Record crowd of more than 1500 explores nanotechnology at CNSE #39;s Community Day
A record crowd of more than 1500 people participated in Community Day at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany on Saturday, November 3, receiving a firsthand look at the science that is revolutionizing nearly every facet of society, from ultra-fast electronics, green energy and a cleaner environment, to improved health care and advanced military and homeland security technologies. This signature event kicked off the fifth annual NANOvember celebration. For more information about nanotechnology-related events during NANOvember, visit cnse.albany.eduFrom:TheNanoCollegeViews:3 0ratingsTime:01:51More inEducation

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Record crowd of more than 1500 explores nanotechnology at CNSE's Community Day - Video

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Patents Demonstrate that Nanotechs Highly Sophisticated Security Feature is the First to use Nanotechnology to Fight Counterfeiting

Vancouver, British Columbia, November 5th, 2012: Nanotech Security Corp. (the Company) (TSX-V:NTS.V - News), developer of next-generation security and authentication products based on nanotechnology, announces the successful granting of a parent-patent. The US patent includes claims for its specialized nano-hole structures and the applications for these features in the security and authentication industry. The patent encompasses the structure, design and manufacturing process for NTSs security technology, NOtES, which deploys a controlled array of extremely tiny holes that can be quickly imprinted in large numbers directly onto virtually any surface, creating a vibrant, crisp, ultra high definition image. This highly sophisticated authentication feature replicates nano-scale (billionth of a meter) light-reflective structures similar to those found in nature, for example on the iridescent wings of certain butterflies.

The patent (USA Patent No. 8,253,536B2) names the Companys Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Bozena Kaminska and its Chief Technology Officer, Clint Landrock as co-inventors. The patent covers a number of core aspects of Nanotechs technology including claims for the use of optically efficient nano-hole arrays as security features. The patent also claims the use of nano-scale structures that are smaller than a wavelength of light in conjunction with printable electronic components such as electronic displays, batteries and solar cells. Originally filed in early 2009, the patent has been assigned to Simon Fraser University where it is exclusively sub-licensed to Nanotech pending its transfer to a Nanotech affiliate upon completion of its Advance Royalty obligations schedule to complete next year.

Core Patent is Key to Commercialization and Licensing of Nanotechs NOtES Feature

Doug Blakeway, CEO and Chairman of Nanotech, commented on the patent grant The receipt of this overarching patent was an enormous accomplishment for Nanotech. We are pleased to have shown that we are the first company to have developed a highly sophisticated solution for authentication using this unique approach. This represents a critical step to protecting the potential value of this technology worldwide.

Mr. Blakeway added, This parent patent is at the foundation for not only further uses and new designs in the security and authentication space, but branches out to many other applications involving nano-optics with extremely high optical efficiency including solar cell technologies. We believe that nano-optic technology is in its infancy, and has huge potential for growth.

About Nanotech Security Corp:

Nanotech Security Corp. is developing its nanotechnology for the authentication and anti-counterfeiting market under exclusive sub-license from Simon Fraser University, where the technology originated. Founded in 1984, Nanotech Security Corp. has developed technology and services in areas of criminal justice, infrared night-viewing, tracking security and forensics.

Upon development being successfully completed, Nano-tech products are expected to be usable both overtly through an image visible to the naked eye and also in a covert manner, including invisible (to the eye) authentication features which will employ machine readable data. The images produce vibrant colours and seemingly moving images which allow observers to quickly identify the authenticity of the product to which a plasmogram optical marker or tag has been affixed. The technology works by using nano-scale structures - smaller than the wavelength of light - to capture ambient light using ultra-high optical efficiency and high pixel density. These plasmograms can be directly imprinted into nearly any surface including polymers, metals and even paper, becoming part of the product itself. Its outstanding optical performance means it can be used without mirror-like coatings found on traditional security features like holograms, and can be applied as a transparent security window display. The company is working to enhance security for currency as well as many other applications including authenticating legal documents, merchandise, concert tickets, tax-paid stamps, medical & credit transactional cards, visas & passports, pharmaceuticals and for eye-catching brand and logo recognition. More information about the Company can be found at the Companys website http://www.nanotechsecurity.ca or http://www.sedar.com

Media Contact: Jackie Henry jp@nanosecurity.ca +1.778.384.3384

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Nanotech Security Secures First Patent in Optical Nanotechnology for Security and Authentication

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SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Nov 5, 2012) - NanoProfessor, the global leader in hands-on undergraduate nanotechnology education, announced today that it has accepted an invitation to join Innovation Plaza, a partnership between academia and several science and engineering-based industry organizations with a goal of increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in Latin America.

Innovation Plaza, which was formally announced at the recent World Engineering Education Forum held in Buenos Aries, Argentina, is an initiative developed by the University of New Mexico's School of Engineering (SOE) and led by the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, the Ibero American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC), the Student Platform for Engineering Education Development (SPEED), and the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES).Innovation Plaza will ultimately consist of open, globally connected, interdisciplinary labs for experiential learning and collaboration.After establishing a successful pilot at the University of New Mexico, the group will expand Innovation Plaza into targeted Latin America countries to enhance experiential STEM education for students throughout the region.Plans are underway to expand to other regions of the world as well.

"Through Innovation Plaza, students from high school to university undergraduate and graduate programs have the opportunity to actively interact and collaborate with industry and research institutions, and ultimately produce world-class, functioning projects," said Ramiro Jordan, ECE Associate Chair, Undergraduate Programs, and Associate Dean of Engineering, International Programs ECE Department at the University of New Mexico; and Executive Vice President and Founder of ISTEC."We are thrilled to partner with the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program as it has a proven track record of training students around the world for careers in nanotechnology, one of the fastest growing science-based industries."

"There is a global shortage of individuals trained in STEM-based fields and this necessitates the development of new approaches to prepare students to fill this global gap in workforce resources.We are extremely excited to work with the University of New Mexico's ECE Department, ISTEC, and our industry partners in meeting this need as we expand STEM education throughout Latin America," said Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer of NanoProfessor.

"ISTEC is committed to driving STEM initiatives within Latin America to help support the incredible industrial growth potential that exists in this part of the world," said Dulce Garcia, President of ISTEC."Innovation Plaza and its industry contributors such as NanoProfessor will not only provide students with desirable and competitive high-tech skills but it will also serve as a growth engine for economic development with our member countries as industry quickly realizes that Latin America possess a growing pool of STEM-trained human capital."

In just over 24 months, the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program has been chosen to serve as the foundation for hands-on undergraduate nanotechnology education by over 20 institutions in five countries.The NanoProfessor Program alternates between classroom lectures and engaging, hands-on nanoscale lab work.The NanoProfessor curriculum includes a textbook authored by leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Instrumentation, Imaging and Nanofabrication Techniques, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and Perspectives on Environmental, Health, and Safety within Nanotechnology.In conducting the hands-on lab experiments, students work with state-of-the-art, nano-centric instrumentation including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, the first desktop nanofabrication system allowing students to quickly and easily build custom-engineered nanoscale structures with a wide variety of materials from biomolecules to metal nanoparticles using NanoInk's proprietary Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN).

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately one and 100 nanometers (nm), where unique phenomena enable novel applications which are not feasible when working with bulk materials.A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.A study funded by the National Science Foundation projects that 6 million nanotechnology workers will be needed worldwide by 2020, with 2 million of those jobs in the United States.However, as of 2008, there were only 400,000 estimated workers worldwide in the field of nanotechnology, with an estimated 150,000 of those in the United States.

About the Ibero-American Science & Technology Education Consortium Founded in 1990, ISTEC seeks to foster socio-economic and educational change in Ibero-America by creating prosperity and improving the quality of life in the region.ISTEC provides programs focused on: advancing the state of higher education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), generating and disseminating knowledge and information, establishing cost-effective vehicles for technology transfer, encouraging joint international research and development, fostering an environment for entrepreneurship and collaboration and promoting leadership models that adhere to the principles of responsibility and accountability.More information is available at http://www.istec.org/.

About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance undergraduate nanotechnology education and address the growing need for a skilled, nano-savvy workforce. The NanoProfessor Program, including state-of-the-art, nano-centric instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for high schools, community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide.More information is available at http://www.NanoProfessor.net or (847)679-NANO (6266).You can also like NanoProfessor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NanoProfessor1 and follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nanoprofessor1.

NanoInk, NanoProfessor, Dip Pen Nanolithography, DPN, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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NanoProfessor Joins Novel Innovation Plaza STEM Experiential Initiative

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Researchers coated condoms in microscopic particles of silver which has long been known to have disinfectantUniversity of Manitoba medical microbiologist Dr Xiaojian Yao, who specializes in researching the HIV virus, has discovered a potential new way to protect ourselves against HIV and the Herpes virus: silver nanoparticles.

He and his team coated condoms in microscopic particles of silver which has long been known to have disinfectant properties and they found that when they brought the silver-coated condoms into contact with HIV and Herpes, both viruses were completely inactivated. Additionally, they discovered that both the T-cell and macrophage strains of HIV, as well as drug-resistant strains, were highly susceptible to the silver nanoparticles, and they also acted to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Nanoparticle research is being pursued in a number of fields, due to their potential as a bridge between larger, bulk substances and the structures of atoms and molecules.

"At such nanoscale, the extremely small size of silver particles exhibits remarkable, unusual physio-chemical properties and biological activity," said Yao, according to the National Post.

[ Related: 'Sexting' again linked to risky sex among teens ]

It's still unclear exactly how the silver nanoparticles are deactivating the viruses, but the research is still in its beginning stages. According to Yao, the nanoparticles themselves, or silver ions released by them, could be bonding to the viruses or altering 'key proteins' on the surface of the virus,preventing them from attaching to their host.

Current efforts to make condoms more effective in preventing STDs has included the use of Nonoxynol-9, which recent studies have shown can actually make infection more likely, due to causing genital inflammation and ulceration. Silver nanoparticles, on the other hand, do not cause inflammation and are, in fact, anti-inflammatory, according to the study.Although some silver ions are toxic, the silver nanoparticles themselves are relatively non-toxic, and since the condoms would be discarded quickly after use, exposure would be limited.

Furthermore, since the mere presence of the nanoparticles inhibits the viruses, bacteria and fungi, and the particles do no wash off, anyone who may handle the condom after use would also likely be protected from any potential infection.

[ Related: Study in mice raises hopes for birth control pill for men ]

Dr Julio Montaner, the director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS called the research "promising", according to the National Post, but the major issue with condoms is still whether or not they are used.

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Nanotechnology condoms could provide greater protection against HIV and Herpes

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Its an exciting time for Brampton, Ont.-based Hy-Power Nano, a startup in the growing nanotechnology space, and theres a lot more to come, said Joseph Grzyb, the companys chief executive.

This summer the one-year-old company launched its first nanotechnology enabled product, the Hy-Power Clear Liquid Solar Blocker. The products infra-red blocking properties keep heat out in the summer and in during the winter. It is the first in what Hy-Power Nano envisions as a series of proprietary technologies and products it will be developing.

The company was able to fast-track the development and commercialization of the solar blocker because of its relationship with Hadi Mahabadi, who received the Order of Canada in June 2012 for his internationally recognized innovations in the field of polymer science and his commitment to promoting scientific development in Canada. For many years he was vice-president and director of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, where he was responsible for spearheading innovations and bringing them to market.

He joined Hy-Power Nano as chief operating officer this past summer.

But how he ended up at the company is a complex story.

Hy-Power Nano is a subsidiary of Hy-Power Coatings and is focused on providing innovative nano-enabled industrial coatings, Mr. Grzyb said. Its the next generation of Hy-Power Coatings, which has been in business since 1967 and built its reputation as a pioneer of onsite electro-static refinishing and a leader in electrostatic powder coating in Canada.

Powder coating is a way of applying protective and decorative finish to a range of materials used in industrial and consumer applications. Electrostatic spraying provides a charge to the powder (finely ground particles of pigment and resin) as it is being applied. The finish is slick, durable and uniform.

We started thinking about how we could improve, knowing that if we entered the nanotechnology space we could develop products that would offer solar, thermal and a number of other energy saving properties in the coating field.

Nanotechnology is going to be huge for coatings for the application process, Mr. Grzyb said. We decided to create Hy-Power Nano as a separate subsidiary because we want to move beyond coatings into electronics.

There are people who believe that in the next 20 years technology will mean nanotechnology because of the power of nanotechnology, Mr. Mahabadi said, pointing to the fact that about $20-billion a year is invested in nanotechnology by industry worldwide.

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Star power helps fast track nanotechnology invention

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