NIST News

Heather Chen-Mayer at the PET/CT scanner with HDPE phantoms. The large sections are for whole-torso measurements; the small cylinder is one of two other sizes tested in the course of the … more

The Fall/Winter 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 and … more

The 2013–2014 Criteria for Performance Excellence for businesses and nonprofit organizations are now available for sale on the Baldrige Web site. The Web site also contains valuable free … more

The quantum frequency conversion system uses two pump lasers whose frequency difference is matched to the difference between the two input photon streams, causing the new photons from a … more

Placing a water sample for irradiation by UV beams. A group of researchers from PML’s Sensor Science Division is part of a project that will have a direct effect on improved … more

A research team including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has confirmed long-standing suspicions among physicists that electrons in a crystalline structure … more

Achieving a goal considered nearly impossible, JILA physicists have chilled a gas of molecules to very low temperatures by adapting the familiar process by which a hot cup of coffee … more

Alexander Kramida (center) talks with Montgomery College students Thomas Carpentier (left) and Eric Carpentier (right). The online Atomic Spectra Database (ASD) provides the most … more

NIST scientists and engineers have been recognized as inventors in a variety of research areas, including the biosciences, building and fire research, materials science and manufacturing. This past … more

Richter (left) and Jang (right) measuring the spin-valve effect of a device. (Click image for a larger version.) & Researchers in the Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrolo more

Federal researchers have developed the first-ever rating system that allows communities to assess their risk from wildfires—on a building-by-building basis—and then ties that … more

A research group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms … more

Protecting sensitive electronic information in different situations requires different types of cryptographic algorithms, but ultimately they all depend on keys, the cryptographic equivalent of a … more

NIST Associate Director for Laboratory Programs Willie May watches as Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi, Chief Executive Officer of the Netherlands Forensic Institute, signs an agreement for the two … more

Did you know there is a smart phone application for first responders to use in detecting bomb threats? Or that the first animals to return to the Mount St. Helens area after its 1980 eruption were … more

Two scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Alex Liddle and Ian Spielman, have been elected Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS). The status of fellow is … more

Kate A. Remley, an engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Kate A. … more

If you've ever had your house lights flicker alarmingly during a bad electrical storm but found that your prized home computing network survived just fine, you may wish to pay silent tribute to … more

A pair of nanobeams is held side-by-side and separated by a nanoscale gap, with one beam supporting a mechanical mode, and the other supporting a confined optical mode. The properties of the … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recognized current and former employees in an awards ceremony Dec. 5 at its Gaithersburg campus. Under … more

JQI researcher Creston Herold examines&part&of&the&experimental&apparatus. & Scientists from a PML-Joint Quantum Institute (JQI)* group have devised and … more

USFS Contact: Yasmeen Sands 360-753-7716 GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Two federal agencies have teamed to create the first-ever system for linking accurate assessments of risk from wildland fires … more

For the second time in two years, Truven Health Analytics, a major health care survey research and data analysis organization, has linked hospitals that adopt and use the Baldrige Criteria for … more

The first public workshop devoted to reviewing and refining the suggested design for a new National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), an initiative proposed by President Obama, will be … more

Randy Wagner prepares a standardized manikin for hearing aid testing in the team's largest anechoic chamber. (Click image for larger version.) more

Two major new technologies come together for the Cloud Computing and Big Data Workshop, hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at its Gaithersburg, Md., campus Jan. … more

Click here for animation of how the ring resonator is used as a photonic thermometer. For nearly a century, the instrument of choice for accurate temperature measurements in the range … more

Observations made with NIST's Electron Beam Ion Trap indicate that in ions with a strongly positive charge, electrons can behave in ways inconsistent with quantum electrodynamics (QED) … more

Using an enhanced form of "chemical microscopy" developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), researchers there have shown that they can peer into the structure … more

New publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its counterpart in Brazil can help manufacturers in several industries successfully navigate the landscape of … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published the final version of Notional Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Federal Information Systems. This guide offers an … more

With new treatments for disease, test suites that safeguard computers, and even expertise to rescue miners trapped thousands of feet underground, federal laboratories have a wealth of technologies … more

S. Shyam Sunder, director of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has agreed to serve on the New York State Ready Commission, formed by Governor … more

JILA's new X-Wing addition has received two construction industry awards—best project in higher education/research and special judges' recognition—from the Engineering … more

12/6/12 update to this News item: Leadership Excellence magazine has ranked the Baldrige Program #8 in its top government / military training programs . . . read more It’s been said that … more

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

Igor Vayshenker works with the tunable laser system. The U.S. Internet – and indeed any communication system that sends information by fiber-optic cable – depends … more

The outside of the deposition chamber with researcher Kevin Dwyer looking on, and a close-up of the inside showing the silicon target (glowing orange) where incoming ions will form epitaxial … more

The U.S. Commerce Department today named four U.S. organizations as recipients of the 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance … more

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a technique for growing virtually pure samples of … more

Silver Anniversary Group Features Winners in Four Different Sectors WASHINGTON, D.C.—Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank today named four U.S. organizations as recipients of the … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have provided evidence in the laboratory that single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) may help protect DNA molecules from … more

A collaboration led by researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology& has shown for the first time that charge carriers in graphene continue to behave as massless … more

Close-up of water-jet target (vertical line, ~ 0.2 mm wide) used to produce picosecond x-ray pulses. Credit: Jens Uhlig One of the most urgently sought-after goals in modern science is … more

Clean room manager John Nibarger examines a wafer carrier on a new load-locked deposition tool for sputtering noble-metal materials. After months of construction, installation, … more

Researcher Kevin Wright checks part of the experimental apparatus. Scientists have created the first controllable atomic circuit that functions analogously to a superconducting quantum … more

The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) announces the accreditation of three laboratories in its Cryptographic and Security Testing (CST) Laboratory Accreditation Program … more

A research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a model* for making quantifiable predictions of how a group of cells will react and change in response to … more

Officials and researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) gathered on Oct. 25, 2012, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the two … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published draft guidelines that outline the baseline security technologies mobile devices should include to protect the information … more

A new website has been launched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to serve as a central resource for technology transfer plans developed by agencies with federal research … more

It is with heavy hearts that members of the Baldrige community say farewell to Letitia Baldrige, sister of Malcolm Baldrige, who passed away on Monday, October 29, at the age of 86. In announcing … more

Bright field transmission electron micrograph showing carbon nanotubes grown from an array of equally-sized iron catalyst particles created by electron beam-induced decomposition of a diiron … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is closed Tuesday, October 30. Non emergency employees should not report to work and will not be admitted to the facility. Emergency employees are … more

Due to expected severe weather from Hurricane Sandy, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) conference scheduled for Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 1 at NIST Gaithersburg has been … more

NIST Handbook 44 - 2012 Edition Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices as adopted by the 96th National Conference on Weights and Measures … more

Top: Scanning electron micrograph of the chip-based optomechanical sensor. Bottom: Schematic of the disk-cantilever sensor geometry. Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale … more

Deborah Jin, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who works at JILA, has been selected as the North American recipient for the 2013 For Women in Science … more

In yet another step toward the realization of a practical quantum computer, scientists working at Princeton and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) have shown how a major hurdle in transferring … more

David J. Wineland, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics. The honor is … more

To help manufacturers adhere to new regulations intended to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today the selection of the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI), a collaboration of several key firms in the semiconductor … more

If you ease up on a pencil, does it slide more easily? Sure. But maybe not if the tip is sharpened down to nanoscale dimensions. A team of researchers at the National Institute of Standards and … more

Makers of minuscule moving machines—the kind being eyed for nanomanufacturing and assembly as well as other uses—do you know where your micro- and nanorobots really … more

A new software test suite developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) allows local and federal agencies and other users of the NIST's revised biometric standard to … more

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New target station developed by PML which uses a camera and digital display instead of the conventional microscope. In consumer-driven industries, it is critically important to provide … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with The Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) and the Scientific Working Group for Firearms and Toolmarks … more

Investments will promote job creation and economic growth in local industry clusters in AZ, CA, MI, NY, OK, OR, PA, TN and WA WASHINGTON — The Obama administration today announced that … more

We are thrilled at the news that NIST's David Wineland has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Professor Serge Haroche of the Collège de France and Ecole Normale … more

David J. Wineland, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics. The honor is … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published for public comment a revised draft of its guidance for managing computer patches to improve overall system security for large … more

False-color scanning electron micrographs of cross-sectioned hematite films grown by sputter deposition and then annealed at two different temperatures.& The physical structure and the … more

Rapid, accurate genetic sequencing soon may be within reach of every doctor's office if recent research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Columbia … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced the winner of its five-year competition to select a new cryptographic hash algorithm, one of the fundamental tools of … more

Boulder, Colo., will be the site of the fourth and final public workshop to gather input on the design of the proposed National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), on Oct. 18, 2012, at the … more

When scientists and engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) want to tell their peers about experimental methods they have “road-tested” for … more

The link between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and forensic science dates back to 1913 when the agency’s predecessor, the National Bureau of Standards, served … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering a strong finale to National Cybersecurity Awareness month with its the third annual National Initiative for Cybersecurity … more

Three earthquake authorities from academia and the private sector have been appointed by Patrick Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National … more

Glass-enclosed&cavity&for&prototype&pressure&device. In 1643, Evangelista Torricelli, in the course of solving a Tuscan plumbing problem, made the first barometer … more

Schematic diagram of loophole-free Bell test, with time on the vertical axis and space on the horizontal axis. Two entangled photons are generated by a source. Each proceeds on a separate … more