FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153
 

Marshall professor part of U.S. delegation that attended
inaugural ISO meeting on nanotechnology in London

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dr. Ashok Vaseashta, a Marshall University College of Science professor, attended the inaugural meeting of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 229, which focuses on nanotechnology, Nov. 9-11 in London.

Nanotechnology is the creation and utilization of reduced dimensional materials, structures, devices and systems with novel properties and functions that are achieved through the control of matter, atom-by-atom, molecule-by-molecule, at or below the micromolecular level.

Vaseashta said nanotechnology is a multi-disciplinary research endeavor demonstrating great potential across many traditional fields of application.

“Development of international standards will have an important function in facilitating the beneficial use of nanotechnology and in helping achieve its full potential, the transition to commercialization, and public acceptance of nanotechnology-based products,” he said.

Vaseashta participated in the London meeting as a member of an impressive U.S. delegation that included representatives of industry, government, academia and the legal profession. According to the committee’s scope, ISO/TC 229 will produce standards for classification, terminology and nomenclature, basic metrology, calibration and certification, and environmental issues related to nanotechnology.

It also will develop standardized test methods that will focus on physical, chemical, structural and biological properties of materials or devices whose performance is critically dependent on one or more dimensions of less than 100 nanometers.

The British Standards Institute (BSI)  served as host of the inaugural meeting, which was attended by 22 national delegations from throughout the world, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. The BSI will serve as the chair and secretariat of the new committee of standards.

The U.S. delegation secured a unique position on a key formative task force on health, safety and the environment. “This opportunity will provide the U.S. with a key role in the development of standards,” Vaseashta said.

The American delegation represents the American National Standards Institute or ANSI. “The combination of excellent leadership, active participation by a broad base of nanotechnology experts, and ANSI’s collective expertise ensured that the U.S. was able to successfully assume the international leadership role set as a goal at the onset of this activity just earlier this year,” ANSI president and CEO Mark W. Hurwitz said.

Vaseashta is a leading advocate of nanotechnology and often is invited for lectures and seminars across the globe. Earlier this semester he was invited by the students of the universities in Lithuania to give an invited talk on “Nanostructured Materials Based Devices and Sensors” at their annual International Summer School conference in Palanga, Lithuania.

He also was invited to present a talk at the First International Workshop on Semiconductor Nanocrystals held in Budapest, Hungary. Both meetings were organized under the European Union’s Framework Program (FP6) for Research and Technological Development.

Vaseashta serves as a liaison for Eastern European students for Marshall’s Center for International Programs.

“Since coming to Marshall, Dr. Vaseashta has launched numerous international collaborations and secured grants and funding for various research projects,” Dr. Clark Egnor, director of the Center for International Programs, said. “Since he often involves his undergraduate and graduate students in his international research collaborations, Dr. Vaseashta is making significant contributions to our international efforts by ensuring that Marshall graduates are prepared to live and work in a global environment.”

For more information, persons may contact Vaseashta at Vaseashta@marshall.edu.

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