Jan 26 2009
WMHT Educational Telecommunications ("WMHT") and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering ("CNSE") of the University at Albany today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind segment to air on the statewide "New York Now" PBS television program that will highlight the growing impact of nanotechnology on society.
"Report from the NanoDesk," which is produced and hosted by WMHT's Susan Arbetter and debuts on Friday, January 30, will examine the public policy implications of the technology advances being enabled by nanotechnology - described by the National Nanotechnology Initiative as "leading to the next Industrial Revolution" - through the resource of the pioneering educational curriculum and innovative research and development at the UAlbany NanoCollege, ranked by Small Times magazine as the world's number one college for nanotechnology.
Monthly segments will include interviews with CNSE's executives and faculty, as well as video from inside the cleanrooms of CNSE's $4.5 billion Albany NanoTech Complex, the most advanced research enterprise at any university in the world. Guests from a variety of sectors will then discuss the public policy impact of those technologies on critical areas of society - from energy and the environment to education and health care, among others - in what is believed to be the first television segment to highlight the influence of innovative nanoscale technologies on public policy.
WMHT General Manager Robert Altman said, "It is a pleasure for WMHT Educational Telecommunications to work with a world-renowned institution located right here in New York State, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, to present ‘Report from the NanoDesk.' We look forward to a segment that will be as unique as it is important in today's ever-changing, high-technology society, and one that fits perfectly with the mission of ‘New York Now' to feature public policy issues that will have an impact on all New Yorkers."
CNSE Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros said, "The UAlbany NanoCollege is delighted to work in partnership with WMHT Educational Telecommunications to offer a thoughtful and groundbreaking program that will serve to educate New Yorkers about the promise and potential of nanotechnology to address the most critical issues facing society in the 21st century. At the same time, residents can take pride in knowing that through the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, New York State has gained global recognition as a home for pioneering education and cutting-edge research and development in nanoscale technologies, attracting high-paying, high-tech jobs, leading global companies and unmatched public and private investment."
"New York Now," which is New York State's number one in-depth public affairs program featuring news, interviews and analysis from the Capital, has been recognized in the past year with the Edward R. Murrow Award and the National Educational Telecommunications Association ("NETA") Award for Best News and Public Affairs Program.
Aside from its home on WMHT in the Greater Capital Region, "New York Now" is also available on the following stations: WNET, New York City; WNED, Buffalo and Toronto; WXXI, Rochester; WCNY, Syracuse; WPBS, Watertown; WSKG, Binghamton; WLIW, Long Island and Mountain Lake Public Broadcasting, Plattsburgh.