Dear BNC member: If you have an interest in the issues that surround nanoscale science and engineering research (pending regulation, communication with the public; government initiatives and funding, barriers to commercialization, and education and workforce development), I hope you can take five minutes to read the attached report on my recent trip to DC for the event, "Breaking the Barriers: The BIG Business of Nanotechnology." Although the issues discussed at this event may seem peripheral, they are the issues that are poised to gate, propel and direct our efforts in the relatively short term. Regards- Tim -- Timothy D. Sands Mary Jo and Robert L. Kirk Director, Birck Nanotechnology Center Discovery Park, Purdue University www.nano.purdue.edu & Basil S. Turner Professor of Engineering School of Materials Engineering & School of Electrical and Computer Engineering https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/Turner Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907-2057 phone: (765) 496-6105 fax: (765) 496-8383 e-mail: tsands@purdue.edu