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Nanotechnology and the Challenges of Equity, Equality and Development pp 209–230Cite as

Materializing Nano Equity: Lessons from Design

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Part of the book series: Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society ((YNTS,volume 2))

Abstract

Many engineers and designers got into their professions in large part because they wanted to create products that help people. Translating this desire into material objects is not a straightforward process. Contexts and complexities often make it difficult for such visions to be realized. In this chapter Dean Nieusma offers advice for designers who want to assist the world’s poor and disadvantaged. Unfortunately most of the existing structures and institutions that shape or direct the practice of designers are geared towards the wealthy and powerful. And, as Nieusma points out, understanding both the needs and the context of the “have nots” can be a significant challenge for the “haves.”

This chapter was peer reviewed. Originally presented at the Workshop on Nanotechnology, Equity, and Equality at Arizona State University on November 21, 2008.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the editors of this volume and anonymous reviewers for their help in framing this paper and articulating its arguments. In particular, I would like to thank Jameson Wetmore for his close reading of and detailed comments on an early draft. I would also like to thank the participants of the Workshop on Nanotechnology, Equity, and Equality (20 November 2008, Tempe, Arizona) for feedback on an early iteration of ideas presented here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA

    Dean Nieusma

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  1. Dean Nieusma
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Correspondence to Dean Nieusma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oak Brooke Way 1147, Atlanta, 30319, USA

    Susan E. Cozzens

  2. Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Jameson Wetmore

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Nieusma, D. (2010). Materializing Nano Equity: Lessons from Design. In: Cozzens, S., Wetmore, J. (eds) Nanotechnology and the Challenges of Equity, Equality and Development. Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9615-9_13

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