NIST News

One of the biggest scientific challenges in the world is the development of new ways to produce, transport, and sustain energy in the 21st Century, and nanotechnology holds many of the keys to … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Electronic technologies could be deployed immediately and reliably to augment slower postal mail for distributing ballots to U.S. citizens living abroad, but using … more

Two physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have won Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the nation’s highest honor for … more

The creation of the first high-density gas of ultracold molecules by scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the first-round candidates for its open cryptographic competition to select a new state-of-the-art “hash … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is interested in detailed pitches for critical national and societal needs that could be the basis for new competitions for research … more

The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence—described by one industry CEO as “probably the single most influential document in the modern history of American … more

The spin of the Earth is slowing down. Not by much; only about 0.002 seconds a day (it varies), relative to our modern definition of the second. The varying rotation of the Earth is due to the … more

Anyone who has watched crime dramas on TV knows that forensic scientists can use DNA “profiling” to identify people from evidence gathered at a crime scene, establish a … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a method to measure the toughness—the resistance to fracture—of the thin insulating films … more

Guest researcher John Jendzurski prepares the NIST electromagnetic phantom for passage through the walk-through metal detector behind it. The carbon-polymer blocks of the phantom are … more

Electronic technologies could be deployed immediately and reliably to augment slower postal mail for distributing ballots to U.S. citizens living abroad, but using telephone, e-mail, and the Web to … more

Nine staff members of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been elected new fellows of the American Physical Society, the largest professional organization of physicists … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the first conference on an open cryptographic competition to select a new “hash” algorithm for securing … more

Carbon, the active ingredient in charcoal, is normally not considered a fire retardant, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have determined that adding a … more

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed software that improves the accuracy of the tracking devices in its immersive, or virtual, research environment … more

In a pioneering effort, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Queensland in Australia have successfully demonstrated* that they can count, … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently presented 71 staff members with the Departmental Bronze Medal and … more

On May 7, 2008, MML and Mississippi State University co-hosted a workshop to discuss recent advances in fracture toughness testing of structural materials. This workshop entitled "Crack Tip Opening … more

Gallium nitride (GaN)-based semiconductors have successfully been incorporated into commercial light emitting diodes and commercial laser diodes that operate from ultraviolet (UV) to green … more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined President George W. Bush in announcing the 2008 recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a rescue robot exercise in Texas last week in which about three dozen robots were tested by developers and first responders in order … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded grants totaling more than $24 million to three universities to provide cost-shared support for the construction of new … more

The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and President Bush today announced that three organizations are the recipients of the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige … more

NIST physicist David Wineland will receive the inaugural Herbert Walther Award in recognition of his “seminal contributions to quantum information physics and metrology, and the … more

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) has just published a new strategic plan to guide the activities of the four federal agencies that participate in the program for the next … more

A new testing procedure just published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) represents the final step in a decade-long effort led by the National Institute of Standards and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last week released its final report on the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center building 7 (WTC 7) in New York City. … more

Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated for the first time the existence of a key magnetic—as opposed to … more

The lack of common measurement methods among light-emitting diode (LED) and lighting manufacturers has affected the commercialization of solid-state lighting products. In a recent paper,* … more

A graphical overlay can improve the quality of facial images obtained by facial recognition systems. Credit: NIST View hi-resolution image Facial recognition systems perform some … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated their ability to measure relatively low levels of stress or strain in regions of a semiconductor device as … more

The CNST is pleased to announce that Vincent Luciani has joined NIST as the new NanoFab Manager. Vincent has over 30 years of private industry experience in semiconductor and nanotechnology process … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is awarding grants totaling more than $24 million to three universities to provide cost-shared support for the … more

The U.S. Department of Commerce has presented 42 employees of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with Gold and Silver Medal Awards—the two highest honors from the … more

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a radical new method of focusing a stream of ions into a point as small as one nanometer (one billionth of a … more

Two materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have papers in a special list of the “11 best papers” published by the American Ceramics … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bioengineer Greg Cooksey is equally talented behind the lens of a camera as he is engineering complex microfluidic devices for biology … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Columbia University have been named by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of the History of Chemistry as recipients of the … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received a total of 64 submissions for a competition to develop a new cryptographic “hash” algorithm, a tool that … more

The World Cup may be two years away, but soccer aficionados can get an early start at satisfying their yen for global competition when the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are decoding the mysterious mechanisms behind the high-temperature superconductors that industry hopes will find wide use in … more

NIST researcher Cynthia Howard Reed and guest researcher Lance Wallace measure nanoparticles emitted by common household appliances. The new experiments can measure 'ultrafine … more

Basic scheme of an optical tweezer-based sensor of biological particles. A microsphere covered with a specific antigen (such as a virus or other infectious agent) is trapped and pulled … more

Participatory, Web 2.0 Web Site to Focus on Nanomaterials Federal government and U.S. industry scientists are forging ahead with plans to establish an international online forum for collaboration … more

Federal government and U.S. industry scientists say they are forging ahead with plans for an international, online collaboration to speed up creation of critically needed nanotechnology standards, … more

Electroshock weapons - such as stun guns and other similar devices that temporarily incapacitate a person by delivering a high-voltage, low-current electric shock - have helped law enforcement … more

Gaithersburg, MD—A blue ribbon commission of safety and management experts issued a report today describing the adequacy of safety programs at the Commerce Department's National … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its first reference standards for nanoscale particles targeted for the biomedical research community - literally "gold … more

Three staff members of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were honored last week by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for their work in the field of standards … more

Gregory Rutter, a visiting researcher at NIST’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is the winner of a prestigious student award from the AVS. The AVS is an international … more

A novel technique under development at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses a relatively inexpensive optical microscope to quickly and cheaply analyze nanoscale dimensions … more

Each year the Baldrige Program recruits experts from business, education organizations, health care providers, nonprofits and other groups to serve on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm … more

William R. Ott, deputy director of the NIST Physics Laboratory, has been named as a recipient of the 2008 Presidential Rank Award. The awards recognize exceptional long-term accomplishments in … more

Buildings in the United States account for more than 40 percent of the nation's total energy consumption, and that is just one of their impacts on the environment. In a major statement on … more

Christmas tree flambé--These are the remains of two dry Christmas trees NIST researchers burned in an experiment. The room shown on the left had a sprinkler system; the one on the … more

Marrying a sensitive detector technology capable of distinguishing hundreds of different chemical compounds with a pattern-recognition module that mimics the way animals recognize odors, … more

Dr. Young Kuk, a visiting researcher in NIST’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is the latest recipient one of South Korea’s most prestigious prizes for … more

Buckypaper: SEM image demonstrates a pseudo 2-D network of carbon nanotubes deposited like paper fibers in a thin, sparse sheet. The nanotubes here have an average length 820 nm and make … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder, have made the first tunable … more

Katharine B. Gebbie, director of the Physics Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was inducted as a member of the 228th Class of Fellows of the American Academy … more

A new report describes tests carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the wireless environment in automotive manufacturing facilities. The measurements, carried … more

This smart chip on a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card holds two fingerprint biometrics, a unique number that identifies the individual within the PIV system, a PIN number that … more

Novel nanoparticles being tested at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have researchers seeing stars. In a recent paper,* NIST scientists used surface-enhanced Raman … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Future buildings—especially tall structures—should be increasingly resistant to fire, more easily evacuated in emergencies, and safer overall thanks … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is supporting the re-launch of www.StandardsPortal.org, an online resource that facilitates international trade globally, with in-depth … more

Scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder), NIST and Temple University in Philadelphia … more

In a high-temperature blaze, how well does a fireproofing material shield a building’s important steel structures from heat? Answering this question has been surprisingly difficult, but … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) have developed a prototype sensor that quickly detects very small amounts of hydrogen … more

Much like Pavlov conditioned his dog to salivate in anticipation of food when a bell rang, insects can be trained to perform certain behaviors when enticed with different smells. Researchers at the … more

Engineers long have known that great ideas can be lifted from Mother Nature, but a new paper* by researchers at Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) takes … more

Future buildings—especially tall structures—should be increasingly resistant to fire, more easily evacuated in emergencies, and safer overall thanks to 23 major and far-reaching … more