editorial

Separated at Birth

by John G. Falcioni, Editor-In-Chief

What struck me most about Arun Majumdar, when we first met over dinner some years ago, was his affability. If you're an expert in a new and exciting field, aloofness can creep in. Through the years, however, Majumdar has been one of my most amiable contacts.

My guess is that his personality has served Majumdar well, as he's in the delicate role of delving into a hot new area— nanotechnology—while still working in what could hardly be termed a mature field—microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS. While some proponents of MEMS will argue that this technology is commercialized and viable and the nano world is still finding its way, Majumdar balances the merits of each, without getting caught in the middle of a turf war.

It's difficult to make a case that one of these technologies is better than the other, since the two are, by birthright, intertwined.

Majumdar and his co-author, Steven L. Girshick, in this issue of Nanotechnology, make a compelling case to integrate nanoscience and engineering concepts into existing undergraduate curricula. A notable result would be better integration across scales: macro, micro, and nano. And—old differences between engineering and science notwithstanding—it would behoove them both to get together.

Far Out, or Well Grounded? by Jeffrey Winters, Supplement Editor

I might as well admit it: i am obsessed with the idea of infinitesimal robots building objects from molecule-size parts. But is that really feasible? No one can honestly say. Forty years ago, it seemed intuitive that mankind would boldly go into outer space, colonize Mars, adventure toward the stars. And that is the essential uncertainty with nanotechnology. Will articles about the future of nanotechnology seem as quaint, forty years on, as the stories in a 1950s issue of Collier's outlining our upcoming conquest of space? I think they won't. Work in the nanoscale is grounded in the real world and real problems. As one example, pharmaceutical companies are designing and creating nanostructured products that can deliver drugs and diagnose illnesses better than conventional products can. As Cindy H. Dubin reports in this issue, these new nanoproducts—some of which will be reaching pharmacies soon—may revolutionize medical care. Indeed, it may not be a question of impact, but of who will be doing the innovating. Chemical and electrical engineers have made obvious claims on this turf, but Steven L. Girshick and Arun Majumdar explain in "Engineering Without Limit" that mechanical engineers ought to feel at home on the nanoscale frontier. Much of the work required to turn interesting physical properties into commercial products is done on the macroscale by MEs. Their talents in this regard will be of use at smaller scales as well. That makes intuitive sense. Who better to make the nanorobots of my dreams than the folks who already make industrial machines in the here and now?

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