The SNNI’s (safer nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing initiative) 4th annual conference takes place at the Invitrogen Corporation, Eugene, Oregon, USA on March 2-3, 2009, and for anyone interested the deadline for the call for abstracts for the poster sessions at the conference is on Friday 16th January. Abstract topics must be in one or more of areas of research:Greener design, Greener production, Nanoparticle characterization challenges at the bio/nano interface and Biodistribution/tracking nanoparticles in living systems.

The goals of the SNNI (Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative) are to develop new nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing approaches that offer a high level of performance, yet pose minimal harm to human health or the environment. Research under the Initiative merges the principles of green chemistry and nanoscience to produce safer nanomaterials and more efficient nanomanufacturing processes in the context of producing nanoparticles and nanostructured materials for applications in fields such as in photovoltaics, nanoelectronics and sensing. The Initiative brings together chemists, biologists, materials scientists and engineers from the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) to pioneer new approaches to the design, production and use of nanomaterials. SNNI has been developed in partnership with and funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The conference focuses on cutting edge research in greener nanomaterials design and production. This conference brings together academics, industrialists and policymakers to discuss approaches to developing economically viable, environmentally benign methods to advance nanotechnology. This year’s 2-day program integrates presentations from national experts with regional representatives including a keynote presentation by Dr. Hilary Godwin from the UCLA California Nanosystems Institute.