Nanotechnology in Advanced Research Activities [The Editor's Desk]

This issue starts with an introductory article on TryNano.org, which is a new Web site created by the IEEE for the benefit of the general public, including students, parents, and teachers interested in nanotechnology. The portal provides a vast array of materials related to nanotechnology that helps visitors to explore materials and applications. I have found the Web site to be informative and interesting, and I urge you to visit the site at http://www.trynano.org/ and give it a look. The other two feature articles in this issue are examples of work presented at the $3^{\rm rd}$ IEEE International Conference on Nano/Molecular Medicine and Engineering (IEEE-NANOMED 2009). We included these articles in this issue for the purpose of illustrating how nanotechnology is critical in advanced research activities related to the study of infectious disease and the development of novel sensors to sense signals from bioentities. Tung et al. first discuss the measurement of ac impedance spectrum of chicken-infectious laryngotracheities using an atomic force microscope. Then, Scarpa et al. present their work on developing biocompatible organic semiconductive polymers, which are to be used to build organic thin-film transistors that could operate as biosensors in electrolytes.