When: Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Where: TBD
When:  6:00pm – 6:30pm: Registration & networking, 6:30pm – 8:00pm: Program
Cost: FREE
Where: TBD

Imagine an audience of creative and intelligent folks, sprinkle in some subject matter experts, shake or stir and watch what happens.

We have all heard about nanotechnology, but what are the core technologies that lie at the heart of this important area of science? And what are the implications for human health, alternative energy, electronics and other products and industries? What are the threats and opportunities for businesses and products that entrepreneurs should seek to exploit or guard against? We will explore all of these questions and more in a freewheeling exchange with our panel of scientists/entrepreneurs.

Dr. M. Grant Norton, Prof., School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, WSU

Grant is a Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University, and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs at the College of Engineering and Architecture and former chair of Material Sciences at WSU.

Grant is also a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Gonano Technologies, Inc., whose nanospring platform technology has transformational applications for pollution control, catalysis, composites and sensory technologies, including CO2 recycling and hydrogen storage. Grant is a prolific author in the area of materials science and serves as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Materials Science. Prior to joining academia, Grant worked in the development of thick film and packaging materials for the electronics industry. Grant widely consults and clients include the U.S. Air Force in the area of thin film technology and Advanced Silicon Materials, one of the world’s largest suppliers of high purity silicon. Grant obtained his PhD in Materials from Imperial College, London and spent a two-year postdoctoral at Cornell University before joining WSU in 1991.

Dr. Patrick S. Stayton, Washington Research Foundation Professor, Univ. of Washington

Patrick is a Professor of Bioengineering and the Director of the Institute for Molecular Engineering and Sciences at the University of Washington. Patrick’s eclectic research group works at the interface of fundamental molecular science and molecular bioengineering with applications to diagnostics, biologic drug delivery, and regenerative medicine. Patrick is also a co-founder of PhaseRx Pharmaceuticals, which uses a novel polymer technology to deliver therapeutic compounds to specific disease targets within cells. The company has been funded by Arch, Versant and 5AM Ventures.

Patrick has received numerous awards and honors, including election as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Clemson Award from the Society For Biomaterials and the CRS-Cygnus Recognition Award from the Controlled Release Society. Patrick received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois in 1989, and was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, also at the University of Illinois.

The Northwest Entrepreneur Network regularly hosts free Think Tanks: Evening Knowledge Exchanges that are recognized as the go to forums for new ideas. NWEN Think Tanks are designed to help entrepreneurs become more effective or provide new ideas that may be catalysts for new businesses.