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Ignite Baltimore provides platform for creative thinkers, speakers
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The fourth session of Ignite Baltimore, held Oct. 22, drew people to The Walters Art Museum to hear about such diverse topics as history, art, organic foods, wine sales in Maryland, how to survive a zombie attack, nanobiotechnology and much more. If you are unfamiliar with the Ignite format, speakers are given five minutes and 20 slides to talk on any subject they wish, so attendees are never quite sure what they will hear.
Ignite is a worldwide movement that started in 2006 in Seattle, Washington. I could not tell you how many cities are now sponsoring these events, but they seem to be happening from Sydney, Australia to Dublin, Ireland. Science geeks, take note: the Ignite Baltimore event was named "Best Nerd's Night Out" for 2009 by the Baltimore City Paper. The first Ignite was held on Oct. 16, 2008 and its popularity has grown so rapidly, that it might not qualify as a City Secret for long.
Although some reports describe Ingite as a sort of entrepreneurial networking venue, this is no Toastmaster's Club or Chamber of Commerce meeting (with all due respect to those organizations). Rather it seems to be more just a place where ideas--any kind of ideas--can be cast out for attendees to ponder, discuss, mull, and maybe act upon. Ignite gatherings are a chance to think and be thoughtful, and today's society does not really offer many organized opportunities to do that.
The presenters at the Oct. 22 event did not disappoint in the variety of thought-provoking topics covered. This was my first opportunity to attend Ignite, and it was my first chance to present at one as well. So I was doubly in the dark as to what to expect. The fact that the event was held in the Walters, with its great hall filled with Greek and Roman sculpture, gave the atmosphere the aura of The Agora--the ancient Greek term αγορε?ω, which means "I speak in public".
The presentation by Adam Meister (Baltimore Politics Examiner) called "How to live a fun-filled life in Baltimore without a Real Job" got the audience cheering, and Jason Slanga's talk on "The Basics of Zombie Survival" drew hoots of approval. Human beat-box musician Shodekeh and friends astonished everyone with his group's hip-hop/opera/Tuvan-style throat singing performance.
Scientific ideas were well represented among the Ignite Baltimore presentations. Betsy Gordon spoke on the socio-anthropological aspects of Native American Skateboard culture. Braddock Spear discussed the economics behind sustainable seafood. Janet Felsten gave a cartographic discussion on green map making in Baltimore. Ryan Boddy shed some light on the science behind beer brewing. Helen Glazer showed everyone the art and science evident in cloud formations. Cheryl Taragin (Baltimore Celebrity Headlines Examiner) gave an historical review with Baltimore Moments that Made a Difference. With only five minutes per presentation, speakers know that their messages have to be on target. All I can say is that something amazing happens when you put a bunch of smart and engaged people together in a room, and I liked it.
I appreciated the chance to give my presentation on nanobiotechnology. From all accounts the presentation was well received by the 200 or so people in attendance. Here's a transcript of the talk for those who could not attend. The next Ignite will be held on March 4, 2010.
The Story of NanoBioTechnology
Once upon a time in 1959, the famous physicist Richard Feynman introduced the concept of nanotechnology in a talk called There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. His talk started a tiny revolution. Feynman spoke of how one day chemists and physicists and biologists would work together to build tiny machines at the scale of just a few atoms. The idea of something so small is kind of hard to grasp. How small is a nanometer? Your pinky finger is about 1 centimeter wide. A freckle is about 1 MILLI-meter in diameter, and a bacterial cell is just 1 MICROmeter across.
But something that is a nanometer is something that is just a handful of ATOMS. It is as small as a single molecule of sugar. That is how small we mean when we talk of nanotechnology. Obviously this sugar molecule is not shown to scale. When you work at the scale of atoms-- things get very weird. Gold at the nanoscale does not behave like the gold in the ring on your finger. For example, spherical gold nanoparticles give stained glass its ruby red color.
Scientists and engineers got excited when they thought about the potential ways they could exploit the unusual properties of tiny nano materials. Now more than 50 years after Richard Feynman gave his famous talk on nanotechnology, you can find nanomaterials in electronics like your cell phone, cosmetics like sun screen, automobiles and even in stain-resistant pants made of nano-textiles. Biologists and physicians decided that they should get in on this NANO-ACT. By merging biology and nanotechnology they created –NANO-BIO-TECHNOLOGY—which uses tiny scale materials to solve big problems in the sciences and in medicine.
Several big universities---like Johns Hopkins—organized teams of researchers to come up with innovative ways to use nanotechnology for biology and medicine. Most of research teams at other universities were made up of chemists and physicists.
But Johns Hopkins took a different approach…They invited everyone interested in nanobiotechnology including scientists, engineers, doctors, and public health researchers. And in 2006, Johns Hopkins launched the Institute for NanoBioTechnology. Today, INBT has 185 scientists doing nanobio research.One INBT researcher makes biodegradable nanoparticles that break through the mucus barrier to put drugs where they couldn’t go before. These particles could one day treat cervical cancer. Another researcher builds nanoscale grippers that open and close like a hand. The grippers can be remotely controlled with chemicals and magnets and could be used for minimally invasive tumor biopsies. Hopkins engineers use nano-surfaces to grow stem cells. They put nanobiotech in machines that detect biological threats—such as anthrax. And because, nanoparticles cross the blood-brain barrier—they use nano to study the brain.
Nanoparticles cross the blood-brain barrier. They also can travel deep into the lungs and have been detected in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Because of these facts, some people around the world declare that nanotechnology is bad. They say that it will lead to an army of self-replicating NANOBOTS capable of consuming life on Earth. Those kinds of fears of unfounded and is the stuff of science fiction…
But there are legitimate concerns about nanoparticles. We need to know what happens to them after they are released into the environment or into our bodies. Scientists and engineers who work in nanotechnology have to take these concerns into account. So nanobio scientists at Johns Hopkins work with medical doctors and public health researchers to investigate both sides of the nanobiotechnology coin. That way, nanotechnology used to diagnose or treat a disease TODAY won’t be cited as the cause of a disease TOMORROW.
This approach makes sense to the scientists; it makes sense to people who give scientists money and to the people regulating this new technology— and hopefully it should make sense to you. Because one day in the future—maybe as soon as five years from now—a drug or device made with nanobiotechnology may be able to diagnose or even cure a disease from which YOU are suffering. That's the kind of future I would like to live in. A future where there is no Gray Goo and no mass extinction. But one where everyone can live in harmony with nanobiotechnology...
Happily… Ever… After.
[In the photo: Betsy Gordon speaking at Ignite Baltimore 4. Photo by Mary Spiro]
DISCLAIMER: In addition to being the Baltimore Science News Examiner, the author is the public information officer for the Johns Hopkins Insitute for NanoBioTechnology.
Follow Mary Spiro on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Mary_Spiro
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