Winthrop Rockefeller Institute sponsors Nanotechnology for Health Care Conference

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 156 views 

The Nanotechnology for Health Care Conferences at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute will host as the keynote speaker Sir Harold Kroto, a Francis Eppes professor of chemistry at Florida State University. The sixth annual conference is Dec. 2-4 at the Institute located on Petit Jean Mountain in Morrilton.

“It is an absolute honor to host Dr. Kroto for this conference,” said Dr. Marta Loyd, executive director of the Institute in a press release. “He is a true champion of researchers and students, and we’re glad to be the conduit for some of Arkansas’ best and brightest to be exposed to him and his work.”

Kroto and two other scientists received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996 for the groundbreaking discovery of fullerenes, the third well-characterized form of carbon. In the same year, Kroto was knighted, adding to his legacy.

Dr. Donald Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, who also holds a chemistry doctorate, will introduce Kroto and welcome participants.

“This event continues to grow in its importance both for Arkansas and the U.S. scientific community in general,” Bobbitt said a statement. “We are honored to have Dr. Kroto be part of this year’s conference. I have followed his groundbreaking work over the past 20 years and understand well the impact his work has had on the field of nanoscience.”

The conference is a partnership among the Institute, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and is made possible by the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust and the Arkansas Research Alliance.

“This conference represents a strong partnership among several University of Arkansas System entities, as well as our other equally important partners,” Dr. Loyd said. “It accomplishes both aspects of our mission: to honor the legacy of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller by convening leaders to address key issues and ideas, and to further the mission of the University of Arkansas System.”

Other speakers at the conference include Esther Chang, a member of the oncology and otolaryngology department at Georgetown University Medical Center, and Jan Herrmann, head of the Nanometrology Section at the National Measurement Institute Australia. Link here for more information about the conference.