The NanoBusiness Alliance today announced its 2009 Talent Fellowship (http://www.nanobusinesstalent.org) winners have completed their weeklong training at Argonne National Laboratories and will begin their research internships at leading Chicago area nanotechnology companies this week.

The NanoBusiness Talent Fellowship, in its second year, aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by engaging them in translational nanotechnology research at leading nanotechnology companies. Talent fellows were chosen from among the top junior and senior students in the Chicago area for their passion for science and their potential to contribute significantly to research and innovation in emerging technology as they move forward in their careers.

Eight teens have been named 2009 Talent Fellows and have been matched with nanotechnology companies as interns for the summer:

Finalists and Fellowship winners participated in a training camp held in conjunction with the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory. This nanotechnology “boot-camp” was designed to provide hands-on training with many of the instruments and techniques used in nanoscience research and to provide an opportunity for the aspiring scientists to interact with the center’s premier scientists. Students learned to manipulate and examine matter at the nanoscale level and observed how researchers leverage the unique properties at this size-scale to create novel inventions.

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract Number DE-AC02-06CH11357, support the use of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory.

The Fellowship winners will begin their eight-week internships today, which will culminate in a public presentation to be held from 5-8 pm on August 13, 2009 at the Illinois Science and Technology Park.

This is the 2^nd year of a 3 year pilot for the NanoBusiness Talent program, after which the NanoBusiness Alliance expects to implement a national roll-out of the program.

About The NanoBusiness Alliance

The NanoBusiness Alliance is the voice of the nation's nanotechnology business community. As a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting the commercialization of nanotechnology and helping companies bring affordable, life-improving nanotechnology products to market, the Alliance actively represents its members in Washington DC in order to create a positive policy climate for nanotechnology; on Wall Street to focus attention of the global financial community to this high-potential sector; and through regular NanoBusiness conferences, speaking engagements, and membership communications. The NanoBusiness Alliance helps national political leaders understand the implications of nanotechnology to the economy, employment, energy, environment, and human health and safety. It connects emerging nanotechnology companies with investors and economic development organizations that can help those companies grow and develop. The NanoBusiness Talent Program represents the Alliance’s commitment to training our future workforce and is supported under a grant from the Department of Energy. The Alliance is based in Chicago, with offices in Washington DC, New York, Connecticut, and Colorado. For more information, please visit www.nanobusiness.org and www.nanobusinesstalent.org.