Anna Marks Week 9 Nanotechnology

This week’s lecture was very interesting despite the time constraint. I know very little about nanotechnology and it was fascinating to learn about the connection between the art and science of nanotechnology. Lectures like this make me happy I took this course because I probably never would have been exposed to this information otherwise. Because this week’s topic was cut short into one lecture, I decided to research nanotechnology on my own. I discovered that nanotechnology is “anything smaller than microtechnology.” Another alternate term that was recently adopted was zettatechnology. Many things are produced with the use of nanotechnology and two of the main things are small machines and computers, and regular objects that are produced with the use of nanoscaled systems and materials, making it exact and very specific. This is very useful in the world because it allows for machines and other products to be even more carefully created and make things more precise. An interesting product that has been used and created thanks to nanotechnology is the nanocomposite, which is used in some cars like the GM safari and the Astro Vans. They “generate improvements in strength and reductions in weight” and allow the car to reduce its fuel use and increase the longevity. It lowers the weight of the materials used and makes them more durable.
Here’s a website that provides more information about nanotechnology:
http://www.nanotech-now.com/current-uses.htm
I really enjoyed the guest lecturer this week. Professor James Gimzewski was nothing like I expected and he seemed very pessimistic about the world and the future. After stating that 95% of all research and science is “crap” I was in shock because I previously believed that all research produces some useful information, and I thought it was very odd that he would argue this point. However, I enjoyed how he had collaborated with Professor Vesna on some of her projects and I think that the research and products that he does do have a great impact on science. I was especially fascinated with the butterfly project he was working on, and I completely enjoyed the story and anecdotes that went along with it.