Jan 15 2008
The ETC Group international graphic design competition to design a nanotechnology hazard symbol has now closed and the entries will shortly be voted upon. Taking a lead from the universal warning symbols for hazards like biotechnology, nuclear power, toxic chemicals and electromagnetic radiation the goal is to develop an instantly recognisable symbol.
Entries will be judged by a panel of eminent judges convened by the ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion Technology and Concentration). These judges include Dr. Vyvyan Howard (Editor of the Journal of Nanotoxicity), Dr. Gregor Wolbring (Affilliated scholar Center for Nanotechnology and Society at Arizona State University, USA), Chee Yoke Ling (Third World Network), Claire Pentecost (Associate Professor and Chair of the Photography Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Rory O'Neill (Editor of Hazards magazine) and Dr. Alexis Vlandas (Nanotechnology Spokesperson for International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility). Entries will also be judged by participants at the World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 20-25 January 2007.
The winning entry will be submitted to international standard-setting bodies responsible for hazard characterisation, to international governmental organisations and to national governments as a proposed symbol for nanotechnology hazards.
A gallery of entries submitted are available here: http://www.etcgroup.org/gallery2/v/nanohazard/.