Owing to the interdisciplinary nature of nanoscience and nanotechnology, it is quite difficult to build a mainstream scientific society gathering people from quite different disciplines. The American Nano Society is one of the oldest scientific societies devoted to nanotechnology, and probably, the oldest surviving society. One possible reason was that we never sacrificed the quality in favor of successful marketing. After 11 years of providing a friendly community for people who work in various areas of nanotechnology, we re-designed the Society with a new business model. Instead of repeating the common practice of other societies with centuries of history, we decided to provide specific services, which are vital for an emerging interdisciplinary field. Hence, we are now committed to building an online hub. Our current activities are focused on four main areas:Fellow Membership
As an interdisciplinary area of research, it is difficult to assess the achievements of people who work in various fields of nanotechnology. The Society provides a straightforward mechanism for recognizing the scientific contribution of people at different levels through different grades of Fellow Membership. The process of election is the standard peer-review system, which is well known because of scientific journals. Once again, we are highly committed to maintaining the quality of service rather than increasing the number of members. We have no say in electing the Fellow Members, but the applicants are directly judged by at least three independent reviewers.
Journals
The problem with today's scientific publication is that there are too many journals out there. Although we officially launched the Journal of the American Nano Society, we realized that it adds to the problem rather than solving one. This problem is even more severe in the realm of nanotechnology, as there are too many journals covering nano-related research papers. We have heavily invested in statistical analysis of all journals covering nanoscience and nanotechnology to provide practical insight into the effectiveness of corresponding media for nano research. This project provides the density and impact of nano-related articles published in over 1,000 journals.
Jobs
In addition to building a comprehensive resource of all available jobs in various areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology, we are introducing new programs to help people find their desirable jobs.
Events
Again, the interdisciplinary nature of nanotechnology makes it difficult to explore all interesting conferences and meetings. This problem has been doubled by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which massively interrupted the regular scientific meetings. The Society aims to provide the ultimate resource for finding relevant events, while we regularly negotiate with the organizers for promotional discounts for the Society members.