NIST News

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently presented 37 local area staff members of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with Gold and Silver Medal … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking participants for its upcoming Text Retrieval Conference—TREC 2007. Since 1992, TREC has been fostering research to … more

If you have done an Internet search, bought anything from a Web site or subscribed to a news alert service, chances are you used a special computer document language called XML. Similar to HTML, … more

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria are the basis for a Baldrige Award application, but in addition, thousands of organizations use them to assess their performance, guide improvements and … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a revised version of Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems (NIST Special Publication 800-53). First … more

Before and after electron microscope images of a pyroelectric detector coated with single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) visually demonstrate the effect of the laser cleaning process. In … more

The bull’s-eye solution to the semiconductor industry’s hunt for more exact means to measure the relative positions of ever-tinier devices squeezed by the millions onto silicon … more

Just spray and chill. That sums up a new approach to making remarkably stable glassy materials from organic (carbon-containing) molecules that could lead to novel coatings and to improvements in … more

Members of a research team watch flames erupt from an abandoned Chicago apartment building during a Nov. 10 test of positive pressure ventilation in high-rise fires. Red truck (lower … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently announced that an enhanced version of its CONTAM indoor air quality modeling software is now available. CONTAM 2.4b is the latest … more

We're in the end game. It soon may be possible to write international standards documents with decimal points in them. The issue is more than academic—it can affect sales of U.S. … more

The American Physical Society (APS) has named National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicist Kent Irwin as the recipient of the society's 2007 Joseph F. Keithley Award For … more

Telemedicine, the electronic exchange of medical information, can have a tremendous impact on the accessibility, quality and cost of healthcare. But the continued advancement and application of … more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced three organizations as recipients of the 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, … more

The American Physical Society (APS) announced last week the selection of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicist Jun Ye, to receive the 2007 I.I. Rabi Prize. Named for the … more

Five senior members of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) staff have been honored in the 2006 Presidential Rank Awards. The awards recognize exceptional long-term … more

Steven M. Bellovin, a pioneer researcher on network security, will be presented with the 2007 National Information Systems Security Award by the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

For the first time, tornado-like rotational motions have been transferred from light to atoms in a controlled way at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new quantum … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has posted at www.nist.gov/speech/tests/mt the results of the NIST 2006 Machine Translation Evaluation (MT-06), part of an ongoing series … more

Heads of federal agencies, chief information officers and any manager who needs a broad overview on information security practices will be interested in a new information security handbook recently … more

In industries from textiles to automobiles and from pharmaceuticals to semiconductors, accurately measuring empty spaces—technically speaking, porosity—is a substantial matter, … more

After two years of work, an innovative project using Web-based technologies to speed researcher access to a large body of new scientific data has demonstrated that not only access to but also the … more

Established just a little over a year ago, the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) now contains information on 20,000 computer system … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have demonstrated that they can cheaply, quickly and accurately identify even … more

Thomas R. O'Brian, chief of the Time and Frequency Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has been appointed director of the NIST Boulder Laboratories. As NIST … more

The NIST process for "purifying" an unusual property of quantum physics called entanglement involves illuminating two pairs of beryllium ions (charged atoms) with a series of ultraviolet … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently issued four publications to provide computer security advice on issues ranging from securing Windows XP Home Edition® computers and … more

A wide range of optical electronic devices, from laser disk players to traffic lights, may be improved in the future thanks to a small piece of semiconductor, about the size of a button, coated … more

Dr. William D. Phillips, the first researcher from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to become a Nobel Laureate, has been awarded the 2006 Career Achievement Medal in the … more

Airborne contaminants in homes can range from allergic agents such as mold to potentially lethal threats such as carbon monoxide. Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

Working under severe time pressure, government laboratories can analyze radioactive samples fairly quickly—in a matter of hours—but with variable accuracy, and sometimes relaxed … more

Firefighters sometimes find themselves fighting blazes in temperatures as high as 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Firefighter gear and self-contained breathing apparatus can allow firefighters to … more

NIST research assistants demonstrate two functions of the prototype robotic HLPR chair (left) facilitating leg exercise and (right) lifting the patient to reach high shelves. View a … more

Starting Oct. 16, teams of business, education and health care experts will visit 13 organizations—one service company, three small businesses, three education organizations and six … more

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), have launched … more

On Sept. 26, 2006, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released three draft information technology security publications for public comment: Special Publication (SP) 800-54, … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with the External RNA Controls Consortium (ERCC), has awarded a contract to Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. (CBI, … more

TV shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" have popularized the role of forensic science in solving crimes. Now, computer security experts at the National Institute of Standards … more

Experts in manufacturing processes, measurement science and tools, and computational methods will meet Oct. 17-19, 2006, in Gaithersburg, Md., to set research goals and chart other next steps … more

A new design for a microwave oscillator that is smaller, simpler, and produces clearer signals at a single frequency than comparable devices has been invented at the National Institute of Standards … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued three new reference materials to support researchers studying the properties of commercially important … more

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Today, the University of Maryland (UM), the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Security Agency … more

(9/8/2006, ARCHIVE, incorporated into 9/19/2011 update) What is NIST? The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the Commerce Department’s Technology … more

When the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the final report in October 2005 from its technical investigation of the fires and collapses of the World Trade Center (WTC) … more

Americans are living longer than ever. As the senior population grows over the coming years, increasing the quality of healthcare while reducing costs will become even more of a priority than it is … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has co-organized with U.S. industry a workshop to address the increasing pressure on manufacturers from emerging chemical controls and … more

Before ditching or donating that used computer, CD or other data-storage media, sensitive or personal information should be properly "sanitized," according to a new guide from the … more

The 1995 bombing that triggered the collapse of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., first raised concerns in the United States about the safety of public buildings from … more

A gold nanobead, trapped with 205 milliwatts of infrared laser light, heats up to about 75 degrees C or 167 degrees F (shown in dark red) and the temperature in the surrounding area … more

This simulation shows how two nano-oscillators, spaced 500 nanometers apart, synchronize their microwave signals by overlapping and merging their "spin waves," magnetic emissions … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, is sponsoring a workshop and a … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is& looking for comments on new guidelines aimed at helping end-users, in& particular telecommuting federal employees, improve the … more

Chemical engineers and others designing "green" industrial processes using new ionic liquid solvents now have an important new resource, an on-line database of physical properties … more

Ribbon rendering of the structure of AC-IV in Yersina pestis as determined at NIST. The enzyme is a dimer (two identical subunits around a vertical axis), and each of the two subunits … more

The White House has announced that two researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are among the 56 recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for … more

Increasingly, medical and pharmaceutical researchers are looking to biomedical imaging as a tool to track disease progress, speed drug discovery and improve patient outcomes. The goal is to … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is requesting comments on a draft revision of Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems (NIST Special Publication … more

Researchers from the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have uncovered a pattern of DNA damage in connective tissues in the … more

Novel 3-D microbeam experiment enables direct proof of the Mughrabi model of metal stress. Submicron X-ray beam (broad arrow) penetrates a deformed copper single crystal and is diffracted … more

Prodded by optical tweezers, two "hydrosomes" move together and fuse to mix their contents, in an experiment using water droplets as minuscule boxes for manipulating small numbers of … more

NIST researchers have mapped the relationship between stirring force and nanotube arrangement, an advance key to the processing of new nanocomposite materials. Images show the evolution … more

& Etched nanostructured rings around an LED can make it more than seven times brighter. The novel technique developed at NIST may have applications in areas such as in biomedical imaging … more

NIST physicist Jim Bergquist with the world's most accurate clock. The silver cylinder in the foreground is a magnetically shielded cryogenic vacuum system, which holds the heart of … more

On July 19, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Bill Jeffrey testified before the House Committee on Science and the Committee on House Administration on "Voting … more

Once a tool primarily used by law enforcement to help identify criminals, biometric technologies increasingly are being used by government and the private sector to authenticate a person's … more

After 10 years of research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled the world's first precision instrument for directly measuring alternating current (AC) … more

BOULDER, COLO.—An experimental atomic clock based on a single mercury atom is now at least five times more precise than the national standard clock based on a "fountain" of cesium atoms, … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UM) have joined in a $1.5 million cooperative program that will further NIST's efforts to develop … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new reference material to aid quality control in the steel coatings industry. The new Standard Reference Material (SRM) … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—When it comes to superconductivity, magnetic excitations may top good vibrations. Writing in the July 6, 2006, issue of Nature,* scientists working at the Commerce … more

X-ray topographs of three different strata of a strained-silicon wafer show close correspondence in defects from the base silicon layer (top) through the final strained-silicon layer … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have joined in a $1.5 million cooperative … more

& & & & & & & & & & & Click here for hi-res version. A worker in a protective cab on a NIST-developed revolutionary robotic platform strips … more

When it comes to superconductivity, magnetic excitations may top good vibrations. Scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is immediately sending two structural engineers to Clinton, … more

The Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) recently awarded a team of NIST employees the Leadership in Service to the Government IT Community award for its outstanding … more

Seventy-six organizations have sent the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) their applications for the 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's Presidential … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is requesting comments on a new draft guide that is intended to help organizations make wireless local area networks (WLAN) more secure. The draft … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and industry collaborators have developed improved methods for accurately measuring very faint thermal … more

A new performance rating system for residential fuel cells developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can help prospective buyers assess the economic value of … more

Seventy-six organizations have sent the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) their applications for the 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s … more

On June 2, new, streamlined regulatory approval procedures came into effect in the United States and Singapore, allowing U.S. makers of telecommunication equipment to certify their products at home … more

NIST researchers developed a new high-speed method for measuring the stiffness of soft-polymer materials like those used in contact lenses. The test material is covered with a sensor film, … more

& NIST’s new Roof Photovoltaic Test Facility duplicates real-life conditions to monitor photovoltaic (PV) systems blended into concrete tile, slate and asphalt shingle roofs. … more

Performance of Physical Structures in Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita: A Reconnaissance Report (NIST Technical Note 1476) (7 mb .pdf file, requires Acrobat Reader) Q&As on the NIST … more

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an elegantly simple technique for synthesizing a wide variety of complex surfaces that vary in a … more

Three scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be among 11 federal employees to receive the Arthur S. Flemming Awards at an awards ceremony June 13 at The … more

Electrical circuits may act differently in Arizona than they do in Alaska—potentially affecting the performance of computers and other electronics. A new technique identifies and … more

Firefighters know that protective "turnout gear" (pants and coats) can save their lives. Yet because there are several different attributes of protective performance, choosing the turnout … more

The National Alliance for Health Information Technology is donating its directory of health information technology (IT) standards to help the National Institute of Standards and Technology expand … more

Strain waves traveling at 5,000 meters per second in the NIST Kolsky bar apparatus compress a test slice from a frangible bullet to measure the precise amount of stress needed to break it … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently added 150 new methods—nicknamed "recipes"—to a database already containing 255 … more

Non-profit organizations considering applying for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2007 or using the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence may be interested in an application … more

Registration is now open for the Biometrics Consortium Conference 2006, one of the nation's largest conferences featuring the latest advances in research, development, testing, standardization … more

Three Nobel Laureates from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), William Phillips (1997), Eric Cornell (2001), and John Hall (2005), testified on their physics research and … more

An improved technique for culturing cells, developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), may enable new, fundamental insights into the behavior of neuronal … more

This week the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded grants totaling $4.5 million to five organizations affiliated with NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed an improved method for measuring basic properties of complex fuel mixtures like gasoline or jet fuel. The new … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host a national Options for Action Summit to devise ways to strengthen U.S. efforts that help developing nations build their economies … more

& NIST "grows" semiconductor nanowires that emit ultraviolet light as part of a project to make prototype nano-lasers and other devices and the measurement tools needed to characterize … more

ORLANDO, Fla.--The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced grants totaling $4.5 million to five organizations affiliated with … more

Like coal-mine canaries, fish DNA can serve as a measure of the biological impact of water and sediment pollution—or pollution clean-up. That’s one of the conclusions of a new … more

Recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award are respected and widely emulated because of their innovative management practices and exceptional results. To learn more about the six … more

Future combat gear may feature wearable sensors, including cameras and audio pick-ups, to enhance the soldier's "situational awareness" and after-action reports as a result of the ASSIST … more

Cita M. Furlani has been named director of the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Furlani brings a broad range of management and … more

A deceptively simple approach to bonding thermoplastic microchannel plates together with solvent could be used for low-cost, high-volume production of disposable "lab-on-a-chip" devices, … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health have begun a program to develop measurement assessment … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used lasers to cool and trap erbium atoms, a “rare earth” heavy metal with unusual optical, … more

Gaithersburg, Md.—Raw code for “unbreakable” encryption, based on the principles of quantum physics, has been generated at record speed over optical fiber at the … more

The United Kingdom has a progressive collapse standard Standards to avoid progressive collapse Large panel Construction since 1968. The standard lists two methods for mitigating progressive … more

Ground, aerial and aquatic emergency response robots from across the country will face realistic urban search and rescue challenges April 4-6 at Disaster City near the Texas A&M University … more

DETROIT—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today in Detroit announced the launch of a state-of-the-art center for collaborative nanotechnology research at Commerce’s … more

Two theoreticians from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Indiana University (IU) have published the most accurate values yet for fundamental atomic properties of a … more

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and demonstrated the world’s most accurate gamma ray detector, which eventually is expected to be … more

Boulder, Colo. -- Physicists at JILA have designed and demonstrated a highly sensitive new tool for real-time analysis of the quantity, structure, and dynamics of a variety of atoms and molecules … more

Boulder, Colo.—Scientists at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and demonstrated the world’s most accurate … more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez today announced a new standard to help federal agencies improve their information technology security and comply with the Federal … more

Technology in today’s fast-moving telecommunications industry is all about convergence. The “next big thing” are the so-called Next Generation Networks (NGN). The idea … more

Richard Kayser, a chemist with diverse technical and managerial experience, has been named director of the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) at the National Institute of Standards … more

Roger D. Kilmer has been appointed director of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Since 1993, Kilmer has … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) metallurgist William J. Boettinger has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), an honor recognizing research accomplishments … more

A new Memorandum of Understanding aimed at helping small manufacturers better understand how to do business with federal, state and local governments was signed on Feb. 13, 2006, by Roger Kilmer, … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has implemented a Web-based system (http://www.nist.gov/el/disasterstudies/wtc/wtc_recommendations.cfm) so that the public can track the … more

Budget table GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is slated for $535 million for its laboratory research and … more

Fire panels, or “annunciators,” are electronic devices that display data on building conditions in one easily accessible location. When used by first responders during … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) yesterday issued the final publication describing how biometrics should be stored on Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards. These … more

Big manufacturing jobs, especially those in the defense industry that involve management of extensive supply chains, often require resources and expertise that many believe are beyond the capacity … more

As nanoscale circuits continue to shrink, electrical resistivity increases in the wiring and limits the maximum circuit speed. A new simulation program developed by researchers at the National … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced Jan. 10 that Carol Hockert has been selected as the new chief of the NIST Weights and Measures Division. The division promotes … more

This summer the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will again provide about 125 full-time undergraduate research fellowships for college students majoring in physics, chemistry, … more

In an increasingly open environment of interconnected computer systems and networks, security is essential to ensure that information remains confidential, is not modified or destroyed and is … more

NIST is interested in receiving technical comments about the scope of work and technical approach for The draft statement of work for structural analysis of WTC 7. Background This solicitation … more