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Seminar on Risk Assessment of Nanotechnology-based products, November 12th, 2007
Dr. d’Hondt, Director of the R&D Interactions of Syngenta, visited the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI)
in Basel on 12 November 2007 and gave a talk at the Condensed Matter Seminar of the Physics Department
of the University of Basel, Headquarters of the SNI.
In his talk, Dr. d'Hondt showed the scientists the basics of Risk Assessment und discussed the relevance
of this topic for the growing field of Nanosciences and future applications.
On the 12th November Dr. Christian d’Hondt gave a talk on Risk Assessment of Nanotechnology-based
products in the Condensed Matter Colloquium at the Physics Department of the University of Basel,
Headquarters of the SNI. Dr. d’Hondt is leading the R&D Interactions of Syngenta
and has a vast experience on Risk and Safety Assessment of new products and Toxicology and has a broad
knowledge on Nanosciences and its potential for the Industry.
In his talk, Dr. d’Hondt stressed the importance of communication in Science; in particular,
of risk assessment of new fields, since the experience made in the past with new products has shown,
once a negative perception of a technology wins the public opinion, the research suffers from it, with
no distinction inside an area. This is particularly critical in a field like Nanoscience, where research
spans over very distinct topics and areas, whereas risk plays a completely different role. Nevertheless,
once a label is established and feared by the general public, no further distinctions are made, in detriment
of the whole science community. Dr. d’Hondt encouraged scientist to take an active part in the increasing
discussion on Nanoscience-related risk assessment.
The Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI)
The Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) developed from the National Center of Competence in
Research (NCCR) “Nanoscale Science” and constitutes a priority program of the University of Basel.
It combines basic science with application-orientated research. In various projects researchers
focus on nanoscale structures and aim at providing new impact and ideas to the life sciences, to
the sustainable use of resources, and to information and communication technologies. The University
of Basel as the leading house coordinates the NCCR network of universities, federal research
institutes, and industrial partners, which is a research instrument of the Swiss National Science
Foundation, and the Argovia-network, which is financed by the Swiss Canton of Aargau. With the
establishment of the SNI the University of Basel continues to secure the internationally
acknowledged position as a centre of excellence in nanoscale sciences.
Contact:
Prof. Christian Schönenberger, University of Basel
Tel: + 41 (0)61 267 36 90
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