NANOTUBE-99

Welcome to NANOTUBE-99!

We are thrilled by the prospect of a unique workshop focussing on an intriguing material, namely Nanotubes. This is truly your workshop; the unusual format and approach reflect the variety of ideas we received from many of you. NT'99 will combine the format of an informal workshop reporting cutting-edge discoveries with that of a conference, where invited talks will be presented by leaders in the field.

Also our approach and objectives are somewhat different from specialized workshops and conferences:

• OUTREACH. The World-Wide Web has been used as the primary medium to announce the NT'99 workshop, thus reaching out beyond the scientific community, to everybody interested and excited about new discoveries and technologies. The response surpassed our expectations; close to two hundred persons from twenty-seven countries expressed their interest in attending NT'99. This list includes leading experts as well as novices in the field, a sculptor and a poet who have found inspiration in nanotubes.
• CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH. NT'99 is a result of our effort to bring together diverse scientific disciplines: Physics, Chemistry and Engineering; Theory, Experiment, and Modeling. We are convinced that our common enthusiasm for the recently discovered nanotubes will help us to find a common language and enrich the field by shared expertise.
• BRIDGE TO INDUSTRY. At NT'99, we will try our best to strengthen connections between Science and Applications. We are very happy to host participants from leading Universities next to those from high-tech companies such as Zyvex, Samsung, IBM, Allied Signal, General Motors, Toyota, and others.