NIST News

(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