Nanotechnology could do for Georgia what Silicon Valley did for California. It can be our ticket to jobs of the future. The essence of nanotechnology is to “think small” — not in inches, not in millimeters, not in pin heads, not even in hairs, but in atoms. 

As Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, I serve as liaison between the House of Representatives and Georgia Tech’s scientific business community. I have been invited by the President of Georgia Tech to attend the dedication of the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center on the Tech campus. With the MNRC, Georgia has the largest facility in the Southeast and the most modern in the country. 

The Advanced Technology Development Center has also invited me to this year’s entrepreneurs’ showcase. This is an event where the State’s premier science and technology incubator, the ATDC, celebrates the entrepreneurial success of its members and graduates. With the help of ATDC, we are getting more Georgia start-up companies to stay in Georgia.

Next week, I’ll be attending the 2009 BIO International Convention at The World Congress Center. More than 20,000 biotech representatives from all over the world will be in attendance. One of the main functions of the convention is to deliver the partnering tools, licensing tips and other industry resources needed to meet current economic challenges in biotech businesses of the future. 

As a member of the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, as well as the Science and Technology Committee, I continue to work with the Development Authorities in Forsyth, Lumpkin and Dawson counties and NGCSU to bring fiber-optic technology to our area.

As you can see, all of these efforts are designed to make Georgia the BioTech center of the Southeast, with students capable of filling those jobs. Those higher paying high-tech jobs pay an average of two times that of low-tech jobs.     

Gov. Perdue signed HB 280 last week. HB 280 will provide additional compensation for math and science teachers. Its purpose is to encourage more teachers to major in these fields. During the signing ceremony, the Governor commented that last year Georgia had produced over 1,200 early childhood teachers, but only one physics teacher, nine chemistry teachers and 140 math teachers.

Thanks go to Clint Smith and the Dawson County Republican Party for inviting me to speak at their April meeting.  I gave an end-of-session update covering four topics — taxes, transportation, teaching (education) and trauma care.  I will be giving a similar talk to the Dahlonega Lions Club at 6 p.m. on May 28 during their regular meeting at the NGCSU dining facility. 

The once every 10-year State Reapportionment starts again next year and continues during the 2011-2012 Legislative term.  The Speaker of the House has asked me to be part of a small group of House leaders deciding how Georgia will be subdivided into House Districts and Senate Districts.

Amos Amerson can be reached at 689 N. Chestatee Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533, (706) 864-6589, e-mail hamerson@windstream.net. Or contact Gerald Lewy at (706) 344-7788.