Cafe crowd soaks up nanotech knowledge

In a setting where 'there are no stupid questions,' regular people think about real science

DURHAM -- Michael Falvo rose from his chair on a rainy Thursday night at the Broad Street Cafe, and a palpable eagerness spread through the crowd.

Nearly three dozen people had packed into the coffee house and watering hole in west Durham to sip beer, munch on hors d'oeuvres and wax scientific.

Falvo was half the entertainment for the evening.

The physicist at UNC-Chapel Hill was not about to burst into song, dance or his latest comedy routine. For the next 15 minutes he would give a lesson in nanoscience and nanotechnology that even the simplest of minds could grasp.

The Museum of Life and Science and the Duke University chapter of Sigma Xi, a scientific research society, were holding a Science Cafe on nanotechnology.

Science Cafes, or Cafes Scientifiques, as people with a French flourish might call them, have been sweeping the country for several years as a way to bring science out of laboratory settings and into the masses.

"It's kind of an anti-lecture," Troy Livingston, vice president for innovation and learning at the Museum of Life and Science, told all gathered for the event. "There are no stupid questions here."

At the Durham event, Falvo explained that researchers can break materials down into particles so small that they can focus on one tiny atom. The technology makes it possible to move atoms around and study different configurations.

Physicians might one day be able to use the technology to build tiny machines that can be inserted into the body to deliver time-released drugs to targeted areas.

But because the nanotechnology field is so new, people are not only looking at the potential benefits, but also the potential risks of manipulating atoms.

Hope Shand, research director at the Carrboro office of the Ottawa-based Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, tried to move the audience beyond the marvel stage and discuss "the small matter of great concern."

In her 15 minutes, Shand spoke of a largely unregulated industry.

In recent months, there has been much focus on the potential risks of nanotechnology and questions about the public awareness of using nano-engineered cosmetics and other products already on the market.

The two speakers offered heady stuff for a bunch of men and women sitting around sipping beer.

Then a tough question was posed:

"Given the potential benefits as well as the unknown risks associated with nanotechnology, who should play the major role in shaping its future development and the government policies concerning its use?"

For at least 15 minutes, small groups of men and women -- and two children -- debated whether the experts, watchdogs or the public should lead the way. There was talk about mad scientists, myopic public interest groups and greedy corporations.

In the end, no easy answers emerged, but participants were charged with new energy.

"Isn't this just fascinating," said George Small, an engineer for the Town of Chapel Hill.