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Volpe Center Highlights - September/October 2000

Economic Growth and Trade

Director's Notes | Focus | Safety | Mobility | Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade | National Security | Papers and Presentations

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

Friends of Volpe Discuss Sustaining Transportation Innovation

The eighth conversation session in the new "Friends of Volpe" series was held at the Volpe Center this past summer. The topic of discussion was "MEMS and Nanotechnology." MEMS, or Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, is a relatively new technology that exploits the existing microelectronics infrastructure to create complex machines with micron feature sizes (A micron is one-millionth of a meter.). These machines can have many functions, including sensing, communication, and actuation. Nanotechnology is 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.

Guests at the summer session included: Dr. David Carnahan, NanoLab, Inc.; Dr. Stephen Bart, Microcosm Technologies, Inc.; and Dr. John Lennhoff, Physical Sciences, Inc. Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center, welcomed the participants, and Ms. Kelley S. Coyner, Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration, provided introductory remarks.

Following a discussion of the current work in MEMS and nanotechnology, the group participated in a roundtable discussion. The group discussed applications of MEMS and nanotechnology that hold promise for transportation and the steps that the federal government can take to facilitate the introduction of these technologies in transportation. The group also discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with nanotechnology and transportation.

The Friends of Volpe series, which held its first session in late February, consists of half-day, informal discussion forums on the themes of workforce/education, technology scanning, and security. Sessions that have been held since February include: Building Partnerships in the Academic and Private Sectors; Advances in Automation and Robotics: Prospects for Transportation; Transportation Decision Making; The Importance of Information Assurance/ Information Security and its Place in the Cyber Age; New Ideas in Workforce Training, and Current Issues in GPS; Sustaining Transportation Innovation; and Marine Safety, Port Security, and Security Awareness and Education.

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