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Posted: March 18, 2009

Noted toxicologist Dr. Nigel Walker keynotes the 2009 conference on nanotechnology for the forest products industry
(Nanowerk News) Join your industry colleagues for the 2009 International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry, presented by TAPPI and the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, June 23-26, 2009 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The theme of this year’s event is “Unlocking the Potential of Nano-Enabled Biomaterials.”
Dr. Nigel Walker, Deputy Program Director for Science for the National Toxicology Program (NTP) at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) will make a keynote presentation, “Current Knowledge on Nanomaterial Toxicity,” on Wednesday, June 24. Dr. Walker will provide one of five keynote presentations at the conference.
Dr. Walker currently is leading several efforts for the NTP. He is the lead scientist for the NTP Nanotechnology Safety Initiative that is evaluating the safety of engineered nanoscale materials, and is Lead Scientist for the Dioxin Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) Evaluation, a series of studies evaluating relative potency factors for the carcinogenicity of dioxin-like compounds in female rats. In 2004, Walker received an NIH Merit Award for his activities on the TEF project.
He received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry in England from the University of Bath in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Liverpool in 1993. Following postdoctoral training in environmental toxicology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore MD, he moved to the NIEHS, where he has been since 1995.
His research interests are environmental toxicology, quantitative dose response modeling and risk assessment, mixtures toxicology and nanotoxicology. He has published over 70 peer–reviewed publications and reports and two of his recent publications received Best Paper awards by the by the Risk Assessment Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology.
He currently serves on the editorial boards for Environmental Health Perspectives and Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. He is an adjunct associate professor in the Curriculum in Toxicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was President of the North Carolina Society of Toxicology in 2005, and is a board-certified toxicologist.
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is an interagency program established in 1978. The program was created as a cooperative effort to coordinate toxicology testing programs within the federal government, to strengthen the science base in toxicology, develop and validate improved testing methods, and provide information about potentially toxic chemicals to health, regulatory, and research agencies, scientific and medical communities, and the public. The NTP is headquartered at the NIEHS.
In addition, to Dr. Walker’s presentation, the Conference’s technical program will include more than 40 presentations focusing on:
  • Manufacture and Characterization of Nanostructured Cellulose
  • Managing Environmental Risks and Concerns
  • Nanocomposites
  • Global Challenges
  • Nanotechnology and Paper
  • Novel Nanotechnology Applications
  • Cellulose Nanofiber Synthesis
  • Emerging Markets
  • Nanoscale Characterization
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    This internationally known event brings together leading researchers, industry experts, government representatives and other stakeholders to share advances, perspectives and discuss new ideas and breakthrough concepts on nanotechnology-based advances.
    Registration information is available through TAPPI’s Member Connection Center, 1-800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), +1-770-446-1400, [email protected].
    TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, and converting industries and co-publisher of Paper360°. Through information exchange, trusted content, and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster, and more cost-effective ways of doing business.
    Source: TAPPI