By Robin Donovan

Despite their geographic separation, nanoscientists worldwide are currently shopping for tickets to Kobe, Japan, the site of NSS-6, a biannual nanoscience conference. More focused than larger conferences, NSS-6 takes an in-depth look at the latest advances in nanotechnology.

Professor Saw-Wai Hla, whose work recently appeared in Nature Nanotechnology, is a member of the conference’s international advisory committee. One goal of NSS-6 organizers was to “keep it small” he said, citing the conference’s intimate size as vital for discussion and collaboration. The five day event is expected to draw more than 100 people, many of whom are acquainted from previous conferences and collaborations.

NSS-6 presentations cover experimental areas of nanoscale research, including spectroscopy, synchrotron radiation, and laser-driven methods. Attendees will include scientists from various industries, academia and government-sponsored laboratories.

“It’s not big enough to be overwhelming and it’s not small enough so that we can’t include many important areas. It’s just big enough so that we can have good discussion and include many different people,” Hla said.

This year’s conference will be held in at Kobe University from October 25 to October 29. The conference location rotates between Europe, Asia and North America; NSS-5 was hosted by Ohio University in 2008.

The NSS-6 abbreviation represents the 6th International Workshop on Nanoscale Spectroscopy and Nanotechnology.