'Science Cafe' offers a look at tiny tech

Nanoscience, the science of modifying material at the atomic level, has captivated public interest with recent movies like "G.I. Joe" and "Spider-Man 2" using the small-scale technology to create supervillians with terrifying control. But at the Nanoworld Science Café at Red 9 on July 22, a crowd gathered to learn of the practical applications of nanotechonology, the impact of which might rival science fiction.
For something so small, literally meaning one-billionth, the expectations are great. To demonstrate the size of a nanometer, one-billionth of a meter, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. But scientists are counting on nanoscience to dramatically change the world, from information technology, energy, medicine and even something as radical as a space elevator, something that would dramatically alter space travel.
When an audience member asked a question raising the concerns of this technology to develop a mind of its own, to go out of control, Dr. Christian Binek responded by saying the science is not there yet.
"If I was being cynical, I would say I wish we were there yet, because that's, in a sense, without these things going crazy, that's really what you are aiming for, right? A functional device," Binek said.
"If that is really possible and we have these blood streams science fiction technologies at hand, some people argue... that the days of dying will be over because you can fix these things," Binek said. "But we are completely not there yet, we build little cobalt nanoparticles and are excited about that."
Binek said there is a lot of responsibility in developing these new technologies, and that is something scientists take very seriously.
"There's a difference between scientists and technology and trying these things and reasons to apply them," Binek said. "To a large extent what we are interested in these things is to understand them."
Binek listed the example of nuclear research. The goal of science is to understand the nuclei of atoms, which opens the door for nuclear power, but also for nuclear weapons.
"We have to be aware of the potential risks," Binek said.
But currently, nanoparticles are being used in things like sunscreens, packaging materials, ski waxes and stain-resistant pants. They are desirable for these things because they can exhibit properties of transparency, increased strength and self-cleaning. When objects are on a nanoscale (below 100 nanometers in size), they exhibit unexpected chemical and physical properties such as remarkably lower resistance to electricity, or faster chemical reactions, according to the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN).
Founded in 1988, The NCMN is part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, one of the nation's highest-priority programs, and at the forefront of research. Binek and more than 75 other research scientists in physics, chemistry, electrical engeineering, mechanical engineering, and other nanoscience areas are supported through the center.
The Nanoworld Science Café was mostly an explanation of what nanoscience is and the potential it has, through slides and even a rock'n'roll demonstration of how the particles behave using fire and an electric guitar. By using some scientific jargon but also including explanations, the audience was able to obtain a more clear understanding of where nanoscience is now.
The audience at the discussion were mainly scientists and experts in their fields, even prompting jokes from Binek saying, "We have plenty of experts here... who is in the lab, by the way?" Out of the 100-150 people at the session, there was a disproportionate amount of glasses and nerdy laughs in response to jokes about research funding and salaries. But there were also young students and older couples who came to the discussion just to learn about the technology with so much hype and to separate fact from fiction.
"We are not able, at all, to solve all the problems, but we provide tools and what they do with that is the responsibility of you guys," Binek said.
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