October 30, 2002

Foresight Institute Announces Brenner as Feynman Prize Winner

- from the Foresight Institute

Foresight Institute's Feynman Prize Recognizes Top Nanotechnology Researchers

Conference spotlights advances in nanotechnology

Dr. Brenner

Palo Alto, CA - October 30, 2002 - Foresight Institute, a nonprofit educational organization formed to prepare society for the impact of molecular nanotechnology, awarded four prizes at a recent conference to leaders in research, communication and study in the field of nanotechnology. The 2002 Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes, named in honor of pioneer physicist Richard Feynman, were presented to Dr. Chad Mirkin and Dr. Don Brenner. The Foresight Prize in Communication was presented to writer and journalist David Pescovitz. Graduate student Yi Cui was the recipient of the Foresight Distinguished Student Award.

"Nanotechnology research is making impressive advances," said Christine Peterson, President of Foresight Institute. "The prizes presented at our conference celebrate these advances and help pinpoint where the technology is going-toward molecular machine systems and molecular manufacturing. With the recent governmental and commercial support of nanotechnology, our society needs to prepare for the rapid changes nanotech will bring."

The two Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes are given for experimental and theoretical advances in nanotechnology. Dr. Chad Mirkin, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Institute of Nanotechnology & Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly at Northwestern University, received the experimental award for his work in opening up possibilities for the fabrication of molecular machine systems by selectively functionalizing nanoparticles and surfaces, particularly with DNA. This research enables the self-assembly of new structures, advancing the goal of molecular manufacturing.

Dr. Don Brenner, Associate Professor, Department of Material Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, received the theory award for his advances in the ability to model molecular machines systems and for the design and analysis of components likely to be important to the future of molecular manufacturing.

A leading nanotech journalist, David Pescovitz, was awarded the Foresight Prize in Communication. Pescovitz, writer-in-residence at the University of California at Berkeley's College of Engineering and a regular columnist with Small Times, a trade publication covering nanotech developments, received this award for his accuracy and creativity in covering both technical innovations in and policy implications of nanotechnology.

The Foresight Institute Distinguished Student award was presented to Yi Cui, a graduate student at Harvard University, for work demonstrating that electronically well-defined nanomaterials can be organized into structures with predictable electronic device properties.

About Foresight Institute

Foresight Institute, founded in 1986, is a nonprofit educational organization formed to help prepare society for anticipated advanced technologies. Foresight Institute's goal is to guide emerging technologies to improve the human condition. The Institute focuses its efforts upon nanotechnology and upon systems that will enhance knowledge exchange and critical discussion, thus improving public and private policy decisions. For more information visit our website at www.foresight.org.

Media Contact: Judy Conner, 650.917.1122

[*Editor’s Note, Engineering Communications, NC State University: See also http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/news/awards/brenner.html. ]

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