NOTICE: The focus group summaries in this publication are based on focus group discussions during the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Designing Nanostructures at the Interface between Biomedical and Physical Systems Conference held at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies in Irvine, CA, November 18-21, 2004. The discussions in these groups were summarized by the authors and reviewed by the members of each focus group. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the focus groups and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Funding for the activity that led to this publication was provided by the W.M. Keck Foundation. Based in Los Angeles, the W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W.M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. The Foundation’s grant making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in the areas of medical research, science, and engineering. The Foundation also maintains a Southern California Grant Program that provides support in the areas of civic and community services with a special emphasis on children. For more information, visit www.wmkeck.org.

Cover: Image courtesy of Samuel Stupp, Northwestern University. Adapted by the New York Academy of Sciences.