Consensus Conference on Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is touted as revolutionary, offering the prospect of transforming the treatment of human disease, the character of military engagement, and human cognitive capacities. At the same time, nanotechnology developments raise a number of societal, environmental, and ethical concerns. In 2005, what was likely the first U.S. consensus conference on nanotechnology was held in Madison, Wisconsin. Consensus conferences were pioneered in the 1980s in Denmark as a means of providing a voice for lay citizens on matters of science and technology policy. Organizers of consensus conferences seek participation by a demographically diverse group of 12 to 15 citizens without sharply held positions on the topic under consideration.

These fora involve four components, each taking one or more days. First, panelists prepare for their first face-to-face session by completing a broad array of background readings. In their first session together, participants discuss the readings and generate a list of topics, questions, or concerns to consider with a panel of experts. The group of experts is selected to reflect breadth of knowledge and of perspectives. After the citizen panelists have engaged with the experts, they gather on their own again to contemplate the topic of their forum with the additional expert-provided information in hand. On the basis of their reading, meeting with experts, and discussion, the citizens develop a list of recommendations, which can be provided to policy makers and the broader public.

The Madision conference was organized by Daniel Kleinman, a faculty member in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), and Maria Powell, a postdoctoral researcher at the NSEC, and sponsored by NSEC. Thirteen Madison citizens participated in meetings over three Sundays in April 2005. They began by discussing a series of background readings and developing a list of questions about nanotechnology. These questions were addressed at a public forum by a panel of seven experts, after which the citizen participants drafted a set of recommendations. The Consensus Conference continues to receive publicity, and several participants became advocates for greater public education about nanotechnology and regular participants at NSEC public events. Participants also organized Madison's first Science Café, and later the Nano Cafés that bring together members of the public and scientific experts in a casual atmosphere that encourages the sharing of ideas.

After broadly following the Danish-established process, the members of the 2005 the Madison consensus conference on nanotechnology issued a number of recommendations. Among them were (1) development of a “clear and precise” definition of nanotechnology for the purposes of government regulation; (2) government creation of effective mechanisms for citizen involvement in nanotechnology policymaking; (3) guarantee of public access to “the results of nanomaterial safety and toxicity tests done by private corporations”; and (4) prohibition against the use of nanotechnology in developing weaponry.

Citizens who participated in this consensus conference felt that they gained knowledge about science and technology, the social aspects of science, and about deliberative processes. Panelists indicated that they learned what nanotechnology is, what some of the properties of nanomaterials are, and how nanomaterials are used. They gained some understanding of the scientists' perspectives and about how nanotechnology research is funded. Finally, citizens indicated they learned about working together collectively and about the importance of seeing issues of the perspectives of other citizens. Although, in subsequent years, state elected officials took up the issues raised by the citizen body, there is not a direct [Page 117]connection between the consensus conference and policymaker action.

...