NABIS Conference Offers a Glimpse at Technology and Society

James Cerami, Research Assistant
Center on Nanotechnology and Society

This summer's two-day Nano and Bio in Society (NABIS) Conference at Chicago's Hyatt Regency McCormick Place concluded Thursday, August 10, with an all-encompassing "town hall" meeting in which panelists and audience members discussed some of the most challenging ethical, legal, and societal issues (ELSI) posed by emerging technologies. The conference, highlighting the global impact of science and technology on society, was attended by experts in the physical and social sciences, as well as law, and included sessions reflecting the expertise of these groups in an integrated manner.

The idea of one conference tackling both technical and social issues may strike some as "odd," as one can envision participants interested in ELSI yawning during PowerPoint presentations on atomic metrology and physicists taking a post-lunch siesta during presentations about regulatory policy. However, the conference made good on its boundary-spanning objective, as the attendees represented the sciences - including chemistry, physics, and biotechnology, law, ethics, and journalism.

One crucial feature of the sessions was that each, whether focused on technology or ELSI, incorporated elements of the other. For instance, the energy production and agricultural sessions were designed to illustrate both nanotechnology's technical applications and the ensuing social implications. Likewise, intellectual property sessions devoted attention to the underlying scientific principles.

As co-sponsors of the conference, the Center on Nanotechnology and Society (Nano & Society) concentrated on and participated in several key sessions specifically pertaining to NELSI - nanotechnology's ELSI. The first, entitled Exploring the Role of Scientists as Stewards of the Future, featured moderator Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Nano & Society Director, as well as: Debra Bennett-Woods, Professor of Health Care Ethics at Regis University; Sonia E. Miller, Principal of the S.E. Miller Law Firm and President of the Converging Technologies Bar Association (CTBA); and Jason Scott Robert, Associate Professor at Arizona State University. The panel of experts comprised of two bioethicists, an attorney, and a health care ethics professor, offered a varied perspective on scientists, not in their traditional roles "behind the scenes" - in labs peering into microscopes and test tubes wearing white coats - but, rather, positioned at the forefront of the societal debate, ushering in technological advancements, informing and educating, and shaping public perception of key issues surrounding research and development.

Another NELSI-focused session, entitled Whose Patent is in Jeopardy, Anyway? Patent Issues and Their Impact on Global Nano/Bio Developments, was sponsored by the Converging Technologies Bar Association (CTBA), also a NABIS co-sponsor. This interactive, Jeopardy-styled session, the brainchild of, as well as led and "hosted" by Sonia E. Miller, featured "expert attorney contestants": Gavin Clarkson, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School; Erik Flom, Principal at Welsh & Katz, Ltd.; and Drew Harris, Associate with Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody. Audience members were prepped to ask each of these legal experts/"contestants" questions relating to particular patent-related categories, including but not limited to: (1) green nanotechnology; (2) patent pools and thickets; (3) international harmonization & the U.S. proposed patent reform; (4) the current state of patent applications and issuance; (5) technology transfer and licensing, and (6) anticipated litigation concerning nanoscale/nanotechnology patent applications. It was a most unusual and fun approach to discussing issues surrounding nanotechnology-related patents during lunch.

NABIS concluded with the above-mentioned Town Hall Meeting: Nano and Biotechnology in Society. This round-table discussion group was co-organized by Jason Scott Robert, who served as moderator, and Michele Mekel, Nano & Society Associate Director and panelist, and included: Jon Van, Technology Writer with The Chicago Tribune; Aatish Salvi, Vice President of the NanoBusiness Alliance; George Elvin, Associate Professor at Ball State University; and Gregor Wolbring, Professor at the University of Calgary. The meeting of experts included discussion of key elements in the global nanotech debate concerning policy, the media, public perception, and corporate risk. However, rather than focusing on already-belabored NELSI, the group examined often-overlooked issues, such as the possibility and benefits of corporate social innovation and socially responsible development that would benefit manufacturers and consumers, alike. Other talking points included standardization and transparency. A refreshing component of the group meeting was a well-informed panel, a progression of ideas, competent conversation, and diplomatic disagreement that involved the audience as equal partners in the dialogue.

NABIS represented the type of boundary-spanning collaboration between those in the lab and those in the social sphere that is necessary to ensure the application and implementation of science and technology in a way that is amenable to society. The interconnected benefits promised by such an all-inclusive, integrated approach fosters the advancement of science and social progress.

James Cerami is a Research Assistant with the Center on Nanotechnology and Society and the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future at Chicago-Kent College of Law/Illinois Institute of Technology. James has a bachelor's of science in integrative biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and is currently pursuing a J.D. at Chicago-Kent College of Law.