Jun 24 2008
Applications of nanotechnology to electronics, photonics and renewable energy will be the focus of a joint forum to be held from August 10 to 14, 2009 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. An innovation workshop will also be presented in conjunction with the event.
The 4th Nano and Giga Challenges Symposium and Summer School (NGC2009) and the 14th Canadian Semiconductor Technology Conference (CSTC2009) will bring together two well-established conference series to address grand challenges in nanotechnology. The forum is co-chaired by professors Peter Mascher and John Preston of the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University, Stephen Goodnick, associate vice-president of Arizona State University, and Anatoli Korkin, president of Nano and Giga Solutions, Inc.
More than 500 delegates from over 40 countries are expected to participate. Some 60 renowned technical leaders from top U.S., Canadian and international research centers have already accepted invitations to present their research. Among them are leading scientists from Corning, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, McGill University, McMaster University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Purdue University, Technical University Munich, University of Cambridge, University of Hong Kong, University of Manchester, University of Tokyo and many other leading national, academic and industrial research centers.
"The natural synergy of scientific and technological problems of electronics, photonics and renewable energy based on commonly used materials, such as semiconductors, ceramics and organic polymers will stimulate cross-disciplinary exchanges of ideas and potential solutions," said Dr. Mascher. "Technology and business leaders will be able to accelerate the transfer of ideas from 'lab to fab' and to use the meeting as a convenient way to review new developments and innovations."
The conferences will include tutorial lectures, plenary reviews, group sessions, exhibitions, and satellite workshops. A diversified social program will provide multiple opportunities for information exchange and networking at McMaster University, which borders on Lake Ontario, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Niagara Escarpment.
Innovation at the Edges, a summit workshop for investors and entrepreneurs looking to develop breakthrough technologies, will be led by Rafik Loutfy, director of the Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation at McMaster University and Raouf Loutfy, President of MERC Corporation in Arizona. The workshop will discuss opportunities to commercialize technology, emerging trends and future research directions, moving nanotechnology innovation from the research lab to market, and moving nanotechnology across borders.