NIST News

In yet another Olympian feat of measurement, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently calibrated a tape that will be used to measure out the distance of … more

Tightening or relaxing the tension on a drumhead will change the way the drum sounds. The same goes for drumheads made from graphene, only instead of changing the sound, stretching graphene … more

Gold is not necessarily precious—at least not as a coating on atomic force microscope (AFM) probes. Artist's conception of JILA's advance in atomic force microscope (AFM) … more

For the first time in the 25-year history of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, high-performing organizations that are candidates for the award will be eligible for recognition of their … more

In July, Shaffique Adam will join the inaugural faculty of Yale-NUS College as an Assistant Professor of Science, with a joint appointment in the Department of Physics at the National … more

The Spring/Summer 2012 issue of NVLAP News is now available on NVLAP's website. Click here to read the latest news. This newsletter is e-mailed to laboratories enrolled in the NVLAP program … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting proposals to establish three new Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in Arizona, Maryland and Rhode … more

In searching for better flame retardants for home furnishings—a large source of fuel in house fires—National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers defied the … more

In an important step towards more practical quantum information processing, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the University of California, San Diego; and … more

Researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) and four partner organizations have measured for the first time concentrations of 13 perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in five different endangered … more

Contact: James F. Groelinger, CEA Executive Director 609-516-7669 Partnership will expedite commercialization of clean energy technologies Golden, Colo. – Clean Energy Alliance, Inc. … more

NIST researchers showed that straining graphene membrane creates pseudomagnetic fields that confines the graphene's electrons and creates quantized quantum dot-like energy levels. The … more

NIST researchers showed that straining graphene membrane creates pseudomagnetic fields that confines the graphene's electrons and creates quantized quantum dot-like energy levels. The … more

Part of administration’s Better Buildings Initiative, Centers Will focus on energy efficiency workforce development for building operations professionals Today, the U.S. Department of … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have observed for the first time the Hall effect in a gas of ultracold atoms. The Hall effect is an important interaction of … more

Patrick Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology, participates in a "Best Practice Tour" … more

Like many new measurement tools, the laser frequency comb seemed at first a curiosity but has found more practical uses than originally imagined. The technique for making extraordinarily precise … more

The 2013–2014 Criteria for Performance Excellence are now under development. We invite you to submit your suggestions for improving the Criteria from now until July 2. & There are two … more

A powerful color-based imaging technique is making the jump from remote sensing to the operating room—and a team of scientists* at the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

As part of a larger effort to reduce the amount of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, in the environment, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a new website to help … more

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and partner organizations of the federal interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO) are sponsoring the second in a … more

2012, the 25th anniversary year of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, will see 39 organizations vying for the honor. Applicants for the Baldrige Award, the nation's highest … more

A trio of theorists, including one from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have described how a future quantum computer could be used to simulate complex, high-energy … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the final version of the Guide to Bluetooth Security (NIST Special Publication 800-121 Rev. 1). The publication is a revision of … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting a workshop on the use of "big data"—a term referring to massive amounts of stored and streaming digital … more

Chris Cromer examines one of PML’s next-generation power meters, built for the Air Force, that is capable of handling inputs as high as 100 kW. In the center of the frame are the … more

PIF's Aric Sanders demonstrates imaging options on the FIB/SEM instrument.& & & NIST is taking a huge step into the ultra-small with the Precision Imaging Facility … more

2012, the 25th anniversary year of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, will see 39 organizations vying for the honor. Applicants for the Baldrige Award, the nation's highest … more

On November 28 – 30, 2012, OLES will be hosting Forensics@NIST 2012, a symposium for industry, government, and academic representatives to learn about cutting-edge forensic science … more

Quantum computers are still years away, but a trio of theorists has already figured out at least one talent they may have. According to the theorists, including one from the National Institute of … more

On Thursday, May 24, 2012, the Obama Administration announced a $26 million federal funding opportunity for the multiagency Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. The … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a new standard reference material (SRM) to aid in the detection of two explosive compounds that are known to be used by … more

Humans spend greater than 90 percent of their time indoors, but we're never alone there. Bacteria and viruses, scientists estimate, make up half of the world's biomass—some 10 … more

In 2003, New York became the first state requiring cigarettes sold within its borders to pass a fire safety standard based on a test developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

For a clear view of cloud computing, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new publication that explains cloud systems in plain language. The final version of … more

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) will host a kickoff workshop on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. The workshop’s goal is to introduce the center, which will bring together … more

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Patrick Gallagher has selected William M. Holt, senior vice president and … more

The Open Application Integration Group (OAGi), a U.S.-based, nonprofit consortium, has recognized the Systems Integration Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an … more

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the spring 2012 edition of The CNST News. This quarterly newsletter highlights recent … more

World Metrology Day celebrates the signing of the Treaty of the Meter on May 20, 1875.* By signing the treaty, representatives from 17 nations, including the United States, recognized the … more

The federal government issued on May 9, 2012, a solicitation for proposals from teams led by non-profit organizations or universities to establish an Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have published their first archival paper based on data from the institute’s new hydrogen test facility.* The … more

Researchers, health care professionals, academics, industry representatives and others interested in the advanced diagnostic and disease treatment options possible from the analysis of metabolites … more

Laurie E. Locascio has been named as the new director of the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) while Richard Cavanagh, who had … more

Today, at a White House event, leaders from industry, academia, national labs, and government announced more than a dozen new commitments to advance the Administration’s Materials Genome … more

Recently, NIST announced the availability of $2.5 million for funding criminal justice applications that use new scientific discoveries. Thirty-six proposals were received, and the judges found it … more

Using SEMPA, the magnetic structures in the top and bottom layers of a cobalt-ruthenium-cobalt sandwich contained within a superconducting device were imaged, both before (left) and after … more

Peter Huang of PML's Sensor Science Division. Peter Huang of the Sensor Science Division’s Temperature and Humidity group has devised a new humidity generator that enables … more

Scientists, industry leaders and public officials came together this week for a dialogue on innovation at The Atlantic's "From Inspiration to Innovation Summit," held at Ronald Reagan … more

Botnet activity is on the rise around the globe, and to help understand this problem the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting a free, day-long workshop May 30, 2012, at … more

Roger Kilmer, director of NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program speaks to more than 800 manufacturers and other industry experts at the Manufacturing Innovation 2012 … more

The new, automated Vacuum Comparison Standard can accommodate up to 10 customer gauges of different types at once, with calibration times in the two- to three-hour range. In the vacuum … more

A SURF beam line (foil-wrapped cylinder at right) ends at a vacuum chamber in which the MAVEN EUV filter radiometer was tested. At left, plastic drapes form a clean room in which the … more

Gaithersburg, Md.—An international team of researchers including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found what may be the first known example of … more

On Tuesday, May 22, 2012, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) will host “Creating Usable Electronic … more

Vincent Lee prepares a demonstration for visiting students. For the second consecutive year, PML played a major role in NIST’s contributions to the Science and Engineering … more

PML technician Sherry Sheckels uses a flashlight and magnification loupe to take exact water-level measurements on a sta more

The Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO) today* issued a formal "request for information" on a new public-private partnership proposed by President Obama: the National … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has extended until May 25, 2012, the comment period for the second draft of a publication intended to help federal departments and agencies … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed and published a new protocol for communicating with biometric sensors over wired and wireless … more

Forensic Firearms Analysis Conference 2012 Since the early 1900s, forensic scientists have been using firearms analysis to associate bullets and cartridge cases left at crime scenes to … more

When it comes to the food used to raise fish in aquaculture "farms," it seems that you may get what you pay for. In a new study,* researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel way of producing light pulses that are "superluminal"—in some sense they travel … more

A new study by a team including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) indicates that thin polymer films can have different properties depending on the method by … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a prototype bioreactor—a device for culturing cells to create engineered tissues—that … more

Using a refined technique for trapping and manipulating nanoparticles, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have extended the trapped particles' useful life … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting Cloud Computing Forum & Workshop V on June 5-7, 2012, at the Department of Commerce’s Herbert C. Hoover … more

Fire researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently were honored by the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), while the Fire Department of New … more

Congratulations to the three winners of the NIST Mass Masters challenge conducted Friday April 27-29, 2012, at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. By correctly selecting … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will host two forums next month designed to connect manufacturers with more than 34,000 … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a quantum simulator that can engineer interactions among hundreds of quantum bits (qubits)—10 times more … more

On April 15, 2012, U.S. Commerce Department Secretary John Bryson presented 11 U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest honor for organizational … more

A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed an important research milestone by successfully measuring human brain … more

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used the scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) … more

Two new advanced laboratory buildings for high-precision science and measurements have officially opened in Boulder, Colo., providing upgraded facilities to support technology innovation and … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) have provided the first evidence that engineered nanoparticles are able … more

Identifying people by acquiring pictures of their eyes is becoming easier, according to a new report* from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST researchers evaluated the … more

Physicists at JILA have demonstrated a novel "superradiant" laser that works on a subtly different principle than ordinary lasers. In principle, the new JILA laser could be 100 to 1,000 … more

Materials scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), working with an international research team, have helped prove the stability of a novel—and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with the Multi-Agency Tissue Engineering Science (MATES) working group, is sponsoring a two-day workshop on imaging … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is co-hosting the fifth annual Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security conference on June 6 and 7, 2012, … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced proposed changes to a standard that specifies how to implement digital signatures, which can be used to ensure the integrity … more

The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has sent its 2011 annual report to Congress. The VCAT is the agency's primary … more

A team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has received the 2012 Energy and Environmental Stewardship award from the Department of Commerce for the design and … more

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP), managed for 25 years by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the private sector, has announced that it … more

JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology that has produced three Nobel Prize winners since 2001, has opened a new wing … more

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and Arizona State University have used environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) to explain the role of nickel … more

David Allen takes readings using a NIST standard reflectance diffuser prior to scanning a wound area on an anesthetized pig. Illumination comes from the broadband lights on the hyperspectral … more

more

Top: The gratings are fabricated with approximately 700 nm between ridges. Each has slightly different spacing and thickness, affecting reflectivity and mechanical performance. Bottom: A … more

The newly designed ionization chambers, in two sizes. & In the pursuit of precision measurements, nothing is simple, even when the apparatus employed appears to be utterly … more

BOULDER, Colo. – Physicists at JILA have demonstrated a novel “superradiant” laser design, which has the potential to be 100 to 1,000 times more stable than the best … more

Memory devices based on magnetism are one of the core technologies of the computing industry, and engineers are working to develop new forms of magnetic memory that are faster, smaller, and more … more

Securing computers against unlawful and malicious attacks is always important, but it’s especially vital when the computers in question control major physical … more

The first of a planned series of regional workshops to design a proposed $1 billion federal initiative, the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), will be held on April 25, 2012, at … more

A new online tool can help small companies and entrepreneurs evaluate their awareness of intellectual property (IP)—trade secrets, company data and more—and learn how to protect … more

Mathematician Geoffrey McFadden of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Applied and Computational Mathematics Division has been named a fellow of the Society for Industrial and … more

H. Felix Wu, a mechanical engineer and research manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been named a fellow of SPIE, the international professional society for … more

Consistent with its purpose, the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc., has committed funds to sustain the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) through fiscal … more