NIST News

NIST Fellow Joseph Stroscio was honored with the 2009 Nanotechnology Recognition Award at the AVS 56th International Symposium in San Jose, California on November 10, 2009. This award recognizes a … more

BOULDER, Colo.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has honored 22 employees of its Boulder Laboratories with the NIST Bronze Medal … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a draft publication for public comment that describes changes to the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). SCAP is a … more

An article in the Oct. 20, 2009, issue of NIST Tech Beat, “Is Your Microrobot Up for the (NIST) Challenge?”, invited university and collegiate student teams currently engaged in … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released for public comment a new revision of one of its key computer security documents, a set of information processing standards … more

Verifying the accuracy of network analyzers--instruments that are used to measure key performance characteristics of electronic networks--was once an awkward process involving multiple steps and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have announced plans to create a demonstration broadband … more

President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced on Dec. 7, 2009, that five organizations have been named the recipients of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the … more

Solitary waves that run a long distance without losing their shape or dying out are a special class of waves called solitons. These everlasting waves are exotic enough, but theoreticians at the … more

The year 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the first demonstration of the laser, one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. Lasers now touch almost every aspect of modern life, from … more

Ellen Voorhees, leader of the text retrieval group in the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was recently recognized as a … more

The teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce, according to new research* performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Hostage Rescue Team had a problem--they needed a small, portable tool to identify fingerprints and faces, but couldn't get anyone interested in … more

If you've seen an Internet ad for capacitor-type power factor correction devices, you might be led to believe that using one can save you money on your residential electricity bill. However, a team … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced funding for 20 new research projects under its Technology Innovation Program (TIP), including projects ranging from … more

Raghu Kacker of the ITL Mathematical and Computational Sciences Division, Rick Kuhn of the ITL Computer Security Division, Jeff Yu Lei of the University of Texas at Arlington (and a guest … more

Achieving an important new capability in ultracold atomic gases, researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute, a collaboration of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the … more

Budget Key Dates more

Technology Innovation Program funding focuses on advanced materials and infrastructure monitoring and repair The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

The CNST's Robert McMichael has been elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). His fellowship citation notes his "broad contributions to the measurement, modeling, … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.— The three-week-old Smart Grid Interoperability Panel’s (SGIP’s) governing board appointed Steve Widergren, a principal engineer at Pacific Northwest … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has presented 64 local staff members with the Departmental Bronze Medal and … more

NIST Fellow Mark Stiles has been designated a 2010 Outstanding Referee by the American Physical Society (APS). This lifetime APS award was initiated in 2008 "to recognize scientists who have … more

The CNST has recently awarded contracts with FEI Company for two Transmission Electron Microscope systems that will bring significant new capabilities to both the NanoFab and the CNST Research … more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced that five organizations are the recipients of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, … more

Go to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke's Remarks at Baldrige Quality Awards On Dec. 2, 2009, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gary Locke presented three U.S. … more

Fourteen staff members at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have received one of this year’s Department of Commerce Gold Medals and an additional 23 have received … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) now has a fan page on the popular social networking site, Facebook, and the microblogging service Twitter. Become a fan or follow us to … more

The inaugural meeting of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), a new forum to provide technical support to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as it coordinates … more

What: Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will present three U.S. organizations with the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest … more

Viewers of TV dramas don't focus on the technology behind how a forensics crime team tracks a terrorist or drug ring using cell phone data, but scientists at the National Institute of Standards … more

Single-walled nanotubes--cylinders of carbon about a nanometer in diameter--have been highly touted for potential applications such as ultrastrong fibers, electrical wires in molecular devices, or … more

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Naval Research Laboratory have developed a new way to introduce magnetic impurities in a semiconductor crystal by … more

Before one of your muscles can twitch, before the thought telling it to flex can race down your nerve, a tiny floodgate of sorts--called an ion channel--must open in the surface of each cell in … more

CNST researchers have designed a nanophotonic interface to very efficiently collect light emitted from single semiconductor quantum dots, providing an avenue for high resolution measurements needed … more

CNST researchers were recognized for the best poster presentation on nanolithography on October 1, 2009 at the 35th International Conference on Micro Nano Engineering, in Ghent, Belgium. The CNST … more

The U.S. Department of Commerce has presented 37 local employees of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with Gold and Silver Medal Awards—the two highest honors from … more

DENVER--The inaugural meeting of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), a new stakeholder forum to provide technical support to the Commerce Department’s National Institute of … more

On Nov. 5, 2009, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Patrick D. Gallagher by unanimous consent as the 14th director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Gallagher has worked at … more

Albert Wavering III has been named to the College of Fellows of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Wavering is acting deputy director of the National Institute of Standards and … more

Time Magazine has named research on the "quantum teleportation" of information from one atom to another in its "50 Best Inventions of 2009" feature. The research was performed … more

Ron Ross, senior computer scientist and information security researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has been named a Distinguished Fellow of the Information … 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

A revised draft publication on computer security guidance issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is focused on transforming the episodic information system … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is asking for public comment on four white papers that outline potential areas for research funding grants under the Institute's … more

A new workshop report from the National Research Council (NRC) identifies five key activities to advance the competitiveness and effectiveness of the nation's construction industry that employs … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the first “universal” programmable quantum information processor able to run any … more

Like other users of microfluidic systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher Javier Atencia was faced with an annoying engineering problem: how to simply, reliably and … more

If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important--especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require … more

To exploit the quantum world to the fullest, a key commodity is entanglement--the spooky, distance-defying link that can form between objects such as atoms even when they are completely shielded … more

The goal of an integrated, miniaturized laboratory analysis system, also known as a "lab-on-a-chip," is simple: sample in, answer out. However, researchers wanting to use these … more

BOULDER, Colo.— Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will collaborate with the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) to build and apply a custom laser-based instrument--a frequency comb--to … more

The eyes may be the mirror to the soul, but the iris reveals a person's true identity--its intricate structure constitutes a powerful biometric. A new report by computer scientists at the … more

Searching for a needle in a haystack may seem futile, but it's worth it if the needle is a hard-to-detect protein that may identify a person at high risk of a heart attack circulating within a … more

A theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a method for calculating the motions and forces of thousands of atoms simultaneously over a wider … more

Dr. Taner Yildirim, a physicist at the NCNR, has won the prestigious Special Award for 2009 from Tubitak, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. The Special Award is reserved … more

Finally, an optical frequency comb that visibly lives up to its name. Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the … more

The scientists and engineers who introduced the world to tiny robots demonstrating soccer skills are creating the next level of friendly competition designed to advance microrobotics-the field … more

High-performance optical fiber networks are susceptible to degradation effects that can change with time. An example of this is polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). EEEL researchers Paul Williams … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WVMEP), in cooperation with the U.S. Commerce Department's MEP office, will offer training sessions in … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has posted three documents related to the Smart Grid, the next-generation electricity network for U.S. power distribution. The draft … more

In the aftermath of the Sichuan Earthquake that occurred in China this past year and its high number of casualties, which included many children, the United States and China have signed a protocol … more

David J. Wineland, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will share the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics for "experimental realization of the first … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new publication aimed at strengthening the U.S. construction industry's efficiency and productivity in the next two to 10 … more

Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of … more

Drugs based on engineered proteins represent a new frontier for pharmaceutical makers. Even after they discover a protein that may form the basis of the next wonder drug, however, they have to … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been awarded the 2009 Automotive Industry Action Group's (AIAG) Chairman's Award, the organization's highest honor. NIST … more

With technology similar to that used by physicians to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, researchers from six institutions--including the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

The scientists and engineers who introduced the world to tiny robots demonstrating soccer skills are creating the next level of friendly competition designed to advance microrobotics--the field … more

Trying to understand the complex workings of a biological cell by teasing out the function of every molecule within it is a daunting task. But by making synthetic cells that include just a few … more

Pneumococcus colonies (bottom) ordinarily must be counted manually to determine whether pneumonia vaccine is effective on a patient, but freely available NICE software (top) … more

October 9, 2009 -- The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), presented the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with its highest honor, the 2009 AIAG Chairman's … more

The NCNR expansion project is proceeding on a schedule that will require a 10½ month shutdown of the reactor beginning around March 2011. & more

The Automotive Industry Action (AIAG) awarded Peter Denno the Outstanding Achievement Award for substantial contribution and leadership on behalf of the automotive industry. They proudly present … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled a method for calibrating entire waveforms -- graphical shapes showing how electrical signals vary over time -- rather than … more

Government agencies and other organizations planning to use WiMAX -- Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access -- networks can get technical advice on improving the security of their systems … more

NIST has created an on-line database of physical properties of gas hydrates, strange, naturally occuring materials that look like water ice but burn, as shown by this man-made example of … more

Just in time for October's Cyber Security Awareness Month, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a guide to help small businesses and organizations understand … more

To subdue the steaming heat of hurricanes or to thaw out during a blizzard, gasoline-powered, portable generators are a lifeline during weather emergencies when homes are cut off without … more

Magnetic monopoles are created (top) when the spin of an ion in one corner of a spin ice crystal is knocked askew, creating a monopole (red sphere) and adjacent ant more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—A fabric-covered, steel frame practice facility owned by the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys collapsed under wind loads significantly less than those … more

A fabric-covered, steel frame practice facility owned by the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys collapsed under wind loads significantly less than those it should have resisted … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold three one-hour "webinars" to brief the diverse Smart Grid community on its progress toward establishing a panel to … more

On Sept. 24, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced an accelerated plan for developing standards to transform the U.S. power distribution system into a 'Smart Grid' that would be more … more

After seven years on the Gaithersburg, Md., campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), more than 200 pieces of structural steel recovered from the World Trade Center … more

A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND FEDERAL MARKETPLACE EVENT TEDCO, NIST and NIH Present Bio-imaging Technologies For Commercial Adoption On Tuesday, October 6, 2009, NIST and NIH presented novel … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is holding the “National Workshop on Challenges to Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing: Industry Drivers and R&D … more

Tony Haymet, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has been chosen to serve on the primary policy advisory body of the National Institute of … more

Researchers in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL have&demonstrated an all-fiber photon-pair source with the highest coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) reported to date in the fiber-optic … more

This contributed volume is dedicated to the subject of performance evaluation and benchmarking of intelligent systems by drawing from the experiences and insights of experts gained both through … more

Vijay Srinivasan was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This award is to acknowledge Dr. Srinivasan's distinguished dual career in industrial research and … more

Photo: NASA/DMSP download a high-resolution version WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today unveiled an accelerated plan for developing standards to transform the … more

The Panel of Judges for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest recognition for organizational performance excellence, has selected 15 organizations for the … more

The Fifth Annual IT Security Automation Conference, co-hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will focus on emerging technologies designed to support the security … more

The Library of Congress Federal Library & Information Center Committee (FLICC) has announced that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Information Services Division … more

To facilitate audits of election results and making the election process more transparent, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host a workshop next month to discuss … more

Two distinguished earthquake experts have been named to serve on the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) by … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its popular guide to radio-controlled clocks. Many millions of radio-controlled clocks, watches, and other timepieces are … more

Planned and potential expansions and new facilities across campus, the addition of 400-500 kilowatts in power from solar panels, and increasing already heavy employee use of alternative … more

NIST Deputy Director Pat Gallagher photo credit: D. Anderson/NIST View hi-resolution image On Sept. 10, the White House announced President Barack Obama’s intention to … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new ruler, and even for an organization that routinely deals in superlatives, it sets some records. Designed to be the most … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with private industry and other government agencies, have produced a new reference material for beryllium. … more

Diamonds, it has long been said, are a girl's best friend. But a research team including a physicist from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently found* that the … more

A research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) studying sugar-coated nanoparticles for use as a possible cancer therapy has uncovered a delicate balancing act that … more

The NIST "on-demand" single-molecule drop dispenser: Water flows through a microfluidic channel, roughly 35 microns wide, and enters a narrow constriction where it breaks up into … more

NIST to Host Detailed Briefing Following Report’s Unveiling WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will … more

NIST to Host Detailed Briefing Following Report’s Unveiling WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will … more

From left to right: Patrick Gallagher, Deputy Director, NIST; Tony Haymet, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Gary Locke, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce; Jerry Sanders, … more

Roadmap Features New Buildings, Energy, Environmental Improvements GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Planned and potential expansions and new facilities across campus, the addition of 400-500 kilowatts … more

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama today announced his intent to nominate physicist Patrick Gallagher to be the 14th director of the U.S. Commerce Department’s National … more

The Baldrige National Quality Program recently published “blinded” (anonymous) scoring data on 1,033 applicants for the Baldrige National Quality Award during the years … more

Two publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describe new capabilities for authentication systems using smart cards or other personal security devices within and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a new request for "white papers" that outline or help define potential new funding competitions under the … more

SRM 2905, Trace Particulate Explosive Simulants, consists of four different test substances designed to simulate trace residues of C-4 plastic explosives and TNT. Seen through a pair of … more

If you wanted to know if your child had a fever or be certain that the roast in the oven was thoroughly cooked, you would, of course, use a thermometer that you trusted to give accurate readings at … more

Just as health-food manufacturers work on developing the best possible sodium substitutes for low-salt diets, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have acquired … more

A chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has demonstrated a relatively simple, inexpensive method for detecting and measuring elusive hazards such as concealed … more

Ongoing Effort Aims to Aid Understanding, Mitigation of Wildfires in Urban Areas The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has sent two experts … more

High-performance optical networks are susceptible to degrading effects that can change over time. Knowledge of the degradation can be used to diagnose the network, repair the damage, drive a … more

On Oct. 6, 2009, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) will sponsor a technology transfer and commercialization showcase for bio-imaging technologies developed by the National … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Security Agency (NSA) are cosponsoring the Biometric Consortium Conference 2009 on Sept. 22-24 at the Tampa (Fla.) … more

Airline travelers are used to being instructed to turn off computers and cell phones during takeoffs and landings as a precaution against interfering with the plane's navigational equipment, … more

In what may prove to be a major development for scientists in fields ranging from forensics to quantum communications, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued three new certified reference materials for soil. Intended for use as controls in testing laboratories, the new Standard … more

The flip-chip lamination method creates an ultra-smooth gold surface (left), which allows the organic molecules to form a thin yet even layer between the gold and silicon. Gold surfaces … more

A new publication that recommends best practices for the next generation of portable biometric acquisition devices--Mobile ID--has been published by the National Institute of Standards and … more

The century-old challenge of transporting acetylene may have been solved in principle by a team of scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A NIST research … more

Chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have issued a new certified reference material--a standardized sample backed by NIST--for determining the concentrations of … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that EnerNex Corporation, Knoxville, Tenn., … more

Dr. Craig Brown, an instrument scientist for the Disk Chopper Spectrometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Research, will receive a PECASE award for showing scientific excellence at an early stage … more

As a result of a major inter-laboratory study, the standards body ASTM International has been able to update its guidelines for a commonly used technique for measuring the size of nanoparticles in … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new calibration technique that will improve the reliability and stability of one of NIST's most versatile … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have published a report on the inaugural meeting of the Nuclear Energy Standards … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its final version of a publication that represents a major step toward building a unified information security framework for … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated sustained, reliable information processing operations on electrically charged atoms (ions). The new work, … more

An experimental atomic clock based on ytterbium atoms is about four times more accurate than it was several years ago, giving it a precision comparable to that of the NIST-F1 cesium fountain clock, … more

NIST physicists demonstrated sustained, reliable quantum information processing in the ion trap at the left center of this photograph, improving prospects for building a practical quantum … more

A new, high-performance research and measurement laboratory is under construction at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Boulder, Colo. The $102.2 million Precision … more

NIST’s work on standards and cyber security for a nationwide “smart” electric power grid was featured in recent congressional testimony. On July 21, Cita Furlani, … more

On July 20, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the award of new grants totaling more than $55.5 million to four universities to provide cost-shared support for the … more

(Top) The NIST microfluidic palette. The mixing area is the pin-sized chamber bordered by three holes in the center of the top layer. (Bottom) For each of the three dyes injected into … more

Intelligent machines of the future will turn custom designs into finished products quickly and efficiently, save lives in catastrophes, and minimize complications caused by surgeries. Researchers … more

A guide* for designing buildings using steel moment frames to resist earthquakes has been published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as part of its support for the … more

A new class of economically viable solar power cells - cheap, flexible and easy to make - has come a step closer to reality as a result of recent work* at the National Institute of Standards and … more

NIST physicist Ian Spielman has been profiled at washingtonpost.com as “This Week’s Federal Player”, a regular feature created by the Washington Post Web site and the … more

Commercial process-design software that incorporates NIST’s thermophysical and thermochemical property data sets will receive a 2009 R&D 100 award, R&D Magazine has … more

Every year, the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology appoints 10 to 15 new postdoctoral research fellowships under a program … more

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced a third major stakeholders workshop as NIST expedites the … more

Robert Celotta, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), welcomed eight new staff members in July 2009. C. Stephen … more

Dianne O'Leary and G. W. (Pete) Stewart, Faculty Appointees in the Mathematical and Computational Sciences Division, have been named Fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied … more

A short movie entitled "Simulation of Non-Newtonian Suspensions: Shear Thinning Case" developed by ITL's Scientific Applications and Visualization Group in collaboration with … more

The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is awarding grants totaling more than $55.5 million to four universities to provide … more

On July 16, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) issued a new policy statement that provides "guidance regarding the development of a smart grid for the nation's electric … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have overcome a hurdle in quantum computer development, having devised* a viable way to manipulate a single "bit" … more

To explore the structure and dynamics of novel materials, the more than two dozen scientific instruments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)'s Center for Neutron … more

Responding to concerns about the quality and accuracy of methods used by testing laboratories to measure levels of vitamin D in the body, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and … more

If your organization is eager to learn about how the Baldrige Criteria can help chart a course toward innovation and performance excellence, then a new brochure from the Baldrige National Quality … more

Three scientists 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 … more

The Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) collects suggestions throughout the year on opportunities for improving the Baldrige … more

A recently released New York City Police Department (NYPD) report designed "to aid the New York City building community by providing information on how to prevent and mitigate the effects of a … more

If the shiny new software on your computer or mobile phone runs without crashing, you may have another computer program to thank--a static analyzer. Static analyzers try to find weaknesses in other … more

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society approved formation of a new Technical Committee entitled "Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking of Robotic and Automation Systems" (TC-PEBRAS) … more

Oscilloscopes are routinely used to measure the properties of a wide variety of pulsed waveforms, including digital data streams in computers and in electrical and optical communications. Accurate … more

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 against a … 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

(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 chamber. The letter "E" … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced a 2009 competition for multiyear research funding in two major areas of national interest, … more

Most people’s experience with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) consists of a quick glance at a photocopied document at the doctor’s office … more

Most of the time, we use the stairs in buildings—especially in high-rise structures—only as a back-up for faster elevators and escalators, but during a fire or other emergency, … more

If physicists lived in Flatland—the fictional two-dimensional world invented by Edwin Abbott in his 1884 novel—some of their quantum physics experiments would turn out … more

Forget dancing angels, a research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU) has shown how to detect and monitor the tiny amount of … more

For fiscal year 2009, which ends on Sept. 30, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received $819 million in appropriations, an increase of 8.3 percent over the previous … more

NIST research shows that magnetism plays a key role in iron pnictide superconductors' crystal structure. (Iron is purple; arsenic is yellow; calcium is green.) Only if the … more

Magnetostrictors are a critical element in sound detection equipment including the sonar used in submarines. Scientists working at NIST solved the structure of the magnetostrictor … more

To help ensure that first responders, public safety officers and military personnel can always talk with each other no matter what communications equipment they are using (a characteristic known as … more

NIST polymer reference materials (a variety of polyethelene materials are shown) are used in the calibration and performance evaluation of instruments used in polymer research and … more

A new draft report released for public comment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a comprehensive set of "best practice" guidelines for designing … more

When you type www.irs.gov—or the Web address of your bank or an e-commerce site—into your web browser, you want to be sure that no one is hijacking your request and sending you … more

Most processes governing the generation, conversion, and transport of energy occur at the nanoscale. Exploring the new measurement and materials’ characterization techniques needed to … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host the 34th annual Time and Frequency Metrology Seminar on June 2-5, 2009, in Boulder, Colo. The four-day seminar provides the most … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will receive $610 million in funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The agency will use the funds for … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will receive $610 million in funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The agency will use the funds for … more

Top view of the MACS multiaxis detector system (seen before being enclosed in shielding material). With more neutrons striking the sample and more detectors surrounding it, MACS will … more

Preservatives like sugar surround and protect complex molecules (foreground), but varying degrees of movement within the preservative - symbolized by the different colors in the … more

On Feb. 17, Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado presented the 2009 CO-LABS Governor’s Awards for Research Impact to scientists from five federal research laboratories, including the National … more

Collaborative research agreements, invention licenses and several other technology transfer activities of the federal government trended upward between 2002 and 2007, according to a new, … more

The NanoFab (nanoscale fabrication facility) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is expanding its capabilities to serve researchers, academic institutions and businesses … more

In a new demonstration of physicists’ growing ability to control the “spooky” quantum dynamics phenomenon called entanglement, researchers from the National Institute … more

Weather SPHERE: Researchers from France's National Scientific and Technological Institute and NIST will work together to learn more about the effect of weathering on fiber-reinforced … more

Telecommuting has freed many to work far from the confines of the office via laptop, but the price of working while sipping a latte at that sunny café is the danger that a public network … more

Neutral atoms—having no net electric charge—usually don’t act very dramatically around a magnetic field. But by “dressing them up” with light, … more

For centuries, people have preserved fruit by mixing it with sugar, making thick jams that last for months without spoiling. Now scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

Senior federal employees who want a broader perspective on the development of the nation’s science and technology policy are invited to apply for the Commerce Science and Technology … more

First responders could boost their radio communications quickly at a disaster site by setting out just four extra transmitters in a random arrangement to significantly increase the signal power at … more

In this simplified representation of the experimental setup for a ‘quantum buffer,’ a cell containing rubidium gas is used to produce a pair of information-rich … more

Representatives from business and government agencies concerned with intellectual property rights, particularly those concerning electronic devices, will gather for a special workshop at the … more

Minutes after a two-story townhouse caught fire on Feb. 5, engines and crews raced to the townhouse to extinguish the fire and search for victims. No one was injured, however, because this was one … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued for public comment its first major update of Special Publication 800-53, the catalog of security controls and technical … more

NIST has developed a new certified reference material that can be an important quality assurance tool for measuring the amounts of vitamins, carotenoids, and trace elements in dietary … more

In an unusual intersection of materials science and anthropology, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and The George Washington University (GWU) have applied … more

The bacterium behind one of mankind’s deadliest scourges, tuberculosis, is helping researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Brookhaven National … more

MSEL recently published a book chapter on making quantitative nanomechanical measurements using atomic force microscopy (AFM). This practical user’s guide is based on several years of … more

MSEL researchers, in collaboration with the University of New Mexico, recently applied a new reliability modeling approach, peridynamics, to the problem of electromigration in microelectronic … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The bacterium behind one of mankind's deadliest scourges, tuberculosis, is helping researchers at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and … more

ROCKVILLE, Md.—At a live demonstration of fire safety experiments today, a group of firefighting, public safety and scientific organizations described a landmark collaborative study … more

Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show sections of a continuous 400-nanometer-thick magnetic film of a nickle-iron-copper-molybdenum alloy (top) and a film of the same … more

Physicist Deborah S. Jin, a Fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado at Boulder, will receive Sigma … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new standard—a certified reference material—to aid in the detection and measurement of the potent … more

Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are patenting a method that is expected to double the service life of concrete. The key, according to a new paper*, is a … more

Conventional and magnetic refrigeration cycles use different physical effects to cool things off. [Top] When a gas is compressed (2), it heats up, but if it is cooled and then … more

Crystallization (left) occurs as polymers harden into thin films, which are used widely in electronics technology. But when dewetting (right) also occurs, inhomogeneities in the film can … more

Single wall carbon nanotubes enclosed in bile acid shells self assembled into a sheaf of long ordered fibrils each composed of several nanotube rods. Treating the microscope slide with a … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold an information session for small businesses interested in learning about opportunities for competing on anticipated individual … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) alumni researchers Ugo Bertocci and William H. Kirchhoff were recently elected as 2008 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement … more

Learn about the exceptional practices and results of the 2008 recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award at the Quest for Excellence (QE) XXI, April 20-22, 2009, at the Hilton … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced nine awards for new research projects to develop advanced sensing technologies that would enable timely and detailed … more

Thefts of personally identifiable information (PII), such as social security and credit card account numbers, are increasing dramatically. Adding to the difficulty of fighting this problem, … more

Physicists at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have proposed a recipe for turning ultracold … more

When cells are under stress, they blow off steam by releasing minute amounts of nitrogen oxides and other toxic gases. In a recent paper,* researchers at the National Institute of Standards and … more

The ability of biomolecules to flex and bend is important for the performance of many functions within living cells. However, researchers interested in how biomolecules such as amino acids and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a method to accelerate stability testing of biodiesel fuel made from soybeans and also identified additives that enhance … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced nine awards for new research projects to develop advanced sensing technologies that would … more