How can research take part in shaping the post-pandemic society? Researchers from the GoNano partner university RMIT refelcts upon a society recovering from the pandemic and the incluence of research. GoNano partner Dr Craig Richmond is one of them and shares his perspective on what role nanotechnologies plays in a post-pandemic society:
“Nanotechnologies, being the purposeful engineering of matter at length scales close to atomic and a million times smaller than anything visible to the naked eye, have been prevalent in research and innovation for the best part of half a century,” Richmond said.
“Simply being able to see things on the nano scale has allowed us to better our understanding of the molecules and materials that constitute the world around us, for example, the macromolecular structure of our DNA or the protein shell of a virus.
“The record-breaking development and production of COVID-19 test kits and vaccines was possible because of the collaborative efforts across sectors, borders and disciplines – nanotechnology included, of course,” he said.
“And the means of communications that have helped so many of us stay connected through these difficult times are also largely attributable to advances in electronics going beyond micro and into nano.”
Richmond said that nanotechnologies have helped to shape our response to the pandemic and will continue to shape our society after it.
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