Welcome to the Societal and Ethical Issues
(SEI) Portal

SEI at NNIN

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is a collective of university-based open facilities that support the pursuit of research and development in all areas that can benefit from the rapid developments of the science, engineering and technology of the nanoscale. The facilities train and support nearly 4,700 users from academia, industry and federal laboratories. As such, NNIN offers unique strengths and opportunities for research in societal and ethical issues (SEI) through the presence of its large academic and industrial community, the breadth of scientific directions being pursued, and the connections of the research and development being undertaken to issues of societal impact of technology and of human resources.
 
With a goal of becoming the nation’s first open-access research facility for the social scientific study of science, the NNIN maintains a commitment to facilitating SEI research on NNIN users and technologies. The network will open itself to outside SEI researchers for data collection, ethnographic study, experimentation, and other research. A fundamental objective of the federal SEI initiative is to develop national self-awareness and self-reflection regarding the impact of nanotechnology research.
 

Conducting SEI Research at NNIN

Investigators wishing to initiate SEI research at one of NNIN’s sites should follow the following set of guidelines. These guidelines are intended both to facilitate access and provide a record of research conducted on the NNIN.
    • Prior to starting research, investigator contacts NNIN SEI Coordinator (Katherine McComas, kam19@cornell.edu)
    • Investigator presents SEI Coordinator with brief written summary of proposed research, specifying:
      • Goals
      • Methods
      • Location(s) of contact
      • Number of NNIN users expected to participate
      • Evidence of Institutional Review Board approval from appropriate university if research involves human participants
      • Commitment to provide follow up summary once study is complete
    • Investigator will receive an approval document from NNIN in electronic form.
    • Having received approval, investigator forwards electronic document to SEI Coordinator at specific site(s) and arranges specifics (see About Us section).
    • Site SEI Coordinators and investigators are encouraged to follow up with NNIN SEI Coordinator with any questions, comments, or concerns.
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