Nanotechnology

This is a molecular bearing composed of ~2,800 carbon atoms in a diamond lattice.

This bearing was created from a molecular modeling software by Eric Drexler.

Recently, President Clinton announced a $497 million National Nanotechnology Initiative in a speech at Caltech. See www.nano.gov . I was quite surprised and happy to see the news. This was one of the first public endorsements of nanotechology.

In the next two decades or so, nanotechnology will bring unprecedented benefits to our society. It will provide alternative fuel to our dwindling fossil energy with ultra-efficient solar cells (our Sun is the ultimate source of energy). In medicine, nanotechology will allow early detection of cancer and better targeting for their removal. Of course, in computing, molecular computing is the only way to continue the current Moore's Curve in the semiconductor industry. To learn more about nanotechnology and its hopes for our society, click here.

At MIT, I was fortunate enough to have met Marvin Minsky , who got me interested in nanotechnology (among other things). There, I created a molecular worm drive which can be used in Drexler's assembler. Eric Drexler told me afterwards that the diamonoid sheet needs to be thicker to avoid tension. I used a "molecular compiler" written by Ralph Merkle, who gave me some good advice on the design.

A few good place to get started in a nanotech career:

The Rice University Nanotechnology Initiative is the first large-scale university-funded nanotech program. It's run by Richard Smalley.

The Laboratory for Molecular Robotics at USC is run by Aristides Requicha. They are making a molecular manipulator.

I was first drawn to MIT because of its fame for

Artificial Intelligence

This is about unlocking the mechanisms of human mind: our creativity, our fluid thoughts, and our intricately connected memories. I implemented an AI project called Copycat

Copycat is an AI program best known for its flexibility. I implement it while I was a sophomore at MIT. I have seen a lot of other AI programs (natural language programs, case-based reasoners, expert-systems), but Copycat was unique in its way of emulating human creativity. I have yet to see any program that tops what Copycat did in its domain.

-Mike Chow