Nanotechnology and Idaho
This morning I listened to the webcast, Nanotechnology: Will It Drive a New Innovation Economy for the U.S.?, presented at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
On pages 21 & 22 of the slide presentation they showed two sets of graphics: “New nanotechnology-based firms in the US (NNBFs)” & “Emerging US Nanodistricts,” respectively. While Idaho shows up on the former, as of now, there are no areas within the state that qualify as “nanodistricts” – at least by the author’s definition.
These slides reminded me of the Innovation Business Directory published by the Idaho Department of Commerce. According to the latest version (Oct. 2008), there are 15 companies and 4 universities & research institutes that perform nanotechnology-related work within the state. While this is a good start, I’m hopeful that Idaho will be able to incubate and continue to grow its nanotechnology industry in the upcoming years.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve had an interest – personally and professionally – in nanotechnology for several years. With respect to the latter, as a human factors and ergonomics professional, I look forward to working with local companies by applying knowledge from the emerging field of nanoergonomics to assist with developing potential new technologies that enhance safety, human performance, and satisfaction.
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A Tribute to David Meister, Ph.D.
Three years ago today, Dr. David Meister, a most influential voice in the human factors and ergonomics community, passed away. A few of Dr. Meister’s professional accomplishments include being president of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (then the Human Factors Society) from 1974-1975, one of the founders of the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, and publisher of numerous books and journal articles.
I had the pleasure of meeting and spending a few moments talking with him at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the HFES in Houston, Texas. It’s hard to express what profound effect this interaction had on me as a graduate student still trying to determine if I wanted to further my educational pursuits or not. While there, I was also able to purchase his recently published book, The History of Human Factors and Ergonomics, and have it personally autographed. To this day, it remains a prized treasure in my book collection.
While there have been several luminaries in the field of human factors and ergonomics, Dr. Meister’s contributions toward the philosophy and history of the discipline puts him in a class all his own.
In case you’re interested, a more thorough biography of his life can be found at Ergoweb.
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