March 15, 2013 -- In honor of Women's History Month, the Santa Monica Public Library will host four women PhDs from the UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC-CEIN) Sunday.

The four panelists will bring their expertise to a discussion about nanotechnology -- the field of scientific inquiry concerned with manipulating matter on a molecular level -- and the implications their work has on development of future technology.

“Panelists Hilary Godwin, Barbara Herr Harthorn, Ivy Ji, and Mary Collins will discuss how nanotechnology is expected to create the next industrial revolution,” library officials said.

Only a few years ago, nanotechnology seemed the thing of science fiction, a branch of science that could allow people to construct molecule-sized robots or manipulate matter at its most basic level. But as the science of nanotechnology develops into a reality, many questions about its potential impacts arise.

“The mission of the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN) is to use a multidisciplinary approach to conduct research, knowledge acquisition, education and outreach to ensure the responsible use and safe implementation of nanotechnology in the environment,” reads UC-CEIN's website.

Godwin is a professor of environmental health sciences and will bring her expertise on the toxicology of heavy metals to the table. She is also actively involved outreach projects geared toward bringing science to those who are not part of the scientist community.

Harthorn is both the director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society and an associate professor of feminist studies at UC Santa Barbara.

The event will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium. For more information, visit smpl.org or contact the Santa Monica Public Library at (310) 458-8600.