Nano in Your Coffee?

Not really. Or, at least, not yet anyway.

That headline is just a reference to the poster (left) for a series of "Nano Cafés" -- public discussions about the integration of nanotechnology into our society -- being held in Madison, Wisconsin.

From a story at WorldChanging.com:

Nano Cafés are one way to democratize nanotechnology in order to escape the rancor around nuclear power and genetic engineering. But unlike these technologies that opened to public discussion after their course was set, the public has a chance to steer nanotech in its earliest stages. Early discussions will be essential to accelerate the delivery of the most vital applications and duck the worst risks of a technology that may become as influential to the 21st century as automobiles were to the 20th.

Although these particular discussions do not seem to be focused on advanced generation nanotech (molecular manufacturing), they are a useful example of how to involve citizens in decision-making about pervasive technologies.

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog