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Displaying 26 - 37 of 37
multi-bladed drone in flight

Flying Drones Compete to Complete Unprecedented Feat

August 1, 2018
Richard Wilkinson
Whether it’s the effort to redefine the kilogram or researching the Harry Potter realm of quantum mechanics where things can somehow be in two or more places at one time, quite a bit of the science carried out at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can be hard for the average
view from a beach of a bright yellow sunrise creaking through the clouds

Time on the Beach: Working at NIST Hawaii

July 12, 2018
Andrew Nobleman
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has campuses in Maryland, Colorado, South Carolina and Hawaii. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Hawaiian campus? How do I get a job at NIST?” Perhaps calling it a “campus” is a bit of an exaggeration. Ensconced within the U.S. Navy’s
Scott Glancy, a sandy blonde-haired Caucasian man with blue eyes, standing in his office wearing a black T-shirt that reads "Quantum physics: The Dreams Stuff is Made of

Local Realism, Bell’s Inequality, and T-Shirts: An Entangled Tale

April 26, 2018
Scott Glancy
For this past Christmas my wife, Rebecca, gave me a T-shirt that says "Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of." This is an allusion to the book The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of: The Most Astounding Papers of Quantum Physics— and How They Shook the Scientific World, edited by the late Stephen
Pigeon bomb pilot

The Saga of the Bird-Brained Bombers

August 29, 2017
Keith Martin
During World War II, NIST was among those working intensely to develop guided weapons to help the Allies win the war. But before the advent of satellites and GPS, laser targeting or even radar, how would one guide a bomb? Why, trained pigeons, of course. ‘Stupid’ bomb Air bombs of that era were
Earth's ionosphere

‘W’eird Signals: Listening in on the Eclipse

August 15, 2017
Jill Nelson
Two years ago, I had never heard of the WWVB radio station. Today, it’s one of my favorites, but that’s not because it broadcasts a pleasant mix of Top 40 hits. (It doesn’t.) WWVB is a low-frequency station, operated by NIST, that provides precise time information to radio-controlled clocks across
man standing in front of a white board filled with equations. Four other men sit around a table watching.

Quantum Information: Changing the Rules of the Game

August 2, 2017
Carl Miller
I was a math researcher at the University of Michigan back in 2008 when I had the crazy—one could even say random—notion to shift from studying pure mathematics to studying quantum information science. My mentor at the time was confused by this. Why give up the field in which you have all your
Lily Chen at her whiteboard

Deciphering: The Thrill of a Lifetime

June 9, 2017
Lily Chen
When I went to graduate school to pursue my master’s degree 35 years ago, I couldn’t have predicted where my study of mathematics would end up taking me. I simply thought I was going to become a math professor. Before digital communications, the internet, and personal computers became part of our
Grote Reber's Sterling, Virginia, radio telescope installation

Grote Reber, Radio Astronomer

April 18, 2017
Keith Martin
Dulles International Airport, in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., sits on land once owned by NIST. It was on this spot that NIST brought together an eclectic combination of people and projects that would help birth the field of radio astronomy. It would involve a backyard tinkerer
Firefighter wearing gear, including face shield, standing near smoking building

Smoke Signals: Ensuring the Clarity of Emergency Communications

September 9, 2016
Kate Remley
If you’ve ever used a device that picks up signals over the air, you know that sometimes you just can’t get the signal to come in clearly. You point the device every which way, move it all around the room, do a little dance, but nothing seems to work. There doesn’t seem to be any explanation. Maybe
Black and white photo of Amelia Earhart standing in front of her plane

An Amelia Earhart Mystery at NIST

July 1, 2016
Laura Ost
Amelia Earhart continues to make headlines, mainly because of her mysterious disappearance. The famed aviatrix vanished on July 2, 1937, during her attempt to pilot a plane around the world. Searches for the wreckage, and speculation about what happened, continue even today. NIST has its own Earhart
Image of city scape with round green circle with a green check in upper left reading Tested & Certified

A “Certified” Stamp for the Smart Grid

May 26, 2016
Cuong Nguyen
When I go home after work, my wife and I are typically focused on the present moment, especially on our young son. As new parents, we benefit from many innovative products and services—from improved car seats and creative toys to safer cribs and video baby monitors. One of the first products that we
left-ambulance; right-highway traffic

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