Volpe Center: Volpe Center Highlights

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Volpe Center Highlights - November/December 2000

Economic Growth and Trade

Advance America's economic growth and competitiveness domestically and internationally through efficient and flexible transportation.

Volpe Staff Member Moderates Panel on Nanotechnology

On September 28, 2000, Ms. Annalynn Lacombe of the Transportation Strategic Planning and Analysis Office moderated a panel on the social, ethical, and legal implications of nanotechnology at a National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop titled "Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology." The workshop was held in Roslyn, Virginia, under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), an interagency effort that supports nanotechnology research in a number of federal agencies. Among the participants on the panel were Dr. Edward Tenner from Princeton University, author of Why Things Bite Back; Dr. Viola Vogel, Director of the Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Washington; Dr. Vivian Weil from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions; and Dr. Daniel Sarewitz from the Center for Science, Policy, and Outcomes at Columbia University.

Nanotechnology--the building of devices and materials at the level of atoms and molecules and the exploitation of the new and improved properties at this scale--is leading to fundamental scientific advances and dramatic changes in the ways that materials, devices, and systems are understood and created. Among the potential breakthroughs in transportation are lighter, safer, and more efficient cars; "smart" infrastructure materials that monitor their own condition and repair any defects; and tiny sensors for detecting chemical and biological weapons at airports and other transportation facilities.

The study of nanotechnology's societal implications is an integral part of the NNI. Among the conclusions at the NSF workshop were:

Nanotechnology will affect society in many ways, some not intended by those who develop it. Those unintended consequences could be beneficial, such as spin-off technologies, or may involve disruptions, such as economic dislocations or job shifts.
Nanotechnology will develop through a complex interplay of technical and socioeconomic factors. Social science research can identify, and to some extent anticipate, societal bottlenecks and successful investment strategies, with valuable insights into factors that promote or retard innovation and its diffusion.
Of utmost importance is the consideration of ethical issues connected with nanotechnology's development. Such work must involve both social scientists and the larger community while protecting technical creativity and the innovative spirit.
The capability of our educational institutions is a concern: the current educational system may not be prepared to provide the interdisciplinary scientific training and practical experience needed by the future generation of nanotechnologists.
At present, we do not have the institutional infrastructure required to organize and support research on the societal implications of nanotechnology. However, researchers could apply a number of existing research approaches and methodologies.

Volpe Hosts Visiting Japanese Delegation

On October 30, 2000, Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center; Dr. Frank Tung, Deputy Director of the Volpe Center; and Mr. Gary Ritter, Acting Chief of the Policy and Technology Analysis Division, hosted a delegation of Japanese visitors for an informal technical exchange. The visit was initiated by Dr. Ichiro Nakahori, President of Sohatsu Systems Laboratory, Inc., who had visited the Center several years ago when he was a visiting researcher under Dr. Ichiro Masaki of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The visitors were in the Boston area to attend a technical conference on tunnels.

Among the members of the Japanese delegation were Mr. Hisaharu Tottori, Equipment Manager of Hanshin Highway Company; Mr. Nobuyoshi Kawabata, Professor with the Mechanical Engineering Department at Fukui University; and Mr. Takuji Ishikawa, Associate Professor with the Mechanical Engineering Department at Fukui University. Participants from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology included Dr. Ichiro Masaki and Mr. Ichiro Mizunuma, a visiting researcher. Other attendees included Mr. Dan Wood, Federal Highway Administration Massachusetts Division; and Mr. Sergiu Luchian, Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

The agenda for the visit included several technical presentations. After Dr. John welcomed the delegation and provided an overview of the Volpe Center, Mr. Nakahori discussed a 3-D computer graphics simulator for a visual effect of road tunnel ventilation control. Mr. Ishikawa and Mr. Tottori discussed backlayering characteristics of thermal flames during tunnel fires in the Hansin Expressway. Mr. Kawabata presented a simulation of the behavior of smoke from fires in a ventilated tunnel. Mr. Luchian discussed the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project.

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