The American National Standards Institute Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) held a meeting on Monday, February 4, 2013, to examine how current nanotechnology standards are being utilized and assess their efficacy in addressing stakeholder needs. Held at the offices of King and Spalding in Washington, DC, the meeting drew over 50 participants from the public and private sectors to hear from experts and share their perspectives on how best to increase participation and collaboration in nanotechnology standardization activities. Dr. Altaf Carim of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President delivered a presentation on the federal government's perspective on nanotechnology and standards. Providing a cross-sector view, ANSI senior vice president and COO Fran Schrotter gave attendees an introduction to ANSI's varied standards collaboratives, such as the ANSI-NSP and the new ANSI Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC), and how they address national priorities.
Following the presentations, interactive panel discussions were moderated by Dr. Celia Merzbacher, formerly of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President and now with the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and Dr. Clayton Teague, former Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office and former ANSI-NSP Chair, respectively. Panelists discussed the ways in which current nanotechnology standards activities are meeting real world needs, and key areas of priority that still need to be addressed. Participants agreed that greater visibility is needed for nanotechnology standards that are already published and available for utilization. To meet this need, ANSI is currently developing an online database of relevant standards activities.
Also discussed were the reasons individuals are motivated to participate in nanotechnology standards development and the advantages participation brings to their organizations. Some of the key benefits mentioned include enhanced knowledge about state-of-the-art technology, increased development of professional relationships, as well as the opportunity to influence the technical content of documents. Participants agreed that mechanisms for promoting support for individuals and organizations actively working in standards development processes would be beneficial, and ANSI's Standards Boost Business initiative could be used as a role model.
The full meeting report is available here.
Formed in 2004, ANSI-NSP serves as the cross-sector coordinating body for the facilitation of standards development in the area of nanotechnology. Shaun Clancy, Ph.D., the director of product regulatory services for the Evonik Degussa Corporation, and Ajit Jilavenkatesa, Ph.D., the senior standards policy advisor for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC), serve as the ANSI-NSP's co-chairs.
For more information, visit the ANSI-NSP webpage or contact Heather Benko ([email protected]), ANSI senior manager, nanotechnology standardization activities.