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Taking Measure Blog Posts

Environment

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overlapping wavelengths of light enter from the left and pass into the optical frequency comb device. The image shows a visualization of the different wavelengths separated into even increments.

Making Measurements With a Fine-Toothed Comb

September 15, 2021

Rebecca Jacobson

To many people, a measurement sounds mundane, like marking ticks on a ruler or reading the line on a thermometer. It’s a piece of data. And they tend to think that improved measurements look like finer and finer ticks on a ruler — which doesn’t seem very exciting. But making new measurements is more

masked man in a white lab coat holding up a frozen container in a laboratory

Creating a PFAS-Contaminated Meat SRM: A Q&A With NIST Chemists Melissa Phillips and Ben Place

June 21, 2021

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research chemists Melissa Phillips and Ben Place are working to create a Standard Reference Material (SRM) to help industry and regulators detect the hazardous industrial chemical PFAS in meat. SRMs are meticulously measured materials that

small grains of a reference material disappearing or floating away. two lasers, red and blue, which represent the two different colored lasers used by the instrument. Also visible are linear molecules of carbon dioxide (collections of three balls), CO2.

Fundamental Constants Are the Future of Measurement. Can They Replace Artifacts for Measuring Isotopes?

May 10, 2021

Adam J. Fleisher

In an essay titled “ The end of artefacts, ” Nobel laureate and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fellow William D. Phillips details how scientists came to realize the original vision of the metric system, or the International System of Units (SI) — a system of units “for all

flat map of world. Gray continents. Blue and green colors for oceans.

Monitoring the Oceans’ Color for Clues to Climate Change

April 13, 2021

B. Carol Johnson

It is February 1994 and I am on the research vessel R/V Moana Wave off the coast of Lanai, Hawaii, with the team of the Marine Optical BuoY (MOBY) project. The water is incredibly blue, and I can’t help but be awestruck by the enormous energy, momentum, power and depth of the ocean as I watch the

cartoon of a young woman at her desk speaking by webcam with another person.

The NIST Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program Goes Virtual

January 27, 2021

Brandi Toliver

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) designed the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through a unique research experience that supports our mission

woman with red laser safety glasses on working at a laser table adjusting optics

Atlantic Salmon Hormones, Trapping Molecular Ions, Lasers for Greenhouse Gas Measurements: Postdocs Share Their Stories on NIST Social Media

January 12, 2021

Riley Wilson

As the Feb. 1, 2021 deadline approaches for early-career researchers to join the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Research Associateships Program , we’re looking back at the captivating stories of some of our postdocs in the program

intermeshed gears. They have the words "society", "sustainability", "economy" and "environment" written on them.

Sustainable Manufacturing Is Smart Manufacturing

October 1, 2020

KC Morris

The COVID pandemic has highlighted the role that manufacturing plays in our society. Manufacturing is important not only for improving our quality of life but also for the necessities of life, from food to toilet paper to transportation and safe and secure housing. As our society has evolved, we

NIST Charleston researchers Ashley Boggs-Russell (sitting) and Amanda Moors (standing) work with researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Mammal Foundation to process tissue samples during veterinary assessments of wild bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. No dolphins were harmed in this process.

Tracking Hormones on Land and at Sea

September 22, 2020

Ashley Boggs

It’s usually pretty straightforward to explain how my work on clinical measurements is a benefit to society, but sometimes I get confused looks when I tell people about my work on whales, alligators and fish, to name a few. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), I work on

graphic showing scientist in her lab interacting with computer screen and chemicals. There is a parrot on a perch to her right.

A Bird’s Eye View: Finding New Ways to Track Synthetic Chemicals in the Environment

September 21, 2020

Hannah Hidle

I’m not a scientist. I’m not sure if that admission will turn the editorial overlords at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) against me, but I think it’s important to understand my background before I begin my story. I failed high school chemistry spectacularly, and before last

Andras Vladar in a white gown, hairnet and mask with a scanning electron microscope.

How Can NIST Help: Collaborating at a Distance to Defeat COVID-19

June 9, 2020

Heather Evans

I’ve been working from home since March 13. But even though I’ve been remote, I am still really connected to my colleagues — and have even created some new relationships. How’d that happen? First off, my office — the Program Coordination Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

two photos of Matt Staymates facing each other in front of a schlieren camera system. On the left, Matt is not wearing a mask, on the right he is. In both photos he is coughing. In the unmasked photo, you can see a big plume of air exiting forward like a jet from his mouth. In the masked photo, the air plume hangs around his face and does not go very far.

My Stay-at-Home Lab Shows How Face Coverings Can Slow the Spread of Disease

June 9, 2020

Matthew E. Staymates

Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing face coverings in public settings. Since COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, a breathable well-fitting face covering may

a shoreline with dirty water and bottle floating in it

Addressing Measurement Challenges for Detecting Chemicals That Could Cause Cancer

March 18, 2020

Jessica Reiner

For over 20 years, a class of man-made, potentially cancer-causing chemicals called PFAS have commonly been found in humans and the environment. These chemicals are used in a variety of industries and can be found in many consumer products such as food packaging and cleaners. Many early studies

a cityscape with the words "smart and secure cities and communities challenge expo

Improving the Quality of Life through Smart Cities and Internet of Things Innovation

June 7, 2019

Sokwoo Rhee

How It All Started Six years ago, I joined the U.S. federal government as a Presidential Innovation Fellow. The White House established the program to bring in top innovators from the private sector who could develop game-changing projects to enable business opportunities, fuel job growth and save

woman kneeling on a Hawaiian beach putting plastic trash into a bag

The Plastic That Washes Up on Hawaii’s Beaches Affects Me. Personally.

May 24, 2019

Jennifer Lynch

On the occasional weekend when I find myself avoiding house chores or lacking a social event, I wear out my 3-year-old daughter at Kualoa Regional Park, only 15 minutes from our home on the windward coast of Oahu. Yes, this is a major perk of living in Hawaii! There, the sun warms my skin, the

photo of a house. Solar panels on the roof.

That House on the Hill: Bringing Measurement Science Home

February 15, 2019

Bill Healy

When people ask NIST employees what they do, we often rely on the somewhat nebulous term “measurement science.” To many in the technical community, NIST’s role in measurement science is clear because they are often surrounded by instruments that bear some sort of NIST-traceable calibration

Top NIST Images of 2018

February 6, 2019

Robin Materese

There’s nothing quite like a captivating image to make you want to learn more. And nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to sometimes hard-to-understand science. Before we all get too settled into 2019, we thought we’d take a look back at some of our best pictures from 2018. If you missed

Two deer silhouetted against the dawn in front of one of NIST Gaithersburg's small lakes

Earth Day 2018: NIST’s Commitment to Sustainability

April 20, 2018

Robert “Skip” Vaughn

As Earth Day 2018 approaches, I think about what my role as the NIST Chief Sustainability Officer entails, but also what we have accomplished as an organization toward promoting sustainability and what more we can do. This year’s theme for Earth Day is “End Plastic Pollution.” As part of our normal

'Cybersecuring' the Internet of Things

June 27, 2017

Donna Dodson

I recently had the chance to talk with the legendary Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the internet. We had a wide-ranging discussion about the past, present and future of the internet, network security and what it would take to successfully, safely and reliably merge the digital and

Refrigerants to the Rescue: Plugging the Ozone Hole

March 13, 2017

Mark McLinden

Did you know there was a hole in the ozone layer? Thanks to swift, decisive international action not many people under a certain age probably do. Those of us over a certain age, however, should remember the ozone hole—a precipitous seasonal drop in the amount of ultraviolet radiation-blocking, skin

A Smart Window to Sustainable Development: A Scientist’s Story

December 1, 2016

Martin Green

I think curiosity is at the root of all scientific careers. That, and insecurity. In my formative years, I felt compelled to assign a rational explanation to everything. I didn’t know it then, but I was practicing to be a scientist—and having lots of fun. I remember entertaining numerous

A Little Light Construction: Laser Welding in Three Acts

November 7, 2016

Brian Simonds

Welding is said to be more art than science. In part, this is a nod to the vital, skilled work that welders perform. It’s also recognition of the fact that the physics of the process is really, really difficult to understand. I joined a NIST project on laser welding about two years ago. Before this

Indoor Air Quality Is Nothing To Sneeze At

July 18, 2016

Shahana Khurshid

Have you ever wondered if the things inside your house that you consider safe and harmless actually are? The perfume that you spray, the plastic food containers that you put in your dishwasher, the carpet that your kids lie on as they watch their favorite TV show, even the wrinkle-resistant clothing

World Sea Turtle Day: Heroes on a Half-Shell

June 16, 2016

Jennifer Lynch

I love sea turtles. I love looking into their giant, ancient, gentle eyes and watching them use their long flippers, so graceful in the water, to lumber awkwardly, but persistently, up the moonlit beach to lay their ping pong ball-sized eggs in the sand. I love seeing the tiny hatchlings, so small

solar panels reflecting the clouds and blue sky

Directing My Energy Toward a Sustainable Future

April 22, 2016

Ted Heilweil

Have you ever wondered what might happen if we run out of fossil fuels? How do you think we will be able to survive without the resources we need to heat and cool our homes and buildings or the raw materials we use to create all the plastics that make up our modern world? Indeed, if we continue to

Smart Cities: Bringing Tech Benefits Directly to You

March 25, 2016

Sokwoo Rhee

Earlier this week at NIST, we brought together a diverse group of people who will have a profound influence on the future of our cities and the services provided to their citizens. These 300 leaders from government, industry, and academia came to attend an event called the Global City Team Challenge

Environment

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