. Other questions relate to how these materials, once designed, may move through various environmental or biological media or from one media to another across the life cycle of nanomaterials. Additionally, as researchers in the areas of water, energy and agriculture utilize nanotechnology the environmental community must realize the emerging trends to understand where to focus our attention on preventing future issues. Finally, the tremendous success of Gordon Conferences at facilitating meetings that are in depth, intense scientific discussions involving scientific leaders in their disciplines and communities has been well documented. The objectives of the 2017 Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Nanotechnology are to bring together prominent investigators who are at the forefront of their research fields and provide unique opportunities for early career investigators, postdoctoral and graduate students to present their work to the larger community.