Welcome to the Social and Ethical Implications (SEI) Portal

** New: The SEI Portal is undergoing some revisions.  In the coming weeks, new and updated content will be posted in the Research Activities, Resources, Current Debates, and About Us sections

What is SEI?

SEI is concerned with the social and ethical dimensions of nanotechnology research, development, and application. 

SEI challenges the assumption that nanoscience - and science and technology in general - are merely technical affairs, understandable and describable in the language of 1s and 0s, chemistry or mathematics.   Instead, it is deeply embedded in the social world and in the context of issues such as potential benefits and risks of nanoproducts (i.e., health, safety, and environmental) and the "problems" these products are designed to "solve."  Also of importance is how individuals - nanoscientists included - perceive and react to these issues.  What are the perceived risks and benefits?  Why do we emphasize certain risks and benefits over others?  What "problems" are we most concerned about?

Nanoscientists may not have all the answers if asked to describe the social or ethical implications of their research.  However, beginning to think about them is an important first step.  We hope that this portal serves as a valuable resource in this regard.