2009 Student Writing Contest - A Chance for Prizes and Fame!

The ABA Section of Science & Technology Law is pleased to announce the topic for its 2009 Law Student Writing Contest.  The contest is designed to encourage law students to write on subjects related to science and technology law and encourage a cutting-edge or innovative take on the topic.

THE THEME FOR THE 2009 CONTEST IS LEGAL/ REGULATORY ISSUES RELATED TO NANOTECHNOLOGY:

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology based on materials that are measured in nanometers -- one-billionth of a meter in scale, enabling work on an atomic or molecular level (e.g., a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick).  Nanoscale materials are beginning to be developed for, or used in, a wide-range of products, including foods, cosmetics, drugs, medical devices, clothing, glass, batteries, and computers.  Scientific questions arise as to whether these nanoscale materials present different biological, chemical, or physical properties from known materials.  Legal/regulatory questions arise as to whether new laws are required to address the use of nanotechnology in marketed products. Many wonder whether nanotechnology-derived products should be singled out as presenting a different risk requiring a different regulatory paradigm from what is applied to other ingredients, components, or production processes used for marketed products. The Section is seeking papers addressing the legal/regulatory issues, such as those faced by the FDA, broader legal issues surrounding the use of nanotechnology, or both, as opposed to papers that simply explain the science behind, or the technology used in, nanotechnology.

 The winner will receive a trip to the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL and may have his or her submission published in The SciTech Lawyer.  All submissions are due March 2, 2009 and the winner will be notified by June 1, 2009.

Full contest rules and submission criteria can be found on the Section’s website.