1. Read the lecture on nanotechnology by Richard P. Feynmann, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom":
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html
Write a half page synopsis on what this lecture means to you.  Does it promise too much; is it unphysical by today's technology (2001) compared to the 1959 date when it was delivered?
Is Nanotechnology just a continuation of the trend toward miniaturization that began decades ago, or is it something qualitatively different?
 

2. Read the US Government report: "Nanotechnology: Shaping The World Atom By Atom":
http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/IWGN.Public.Brochure/
Write a half page synopsis on this report, and comment in the same spirit as assignment 1 above.
 

Here I am looking for, and will grade upon, the clever insights
that a graduate level engineering student can glean from these articles.

Important: For proper credit, please include the course number, homework assignment number, and
due date on your submission.