ANSI Establishes Nanotechnology Standards Panel

The American National Standards Institute announced today the formation of the Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP), a new coordinating body for the development of standards in the area of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology refers to research and technology development at the atomic or molecular level aimed at creating and using structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small size. The panel will convene September 29-30, 2004, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, to focus its initial work on nomenclature and terminology.

From ANSI:
ANSI Establishes Nanotechnology Standards Panel

The American National Standards Institute announced today the formation of the Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP), a new coordinating body for the development of standards in the area of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology refers to research and technology development at the atomic or molecular level aimed at creating and using structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small size. The panel will convene September 29-30, 2004, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, to focus its initial work on nomenclature and terminology.

ANSI was approached by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President to address this area of standardization in support of academics, various industries, the investment community and government agencies that utilize or regulate nanotechnology. According to Dr. John H. Marburger, director of the OSTP, ”As new materials, structures, devices and systems are developed that derive their properties and function due to their nanoscale dimensions, it will become increasingly important to the … stakeholders to have an agreed upon nomenclature with which to communicate.”

To guide the efforts of the ANSI-NSP, a Steering Committee is being formed and will be co-chaired by representatives of government, industry and the academic community. The co-chairs include: Dr. Clayton Teague, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO); Dr. Vicki Colvin, Professor of Chemistry at Rice University and Director of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN); and Dr. David Bishop, Vice President of Nanotechnology Research, Lucent Technologies, and President of the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium.

”Thousands of organizations around the world are pursuing the promise of nanotechnology, and as research and development in this field evolves, stakeholders will be increasingly reliant upon standardization to guide work in this area,” explained ANSI president and CEO Dr. Mark W. Hurwitz. ”ANSI’s experience in bringing together diverse interests for standardization efforts will be very helpful in meeting the needs of the rapidly expanding nanotechnology community.”

The ANSI-NSP is open to all interested parties. ANSI has issued a call to organizations and individuals working or familiar with nanotechnology to consider the opportunity to participate on the panel and its Steering Committee. Information is available on the ANSI website at http://www.ansi.org/nsp. ANSI-NSP co-chairs Dr. Clayton Teague, Dr. Vicki Colvin, and Dr. David Bishop are available for interview opportunities.

ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance global competitiveness and the quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Composed of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations, the ANSI Federation represents the diverse interests of more than 120,000 entities and 3.2 million professionals worldwide.

ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ANSI currently has offices in New York City and Washington, DC.