SENCER

NANOTECHNOLOGY:
CONTENT & CONTEXT
KRISTEN KULINOWSKI
AND CHRISTOPHER KELTY
(RICE UNIVERSITY)

The SENCER Model Series 2005

NOTE: Links to other documents and URL’s are highlighted in yellow.

INTRODUCTION TO THE SENCER MODELS 2005:

A key element of the SENCER program’s national strategy has been the selection
and dissemination of “model” courses that connect science education and complex
civic issues. These courses have been selected because we feel they are
outstanding courses that exemplify the “SENCER Ideals.” They have also been
chosen because they embody the standards and principles of good educational
practice set forth by others with a strong stake in improving education, including the
“Principles of Learning” developed by the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the “Learner-Centered Psychological Principles” of the
American Psychological Association, and the recommendations of the Committee
on Undergraduate Science Education of the National Research Council. In
SENCER’s first three years we featured twelve models, and one “emerging” model
developed by an institutional team as part of their participation in the SENCER
program. These courses addressed topics as varied as HIV disease and
Tuberculosis, bird migration, energy use, natural catastrophes, water quality, the
geology of Africa, human genetics, nutrition, toxic brownfields, forensics, fossil fuels,
and global warming. In this, the fifth year of the program, we are pleased to feature
four innovative courses or programs, all of which were developed by faculty
participating in the SENCER project. These new models include courses that teach
chemistry through the problems of malnutrition and diabetes, and explore the
science content and the civic challenges presented by nanotechnology, the Hampton
River, and a superfund site in California. All of these courses represent a range of
disciplines, instructional approaches, class formats, institutional settings, and
degrees of formality. It is also important to note that these are models of more than
just single courses. They are also models of writing across-the curriculum,
interdisciplinarity, learning communities, team-teaching, undergraduate research and
other pedagogical innovations within higher education. For all their variety, the
models share important common characteristics. Each reflects considerable thought
and planning. Each course foregrounds intentional pedagogical practice. Each can
demonstrate successful learning outcomes for a diverse set of learners. Each has
undergone a process of continuous development and improvement. Like all good
courses, they represent works-in-progress, and the same could be said of the
models series itself.

As in prior years, to guarantee the maximum accessibility, the models have been
formatted primarily for electronic, rather than print, dissemination and both CD-ROM
and Web versions are offered as downloadable PDF files. The other significant
change has been in the framing and organization of the models. In response to
feedback we collected during the first year, the model developers have been asked
to present their courses using the framework and categories of a typical faculty
“course portfolio.” This has meant that the model developers were asked to reflect in
greater detail on the relationship of their course to the overall curriculum, the
general education program, and other academic goals and priorities at their specific

2
colleges and universities. We hope that this framing of the models will not only be
informative, but that it will also “model” strategies of course presentation that faculty
can use to make the strongest possible case for the value of their work to their
institutions.

In putting their work before their peers, the creators of these courses are
themselves civically engaged. In their willingness to offer their work to colleagues
for review, they have exposed themselves to possible challenges and criticism, but
they have also provided important leadership in the effort to improve science
learning. The success of these courses in their respective institutions provides
powerful evidence that curricular innovation can lead to significant gains in student
learning, especially for those who are not majoring in STEM fields. We are deeply
grateful to the authors of these models for their generosity and their enthusiasm as
they work with the participants of the SENCER Summer Institutes, as well as with
others who share the goal of encouraging students to both learn more science, and
engage more fully in the pressing civic problems of our time. We anticipate
publishing over 25 SENCER models during this first phase of the project. However
we are well aware that the courses we have featured are just a few of the hundreds
of courses and programs that could be considered models of the SENCER
approach. We plan to construct a Web-based, searchable database of courses and
programs that embrace SENCER ideals, achieve both educational and civic goals,
and have real heuristic value for faculty and we strongly encourage you to nominate
courses for inclusion in this group. We need your criticism, feedback and
suggestions on how we can improve the model series, but more importantly we
need you to help us identify the outstanding courses and programs that will become
next year’s SENCER models. I look forward to hearing from you in the year ahead.

Eliza Jane Reilly

Editor, SENCER Model Series

Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science
Foundation’s Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program
under grant DUE-0088753.

3
 Nanotechnology: Content and Context (Anthropology 235/Chemistry
235) as taught by Christopher Kelty and Kristen Kulinowski at Rice
University

Course URL: http://kelty.rice.edu/235/

Why is this course a SENCER model?............................................................ 5

What is the role of the course in your institution's undergraduate

curriculum?.........................................................................................................8

Internal and External Funding……………………………………………………...9

Evaluation and Assessment………………………………………………………...9

The Course……………………………………………………………………………10

4
 Why is this course a SENCER model?
The course explores both the substance of
nanoscience and nanotechnology and the
social/cultural aspects and implications of it.
Nanotechnology (NT) research has been the
beneficiary of a level of government funding not seen
since the Manhattan Project and the moon-shot
program. Such generous and focused funding has
attracted the attention of both enthusiasts and
skeptics, each of whom could influence the
technology’s future trajectory. Advocates generate public support and draw
students into the field by touting the new technology’s societal benefits, which
may include the ability to enhance human performance, transform manufacturing,
provide cheap, clean energy, and shrink computers to nanoscopic dimensions.
However, enthusiastic claims can also serve to create outsized expectations that
may be difficult to meet in the near-term. Some critics raise legitimate concerns
about unintended negative consequences, such as the technology’s potential to
cause disease or social disruption, which could influence applications developers
and policy makers to develop practices and policies that avoid these problems.
Even more adamant critics attract media attention by instilling fear and
undermining public confidence in NT with unlikely doomsday scenarios.
Because so many of nanotechnologies benefits and consequences are still
unrealized, it offers rich opportunities for both science learning and civic
reflection. Distinguishing the actual fact from the speculative images, and the
possible technologies from the improbable outcomes, requires a technical
understanding of NT. Sorting out and responsibly evaluating the concerns about
social disruption or inequity requires understanding scientific and technical
research as a social and political process. By combining these skills in the
classroom we hope to cultivate a critical and civil discussion of science and
technology in an emerging field amongst a younger generation. This project
combines the content of NT, (e.g.., the methods of visualization, experimentation,
manufacture, and the evaluation of what is and is not technically feasible) with
the social context of NT (issues of ethics, regulation, risk assessment, history,
funding, intellectual property, controversy and conflict). We target a broad range
of students because today’s undergraduates are tomorrow’s producers and
consumers of NT applications. They will also become the civic leaders,
regulators or policy makers that will influence NT’s future trajectory.

5
What capacious civic questions or problems are addressed in the course
and how are they linked to the science content?

Course Theme Scientific Content Policy/Social Context

The Future of NT and our energy future; Portrayal of NT in
Nanotechnology Scientific grant proposals on NT popular culture;
writings of NT’s
critics/skeptics
Scale, Scientific method; mathematical History of microscopy;
Measurement and representations of scale; bottom- philosophical
Manufacture up synthesis of (carbon-based) implications o f
nanomaterials visualization
Machines and Nanomachines, nanowires, Science funding,
Money quantum dots, piezoelectric and intellectual property
photovoltaic nanomaterials;
manipulation and transport of
nanoscale materials using force
microscopy
Life and How to Natural biomotors; applications of Parallels to
Change It nanotechnology to medicine biotechnology,
patenting life forms;
posthumanism
Environment and Applications of nanotechnology to Role of regulation in
Risk solve environmental problems; controlling the
environmental fate, transport and nanotech future; hype
transformation of nanomaterials; vs. fear in public
cytotoxicity, ecotoxicity, and other discourse
hazards

6
What teaching and learning strategies are used to connect the science
content to the civic context?
Glossaries: Each week, students submit a one-page definition of two technical
terms from the readings and class discussions such that by the end of the
course, each student has produced a glossary of 30 concepts specific to NT. The
glossary entries are graded for technical accuracy and articulation of social
context.
Quizzes: A brief quiz is administered at the end of each theme to assess the
students’ understanding of the content of that theme. Students are given a set of
mandatory questions, which address both content and context, and asked to
choose from among several other questions. In this way, no student avoids being
assessed on material from the less familiar aspect of the course (i.e., science
student must answer questions about social aspects and vice versa), yet they get
a chance to play to their strengths.
Role-play exercise: This capstone experience requires the student to adopt the
role of an actor in society, research the likely viewpoint of that actor with respect
to a scenario involving the potential impact of nanotechnology on a local
community, and articulate that viewpoint through written and oral testimony at a
city council meeting. Students are assessed on the depth of their research, as
well as the clarity and impact of their appeals.
Web Site: The course’s Web Site (http://kelty.rice.edu/235/ ) features news
items, articles, and other interesting links that relate to nanotechnology, an
electronic discussion list, and an e-bulletin board. All class materials, including
many of the course readings, are available through the site.
Participation: Preparation for, and involvement in, classroom discussion and
experimental activities are a significant portion of the student’s grade.

7
 What is the role of the course in your institution's
undergraduate curriculum?

Rice University is a private, research institution with

a highly-selective undergraduate program. The
Nanotechnology course has no prerequisites and is
targeted toward first- and second-year students from
any discipline. It is designed for a mix of science and
non-science majors in order to promote cross-
disciplinary discussions. A major attraction of the
course for undergraduates is that the course is
cross-listed in the chemistry and anthropology
departments and it satisfies general education requirements for both science and
non-science majors. Students majoring in social science or humanities
disciplines can have the class counted toward their Group III science distribution
requirement; science and engineering students can have the class counted
toward their Group II social science distribution requirement. This provides a
compelling incentive to take the class for the many Rice students whose required
curricula leave little room for elective courses. The course does not fulfill
requirements for any major.

8
Internal and External Funding

This course and website were developed as part of work supported by the
National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC-0407237.

Evaluation and Assessment Strategies

Student achievement is assessed through a variety of assignments and tests,

including quizzes, writings assignments, attendance and participation,
performance in a role-playing exercise, and the creation of their individual
“glossary.” In addition to the standard course evaluation process, students are
also required to participate in “pre” and “post” versions of the on-line SENCER
SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains).

9
 The Course
Faculty
Syllabus
Assignments
Readings

Who Created The Course?

Christopher Kelty (CV)

Kristen Kulinowski (CV)

10
Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

Nanotechnology: Content and Context

(Chemistry 235/Anthropology 235)
Instructors: Christopher Kelty and Kristen Kulinowski

Guest Instructors: David Caprette, Vicki Colvin, Hannah Landecker, Kevin Kelly, Anne
Papakonstantinou, Matteo Pasquali, and Robert Raphael

TA: Eric Baum

Website: http://kelty.rice.edu/235/ (Check here for all updates and readings!)

Meeting Time: T/TR 9:25 to 10:50

Place: Baker 102

Offices and Office Hours:

Kulinowski: Butcher Hall 146 (tbd, by appt)

Kelty: Sewall Hall 580 Tues 11-12:30 or by appt.

Baum: (tbd, by appt.)

Overview
Prerequisites: None.

The goal of "Nanotechnology: Context and Content" is to teach you some basic
nanoscience/nanotechnology by putting it in a social and cultural context. Students are expected
to learn both some basic science and technology and at the same time, some techniques for
understanding the social and cultural significance, role, and possible effects of this emerging
science. Students from from all majors are encouraged to take this class. In addition, students are
expected to assist each other in learning and discussing the content and the context, and to
maintain respect for both the scientific and the social and cultural approaches.

The class is designed for, but not necessarily restricted to, freshlings and sophmores.

Two main instructors (Drs. Kelty and Kulinowski) will coordinate the class, and 6 other instructors
have been invited to teach in particular weeks. This means students should be prepared for a bit of
a roller-coaster ride of different topics and questions, but with the underying goal of teaching
science and technology by looking at it in context. Be prepared to learn diverse things from people
with different teaching styles. This also means that attendance is mandatory, since there will be no
way to "make up" the lectures given by our guests.

You can receive either Group II or Group III distribution credit from this course (but not both!). For
Group II Credit, sign up for Anth 235; for Group III credit, sign up for Chem 235.
1
Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

Just in case it is not obvious: you need to complete ALL of the work in the class to receive credit
for the course.

Labs
There will be occasional labs, conducted during class time. You are required to attend these labs.

Study Sessions
Study sessions are optional and will be organized on an ad hoc basis as needed.

Readings and other Resources

Required Books:

Required Books are either available at the Campus Bookstore, or from your favorite book retailer.

Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by Ratner and Ratner.

Prey by Michael Crichton

Other Required Readings:

All other required readings will be listed on the website. These readings are either available
online, or made available through Electronic Course reserves at Rice University.

Grading
Quizzes and writing assignments: 40%

Because there are multiple instructors in the course, there will also be multiple forms of testing
and writing. For most of the "content" weeks, these will take-home quizzes on the material
covered; for the "context" weeks, they will be writing assignments of some kind. All students are
expected to take (and hopefully pass!) all of the assignments.

Attendance and Participation in Discussion: 20%

All students are expected to attend all classes, and demonstrate engagement with the material
through discussion, questions and interaction with each other and with the invited lecturers. Drs.
Kelty and Kulinowski will assess student participation case by case.

Glossary: 20%

Each Tuesday, students will hand in a "glossary entry" which explains the significance of some
concept or term from the previous week.

2
 Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

Semester-end Role Playing Exercise: 20%

An end of semester mock debate, in which students are expected to learn specific roles and play
them out in class.

Honor Code and Plagiarism

Quizzes and Writing Assignments are expected to be the student's own work. We will make clear
before each one, whether it is timed, open/closed book, or involves other restrictions.

Glossary entries must clearly indicate sources, when used, using proper citation (if you don't
know, ask!). Glossary entries are expected to be the student's own orginal work.

The Role Playing assignment will involve students working together in groups. Any written
components may be done collaboratively, but again, all referenced sources must be properly
cited.

Student Assessment of Learning Gains

The student assessment of Learning Gains is a survey. It is required of all students, but will have no
effect on your grade or standing in the class.

All students must fill out the pre-course survey, which can be found here:
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/salgains/stu/default.asp

Course ID: 110

Course Password: rice235
Student ID:

Student ID is your Rice username. So if your email address is hello@rice.edu, then your username
is hello.

The data you enter will only be used by Rice faculty in the aggregate. Individual responses will not
be matched to student identities. Please be honest in your assessments of yourself and the course.

Course Schedule
(Note: This schedule is tentative Check http://kelty.rice.edu/235/syllabus.html for latest
schedule)

Reading/assignments
Dat
Topic Instructor (to be completed by Additional info
e
this date)
Aug. Kulinowski/Kelt Purchase a copy of
Introduction Fill out SALG Survey here...
24 y Prey
Aug. Lecture: Intro to Kulinowski Begin reading Prey by
26 Nanoscience and Michael Crichton;
Nanotechnology "Nanotech Facts" from 3
the National
Nanotechnology
Initiative; Feynman
"There's Plenty of
Room at the Bottom"
 Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

26 Nanoscience and Michael Crichton;

Nanotechnology "Nanotech Facts" from
the National
Nanotechnology
Initiative; Feynman
"There's Plenty of
Room at the Bottom"
Discussion: Prey; Assignment #1:
Aug. Kulinowski/Kelt
Futures Bright and Book Review (due in
31 y
Dark class)
Readings: Additional resources:
1) Rick Smalley, "Our Organizations:
Energy Future"; National Nanotechnology
multiple versions Initiativehttp://www.nano.gov/
available on the Foresight Institute
Smalley Group http://www.foresight.org/
website ETC Group
http://smalley.rice.ed http://www.etcgroup.org/ ("The
u/ Big Down" is ETC's report on
The Multiple
Sept 2) K Erik Drexler "An Nanotechnology
Futures of Kelty
.2 overview of The Center for Responsible
Nanotechnology
nanotechnology and Nanotechnology
molecular http://www.crnano.org/index.ht
manufacturing" at ml
Drexler's website
Molecular Corporations:
Engineering CNI Carbon Nanotechnologies
3) Selected Grant Inc. C60
Proposals from Rice Nanospectra biosciences
Faculty members. Zyvex
Please read and
Sept The Scientific
David Caprette prepare this handout
. 7 Method
for class.
Before class, please
preview one of the
following two web
sites which provide
visual journeys of the
powers of ten.
Powers of 10 applet A video copy of the classic film
Mathematical Anne A Question of Scale "Powers of Ten" by Charles and
Sept
Meanings of Scale Papakonstantino Today's class will Ray Eames is available for
.9
and Measurement u focus on the interested students (see Prof.
mathematical Kelty).
concepts of scale and
measurement.
Subsequent class
meetings will make
the connections to
nanotechnology.

4
 Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

Readings:
1) The Golem
The Public
Sept 2) The Golem at Large
Understanding of Kelty
. 14 both availble from
Science
Electronic Course
Reserves (ECR)
Readings:
1) The Social Drama
of Recombinant DNA
(ECR)
2) Drexler and
Smalley Debate
Molecular
Manufacturing in
Sept Debating Science What was Asilomar? If you don't
Kelty Chemical and
. 16 in Public know, you need to find out...
Engineering News
Dec. 1, 2003;
3) Drexler, "Feynman
to Funding" Bulletin of
Science, Technology
and Society 24(21)
2004 (via SAGE
Publications)
Readings:
1) Robert Hooke, "Of
the Schematisme of
Texture of
Sept The History of Cork..."(ECR)
Kelty
. 21 Microscopy 2) Antony van
Leeuwenhoek,
"Observations . . .
Concerning Little
Animals,"(ECR)
Readings:
Sept Visualization: Image and Logic by
Kelty
. 23 Image and Logic Peter Galison pgs 19-
31 (ECR)
Sept Nanomanufacturi Readings: (See Additional Readings: (See
Matteo Pasquali
. 28 ng Readings section...) Readings section...)
Sept Nanomanufacturi Readings: (See
Matteo Pasquali
. 30 ng cont'd Readings section...)
Nanomachines,
Oct.
Nanowires and Kevin Kelly
5
Self-Assembly
Nanomachines,
Oct.
Nanowires and Kevin Kelly
7.
Self-Assembly
Oct. FALL RECESS: NO
12 CLASS
5
 Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Syllabus

Money,
Oct. Intellectual Kulinowski/Kelt
14 Property and y
Funding
Oct. Characterization
Kevin Kelly
19 with Microscopy
Oct. Characterization
Kevin Kelly
21 with Microscopy
Oct. Parallels with Hannah
Readings:
26 Biotechnology Landecker
Parallels with
Oct. Hannah
Biotechnology
28 Landecker
cont'd
Nov Biomotors and
Robert Raphael
. 2 Nanomedicine
Nov Biomotors and
Robert Raphael
. 4 Nanomedicine
Nov Body and
Robert Raphael
. 9 Machine
Nov
Posthumanism Robert Raphael
. 11
Nanotechnology Vicki Colvin
Nov
and The and Kristen
. 16
Environment Kulinowski
Nanotechnology Vicki Colvin
Nov
and The and Kristen
. 18
Environment Kulinowski
Ethics and Politics
Nov of Nanotech:
Kelty
. 23 Interviews with
Scientists
Nov THANKSGIVING:
. 25 NO CLASS
Nov Role Playing
. 30 Exercise
Dec
Last Day of class
.2
Last modified: Mon Aug 23 15:20:56 CDT 2004

6

ABOUT THIS
WEBSITE
This is the class website for
Fall 2004 Rice University
Course "Nanotechnology:
Content and Context (Anth
235/Chem 235). It is co-
taught by Christopher Kelty
(ckelty at rice dot edu) and
Kristen Kulinowski (kk at rice
dot edu) with contributions
from David Caprette, Vicki
Colvin, Hannah Landecker,
Kevin Kelly, Anne
Papakonstantinou, Matteo
Pasquali, and Robert
Raphael. The course explores
both the substance of
nanoscience and
nanotechnology and the
social/cultural aspects and
implications of it. This
course and website are
based upon work supported
by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No.
EEC-0407237.
COPYRIGHT
Except where noted, or used
by permission, All works on
this website are Copyright ©
2004 Christopher M. Kelty
and Kristen Kulinowski. You
are free to reuse it under
the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution/Share
Alike license
. Due: Every Tuesday, In Class
Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Assignments
Home | Readings | Syllabus
Chemistry 235/Anthropology 235
Assignments
Glossary Assignment
Here's a few definitions from the Oxford English Dictionary to get you thinking
about what it means to write a gloss on a term, and to collect those glosses
into a glossary.
gloss, v.
a. trans. To insert glosses or comments on; to comment upon, explain,
interpret
b. intr. To introduce a gloss, comment, or explanation upon a word or passage
in a text. Also in wider sense, to make comments or remarks (esp.
unfavourable ones) upon a person's words or actions.
glossary n.
1. A collection of glosses; a list with explanations of abstruse, antiquated,
dialectal, or technical terms; a partial dictionary. 1696 Phil. Trans. XIX. 264
The Glossary, at the end, is not only an Account of Words and Phrases, but
also an explication of ancient Customs, Laws, and Manners.
Over the semester, students will make a glossary for themselves of terms and
phrases central to each the texts we are reading on nanotechnology, culture
and society: such as buckministerfullerene, molecular manufacturing, risk
perception, posthumanism, convergence, scale effects and so on. The entries
in the glossary should define what these things are, but also elaborate on and
comment on the significance of these things - historically, economically,
culturally, personally.
There must be at least one entry for each week's readings/lectures, and each
entry should be approximately a page long. While the entry should draw on
the reading/lectures, students are encouraged to look around for examples
and illustrations from the world around them.
Illustrating terms is not limited to writing about them, you may use whatever
mode you can think of. This is meant to be a creative exercise in exploring
different orders and modes of definition so that you define terms in your own
way, with your own words or pictures.
Role Playing Assignment
More information later in the semester...
Readings and Quizzes
Assignment #1: Writing a Book Review of Prey
Choose one of the following:
1. You are a science journalist, working for the Houston Chronicle, and
you are assigned to write a review ofPrey for the science section
assessing the scientific content of the novel and/or the representation
 of science in the novel.
2. You are on the Society and Culture beat at the Houston Press, and you
have been assigned to write a review of Prey for a special section
cleverly titled (by your editor) "New Disasters in Fiction." Write a
review assessing the novel's vision of culture and society, and the role
of science in it.

Reviews are 1000 words, they do not contain spoilers, and they do not
summarize the book.
Feel free to use outside sources, as long as you cite them (but beware that
since this is a review, you have limited space to insert quotations).
Here are a handful of reviews of Prey to give you a sense of how others have
reviewed the book:

1. http://nanotech-now.com/Chris-Phoenix/prey-critique.htm
2. http://brodeurbrief.brodeur.com/article.jsp?
articleId=5983&industryId=69
3. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16053
4. http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?
document_id=5196

Due: Aug 31 in Class

 Nanotechnology: Content and Context:: Readings
Home | Syllabus | Assignments

ABOUT THIS Readings for Nanotechnology: Content

WEBSITE
and Context
This is the class website for
(Chemistry 235/Anthropology 235)
Fall 2004 Rice University
Course "Nanotechnology: Books to Buy
Content and Context (Anth
235/Chem 235). It is co-
Buy these books at the bookstore or your favorite online retailer:
taught by Christopher Kelty
(ckelty at rice dot edu) and Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by Mark Ratner
Kristen Kulinowski (kk at rice and Daniel Ratner. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. (information
dot edu) with contributions courtesy of Amazon)
from David Caprette, Vicki
Colvin, Hannah Landecker,
Prey by Michael Crichton, New York: Harper Collins, 2002. (information
courtesy ofAmazon)
Kevin Kelly, Anne
Papakonstantinou, Matteo
Pasquali, and Robert Electronic Course Reserves
Raphael. The course explores
both the substance of Password will be handed out in class
nanoscience and
nanotechnology and the Alan Gross "The Social Drama of Recombinant DNA" in The Rhetoric of
social/cultural aspects and
Science, Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press, 1990.
implications of it. This Robert Hooke, "Of the Schematisme of Texture of Cork and of the Cells and
course and website are Pores of Some other such Frothy Bodies," in
based upon work supported
by the National Science Antony Van Leeuwenhoek, "Observations . . . Concerning Little Animals," in
Foundation under Grant No.
EEC-0407237. Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, The Golem at Large (Introduction, Ch. 6,
Conclusion), Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
COPYRIGHT
Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, The Golem: What you should know about
Except where noted, or used science 2nd ed. (Introduction, Ch. 3, Ch.5 and Conclusion), Cambridge, UK:
by permission, All works on Cambridge University Press.
this website are Copyright ©
Peter Galison, Image and Logic: a material culture of microphysics,
2004 Christopher M. Kelty
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
and Kristen Kulinowski. You
are free to reuse it under
the terms of the Creative Music
Commons Attribution/Share
Alike license Use the same Password as for electronic course reserves
Mr. Bungle, None of them knew they were robots from the album California
.
Mr. Bungle, Golem II - The Bionic Vapor Boy

Other Online readings

Aug. 26
"There's plenty of room at the bottom: An invitation to enter a new field
of Physics" by Richard Feynman. Engineering and Science Magazine February
1960.

Sept. 16
Chapter Ten of David Berubé's book Nanohype

Sept. 21
NANOTECHNOLOGY Drexler and Smalley make the case for and against
'molecular assemblers' Chemical and Engineering News 81 (48) p 37-42.

Sept 28/Sept 30: Matteo Pasquali

Required Reading (accessible to non-science majors)

1. Colbert & Smalley, Past, present, and future of Fullerene Nanotubes:

Buckytubes. Perspectives of Fullerene Nanotechnology, Kluwer, 2002
(historical review on discovery of Nanotubes and synthesis methods)
2. Daenen et al., The wondrous world of Nanotubes. TU Eindhoven, 2003
(review of synthesis methods and applications, written by a group of
undergraduate students as part of a class project)
3. Collins & Avouris, Nanotubes for electronics. Scientific American, p.
62, Dec. 2000 (review and perspective on potential applications of
Carbon Nanotubes; judged their application as superstrong materials as
science fiction)
4. Baughman, Putting a new spin on Carbon Nanotubes. Science, 290, p.
1310, Nov. 2000 (commentary and perspective on the article of Vigolo
et al., published in the same issue of Science. The article demonstrates
a method for making super-strong fibers of Carbon Nanotubes)
5. Goho, Nice threads, Science News, 165, p. 363 (2004) (perspective
article on progress in making macroscopic fibers of SWNTs.)

Additional Reading (more difficult readings)

1. Vigolo et al., Macroscopic fibers and ribbons of oriented Carbon

Nanotubes. Science, 290, p. 1331, Nov. 2000 (first report of the
production of continuous strong fibers of Single-Walled Carbon
Nanotubes)
2. Davis & Pasquali, Macroscopic fibers of Single-Walled Carbon
Nanotubes. Nanoengineering of structural, functional and smart
materials, CRC Press (in press) (review of methods for making fibers of
SWNTs as of mid-2004)

Oct. 5th and Oct 7th: Kevin Kelly

1. Richard Turton, The Quantum Dot, New York, Oxford University Press,
1995. Chapters 1 and 2.
2. A Practical Guide to Scanning Probe Microscopy by Rebecca Howland
and Lisa Benatar, Park Scientific Instruments,

Oct. 19th and Oct. 21st: Kevin Kelly

1. Richard Turton, The Quantum Dot, New York, Oxford University Press,
1995. Chapters 4 and 5.
2. Richard Turton, The Quantum Dot, New York, Oxford University Press,
1995. Chapter 7.

Oct. 26th and Oct. 28th: Hannah Landecker

1. William Boyd, "Wonderful Potencies? Deep structure and the
problem of monopoly in agricultural biotechnology" in Engineering
Trouble, California U. Press, 2003.
2. Peter Shorett, Paul Rabinow and Paul Billings, "The Changing Norms of
the Life Sciences" in Nature Biotechnology 21:123-125, 2003.
3. Reading: Anne Kerr, Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Amando Amos,"The new
genetics and health: mobilizing lay expertise," in Public
Understanding of Science 7 :41-60, 1998.

Nov. 9th: Robert Raphael

 1. "Once and Future Nanomachines," by George Whitesides, Scientific
American September 16th, 2001

Nov. 11th: Robert Raphael

1. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution,
by Francis Fukuyama, 2002. Chps 1, 4, & 6.

Nov. 16th: Kristen Kulinowski

1. Environmental Technologies at the Nanoscale" by Tina Masciangioli &
Wei-Xian Zhang. Environmental Science and Technology, March 2003.
2. "The potential environmental impact of engineered nanomaterials"
by Vicki Colvin, Nature Biotechnology, Oct. 2003.
3. "Nanotechnology: Looking As We Leap" by Ernie Hood, Environmental
Health Perspectives, Sept. 2004.

Nov. 18th: Kristen Kulinowski

1. "Nanotech Forum Aims to Head Off Replay of Past Blunders" by
Robert Service, Science, Nov. 2004.
2. "Nanotech Group's Invitations Declined" by Rick Weiss, Washington
Post, Oct. 28, 2004.

Nov 24th: Christopher Kelty

1. "How Can You Patent Genes" by Rebecca Eisenberg in Who owns life?
ed. Magnus, Caplan and McGee, Prometheus, 2002
2. "Tiny Ideas Coming of Age" by Barnaby Feder, New York Times October
24th, 2004. Section 4.

Background and Optional reading

Philosophy and Social Analysis
Further Reading: "Science in the news: a study of reporting genomics" by
Eunice Kua, Michael Reder, and Martha J. Grossel in Public Understanding of
Science 13 (2004) 309-322.
Bill Joy, Why the Future Doesn't Need Us Wired 8.04

Encyclopedias and Reference Works

Dekker Nanotechnology Encyclopedia available on the Rice Campus Network

Novels and Short Stories

Blood Music by Greg Bear
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

Limits of Vision be Linda Nagata

Nanotime Bart Kosko

The Nanotech Cycle by Kathleen Ann Goonan includes Mississippi Blues, The
Bones of Time, Queen City Jazz, Crescent City Rhapsody, and Light Music

Magazines and Blogs

Small Times
Howard Lovy's Nanobot
 Additional Readings for Final Glossary Assignment
"Manufactured Nanomaterials (Fullerenes, C60) Induce Oxidative Stress in
the Brain of Juvenile Largemouth Bass" by Eva Oberdörster.
The Differential Cytotoxicity of Water-Soluble Fullerenes.