This paper emerged from discussions during and after the spring 2005 SfAA session on anthropology and nanotechnology. The three authors have worked for many years in substantially different institutional settings. Wolfe has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), owned by the U.S. Department of Energy and currently managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for a generation. David has resided at Michigan State University's anthropology department for even longer. Sherry is the relative newcomer, having worked at Intel for 9 years (after 2 years at Microsoft). When talking about the nanotechnology-related work we are, are endeavoring to, or are interested in pursuing, it became clear that our institutionally grounded perspectives varied substantially. Moreover, despite some commonalities, the ways in which we do or would engage in nanotechnology research also diverge. This article is a formalized expression of those commonalities and differences, and is indicative of the range of ways in which anthropologists may participate in research surrounding this potentially revolutionary set of technologies.
A review of vacuum insulation research and development in the Building Materials Group of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory