NIST News

Senior leaders from the three organizations selected for the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, as well as representatives from past Award recipients, will share their best practices and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is requesting public comment on a draft report* that identifies issues and proposes priorities for developing interoperability standards … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is extending the deadline for submitting proposals to its Technology Innovation Program competition to 3 p.m. … more

Miniature devices for trapping ions (electrically charged atoms) are common components in atomic clocks and quantum computing research. Now, a novel ion trap geometry demonstrated at the National … more

Responding to scientists' need to measure organic contaminants in human body fluids, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently made four new Standard Reference … more

What do the mystery of how proteins fold, the unexpected behavior of nanoparticles, and the key to making hydrogen fuel cells have in common? All can be investigated with beams of slow-moving … more

Creating voting machines that are both trustworthy and easy to use is the goal of the End-to-End Voting Systems Workshop, which should interest anyone concerned with ensuring that elections are run … more

A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Institute of Solid State Physics in Russia to an unexpected … more

Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development … more

Physicist Sae Woo Nam and chemist Stephan Stranick of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are among 12 federal employees who were presented with the Arthur S. Flemming Award … more

The latest addition to the growing selection of videos on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/usnistgov) is a look at the agency's new … more

WASHINGTON—Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced that 17 federal employees have been selected to participate in the 2009-2010 Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship (ComSci) … more

(Gaithersburg, MD)--The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal agency within the Department of Commerce (DOC), will hold an industry day/business fair at its Gaithersburg, … more

NIST's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) has published its first comprehensive report, covering the period from its establishment in May 2007 through December 2008. The 44-page … more

GAITHERSBURG, MD – The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology today released for public review a report* that identifies issues and proposes … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD), the Intelligence Community (IC), and the Committee on National Security Systems … more

The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the agency’s primary private-sector advisory group, has sent its 2008 … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released the final version of an updated publication to help organizations and employees secure their computer systems for … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that it is establishing a financial assistance program to help selected institutions develop and implement a NIST measurement … more

Biophysicists long for an ideal material—something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface—to anchor and position individual biomolecules. Gold is an … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be serving up "soccer under glass" - the glass of a microscope lens - when nanosoccer makes its second appearance at the RoboCup games … more

Better predictions of how many valuable materials behave under stress could be on the way from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where scientists have recently found … more

Shape is turning out to be a particularly important feature of some commercially important nanoparticles - but in subtle ways. New studies* by scientists at the National Institute for Standards and … more

Electron microscope image of two superconducting thin films that meet at a 6 degree tilt boundary (the dark line running through the image). The numerous smaller lines that intersect the … more

A wildfire rages across southern California wildlands towards residential communities, endangering residents and firefighters and sending property up in smoke. This is an increasingly common story, … more

A new National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) assay using a "glow or no glow" technique may soon help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defend the nation … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that it is establishing a financial assistance program to help … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD), the Intelligence Community (IC), and the Committee on National Security Systems … more

The NanoFab has a new capability to enhance its prototype and proof-of-concept capabilities with a Heidelberg DWL-66FS Laser Pattern Generator designed for low volume mask making and direct … more

We will be vastly expanding our capabilities in 2009 by the addition of the following tools purchased in Fiscal Year 2007. We will announce anticipated delivery and availability dates, as well as … more

The NanoFab now has a second electron beam nanolithography system on line, model JEOL JBX-6300FX. The beam deflection unit employs a 19 bit DAC unit for accuracy, it scans and writes at 12 Mhz … more

A DRAFT of NIST Special Publication 500-267, A Profile for IPv6 in the U.S. Government - Version 1.0 (Draft 2), is now available for public comment. This publication provides a standards profile to … more

BOULDER, Colo.—Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated entanglement—a phenomenon peculiar to the atomic-scale quantum … more

WASHINGTON —The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has delivered to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) a draft revision to the 2005 federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) … more

For the materials research community, all roads will lead to the Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) during the week of June 21, 2009, when … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the availability of approximately $120 million in competitive grants for the construction of new or expanded scientific … more

Seventy organizations have taken the first step toward the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest recognition for innovation and performance excellence. … more

Information exchange processes developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be at the center of the effort to design and build the next generation of modern, highly … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced that it will award up to $35 million in grants and cooperative agreements for measurement science and engineering research. … more

Electronic memory chips may soon gain the ability to bend and twist as a result of work by engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As reported in the July 2009 issue … more

By combining the best of two different distance measurement approaches with a super-accurate technology called an optical frequency comb, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and … more

Robert Celotta, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), welcomed three new research staff members in May … more

As part of the CNST's mission to develop the next generation of nanotechnologists, the following NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows will spend June and July participating in … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today delivered to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) a draft revision … more

Researchers in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL, in collaboration with colleagues at MIT and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, have demonstrated a new way to measure second-,third- and fourth-order … more

January 2009 - The IEEE 802.21 standard was published on January 21, 2009. This is the final realization of a multi-year project to standardize a media independent handover protocol. The scope of … more

March 2009 - NIST has drafted an update to the “Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide” (NIST Special Publication 800-81 Rev 1),the key Secure DNS guidance document … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the availability of approximately $120 million in … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is establishing a testing program to assure that the U.S. government purchases new computers and networking products that work properly on … more

A working definition for cloud computing—a new computer technique with potential for achieving significant cost savings and information technology agility—has been released by a … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received Congressional approval on its spending plan for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NIST will use its funds to invest … more

On May 18, 2009, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced significant progress that will help expedite development of a nationwide … more

Drawing represents a probe scanning and mapping the atomic contours of graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like array. Simultaneously applying a magnetic field … more

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) recently announced that it has recognized the first eight laboratories approved to test the … more

While today's law enforcement officers don't wear utility belts full of crimefighting gadgets like Batman, they do rely on a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to do their jobs … more

Pacemakers, like the implanted one shown in this image, are among the low-power devices that could be affected by new NIST findings about transistor noise. The findings indicate unforeseen … more

In its first decade of work, a research effort at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop novel and improved "combinatorial" techniques for polymer … more

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host a second major Smart Grid workshop, May 19-20, in metro … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received Congressional approval on its recovery plan to create jobs, … more

Trees positioned to shade the west and south sides of a house may decrease summertime electric bills by 5 percent on average, according to a recent study* of California homes by researchers from … more

By modifying a commonly used commercial infrared spectrometer to allow operation at long-wave terahertz frequencies, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last week issued its first reference materials to support the new and growing field of tissue engineering for medicine. The new NIST … more

Jun Ye, a NIST Fellow working at JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado at Boulder, has received the 2009 European Frequency and Time Award. Ye was honored for his … more

Daniel Madrzykowski Credit: NIST Daniel Madrzykowski of the National Institute of Standards and Technology was named George D. Post Instructor of the Year for 2009 by the … more

James C. Bergquist Credit: NIST View hi-resolution image Physicist James C. Bergquist, a Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) whose research helped … more

The U.S. military can now calibrate high-power laser systems, such as those intended to defuse unexploded mines, more quickly and easily thanks to a novel nanotube-coated power measurement device … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued for public comment a draft publication describing a new method to automate the task of verifying computer security settings. … more

Fire researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have just published two reports providing details of how wind affects fires in high-rise buildings. A set of … more

A clever materials science technique that uses a silicon crystal as a sort of nanoscale vise to squeeze another crystal into a more useful shape may launch a new class of electronic devices that … more

What happened in the first trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang? Super-sensitive microwave detectors, built at the National Institute of Standards and … more

BOULDER, Colo.—What happened in the first trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang? Super-sensitive microwave detectors, built at the National Institute … more

U.S. Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand paid a first-time visit to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). On April 17, 2009 she was accompanied by U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, and Brookhaven … more

A significant expansion of the NCNR is underway. The project comprises development of a new cold neutron moderator, and a new&guide hall with five state-of-the-art instruments. more

WASHINGTON – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will continue to help develop a smart electrical grid when it holds on April 28-29, in Reston, Va., the first in a … more

BOULDER, Colo.—Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a technique for efficiently suppressing errors in quantum computers. The advance … more

Karen Scarfone Credit: NIST View hi-resolution image Matthew Barrett Credit: NIST Vi more

Alton (Al) D. Romig, Jr., a senior executive at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., has been chosen to serve on the primary policy advisory body of the National Institute of … more

New methods for exploring the behavior of the high-performance electronics materials and devices that will shape the future of the electronics industry will be the focus of the International … more

Physicists have measured and controlled seemingly forbidden collisions between neutral strontium atoms, a class of antisocial atoms known as fermions which are not supposed to collide when in … more

The next time you shop for frozen seafood, and the price per pound seems enticingly low, make sure that you are really getting a full 16 ounces of fish. Unethical merchants or suppliers may try to … more

When an employee has so many complex passwords to remember that he keeps them on a sticky note attached to his computer screen, that could be a sign that your organization needs a wiser policy for … more

Overworked crime scene investigators can take heart at the results of recent tests at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of new technologies that automate the manual portion … more

Light becomes polarized in detectable ways when reflected from chlorophyll and other chiral molecules necessary to life, so scientists working at NIST have built a device that can detect … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a three-phase plan to expedite development of key standards for a Smart Grid, a nationwide network that uses information … more

Scanning electron microscope image of typical titania nanotubes for a photocatalytic cell to produce hydrogen gas from water. Nanotubes average roughly 90-100 nanometers in diameter. … more

Ron Ross Credit: NIST Ron Ross, senior computer scientist and information security researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been named to the … more

BOULDER, Colo.—Physicists have measured and controlled seemingly forbidden collisions between neutral strontium atoms—a class of antisocial atoms known as fermions, which are … more

Dr. Daniel Pierce of the CNST has been cited as an Outstanding Referee by the American Physical Society (APS). This lifetime APS award was initiated in 2008 "to recognize scientists who have … more

In a recent report in the journal ACS Nano,* researchers in the CNST Nanofabrication Research Group and Electron Physics Group reported their success at precise, high-speed 3D fluidic nanoparticle … more

Dr. Gregory Rutter, an NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate in the CNST, has won a Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology chapter of Sigma Xi. A plaque, certificate, and … more

(See also Vice President Biden Outlines Funding for Smart Grid Initiatives (White House release, 4/16/09)) image copyright Allison Achauer, Shutterstock GAITHERSBURG, Md. … more

As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to moving the nation toward energy independence, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has contracted with the … more

Highlighting another challenge to the development of quantum computers, theorists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have shown* that a type of software operation, … more

As part of a U.S. government-wide effort to expand the amount of information available to the public about its programs, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created a … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a 2009 competition for multiyear research funding in two major areas of national interest, civil infrastructure and advanced … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has opened for public comment detailed new methods for testing future electronic voting systems’ compliance with voluntary … more

By combining the results of a number of powerful techniques for studying material structure at the nanoscale, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), … more

The NIST X-trap is constructed from a sandwich of two diamond-shaped alumina wafers, visible in the right center of the top photo. The bottom photo shows a close-up of the wafers. Ions are … more

(A) Schematic of the NIST-Cornell nanofluidic device with complex 3-D surfaces. Each "step" of the "staircase" seen on the side marks a different depth within the … more

Optical frequency combs have been vigorously developed over the past seven years at NIST and elsewhere. They provide a uniquely broadband and coherent optical output and are finding ever-increasing … more