Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

Keyword

Topic Area

High-Tech Concrete Technology Has a Famous Past

March 15, 2011

In the business of concrete making, what's old—even ancient—is new again. Almost 1,900 years ago, the Romans built what continues to be the world's largest

New Tool Debuts for Measuring Indoor Air Pollutants

March 15, 2011

A promising new approach for checking the accuracy of measurements of hazardous indoor air pollutants may soon be ready for prime time, report researchers from

NIST researcher photographing the remains of the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., on June 19, 2007, the day after the fire that killed nine firefighters.

NIST Releases Final Report on Charleston Sofa Store Fire

March 15, 2011

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its final report on its study of the June 18, 2007, fire at the Sofa Super Store in

The Buzz on BEES: New Web App Simplifies Use of NIST's Economically Green Building Products Tool

March 1, 2011

A powerful scientific tool for selecting cost-effective and environmentally preferable building products is now available as a free, web-based application

A photo of fuzzy household cleaners as they're seen through the vision system used in the Perception Challenge

NIST and Willow Garage Launch First Robot 'Perception Challenge'

February 25, 2011

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is teaming up with Willow Garage, a Silicon Valley robotics research and design firm, to launch an

Announcing BEES Online

February 16, 2011

BEES is now available online at http://www.nist.gov/el/economics/BEESSoftware.cfm ! BEES Online is a next-generation application of the popular BEES (Building

NIST Seeks Experts to Provide Guidance on Disaster and Failure Studies

February 2, 2011

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking nominations of individuals for appointment to the National Construction Safety Team (NCST)

Fiery Video Shows Moisture is Main Ingredient for a Safe Christmas Tree

December 8, 2010

Once ignited, a dry Fraser fir, one of the most popular Christmas tree choices, bursts into flames in less than 7 seconds, and it will be consumed by fire in

NIST Seeks Comments on Study of Charleston Furniture Store Fire

November 9, 2010

Major factors contributing to a rapid spread of fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., on June 18, 2007, included large open spaces with furniture

NIST Study on Charleston Furniture Store Fire Calls for National Safety Improvements

October 28, 2010

Volume I: NIST Technical Study of the Sofa Super Store Fire - South Carolina, June 18, 2007 Volume II: NIST Technical Study of the Sofa Super Store Fire - South

Opening Statement: News Media Briefing Technical Study of the Sofa Super Store Fire

October 28, 2010

NIST News Release Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire Thank you, Bill. Good afternoon. As Bill has just mentioned, NIST is a scientific research agency. We chose

NIST Microrobotics Challenge Seeks Miniature Medics and Maze Masters

October 26, 2010

They've played soccer, run dashes and deftly inserted pegs into holes—all within a world that can fit inside a single grain of rice. Now, it's time for

NIST Researcher Wins Presidential Award for Green Innovation

October 13, 2010

Barbara Lippiatt, a researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is one of eight winners of the 2010 GreenGov Presidential Awards

NIST Residential Fire Study Education Kit Now Available

September 28, 2010

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Association of Fire Fighters have prepared an educational

New NIST 'Standard Cigarette' Available for Fire-Resistance Testing

September 28, 2010

Cigarettes are the most frequent cause of fatalities from residential fires in the United States. So, it might seem surprising to learn that a cigarette that

NIST Data: Enabling the Technical-Basis for Evacuation Planning of High-Rise Buildings

September 14, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are stepping up the pace for designing safer building evacuations by releasing large

NIST Technology Called Upon to Clean Up Chernobyl Disaster Site

August 17, 2010

A modified version of the RoboCrane®, a unique floating platform developed by manufacturing research engineers at the National Institute of Standards and

NIST to Frame the Magna Carta

August 17, 2010

Fabrication specialists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are joining forces with conservators at the National Archives and Records

photo of two men using a smart phone voice translation system

Breaking the Language Barrier: NIST Tests Afghan Language Translation Devices for U.S. Troops

July 21, 2010

At dusk, a car stops at a checkpoint in Afghanistan. It is a tense moment for all. Because an interpreter is not available, U.S. Marines use hand gestures to

Depth Charge: Using Atomic Force Microscopy to Study Subsurface Structures

June 23, 2010

Over the past couple of decades, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has emerged as a powerful tool for imaging surfaces at astonishing resolutions—fractions of a

detonation within a blast-resistant trash receptacle

Blast Resistance Standards For Trash Receptacles

June 23, 2010

With summer travel season hard upon us, specialists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped create two new standards designed

NIST WTC Recommendations Are Basis for New Set of Revised Codes

June 9, 2010

Faster and more efficient emergency evacuations from buildings—especially tall structures—and better communications between first responders during an emergency

Photomicrograph shows Mag-µBot, the entry from Carnegie-Mellon University in the NIST Mobile Microrobotics Challenge.

Teams Gearing Up for Two NIST Robotic Competitions in Alaska

June 7, 2010

The recruitment period is over. The competitors have been selected. Let the games begin! Vying for top honors in the VMAC will be two teams from Georgia Tech

Robots Big and Small Showcase Their Skills at NIST Alaskan Events

May 25, 2010

Make room, Bender, Rosie and R2D2! Your newest mechanical colleagues are a few steps closer to reality, thanks to lessons learned during two robotics events

During a fire safety experiment, a firefighter ventilates the building to let smoke and heat out to improve conditions inside.

Landmark Residential Fire Study Shows How Crew Sizes and Arrival Times Influence Saving Lives and Property

April 28, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C.— A landmark study issued today by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that the size of

Advanced communications
-Open Radio Access Network (Open-RAN)
-Quantum communications
-Spectrum sharing
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
-Bioeconomy
--Biological data
-Bioimaging
-Bioinformatics
-Biomanufacturing
-Biomaterials
-Biometrology
-Biosecurity
--Biosurveillance
--Genomic cybersecurity
--Nucleic acid sequence screening
-Cell measurements
-Engineering / synthetic biology
--Biofabrication
--Cell-free systems
--Genome engineering
--Protein engineering
-Gene delivery systems
-Genome editing
-Genomics
-Glycomics
-Metabolomics
-Microbial measurements
-Proteomics
-Transcriptomics
Buildings and Construction
-Building codes and standards
-Building control systems
-Building damage and repair
-Building economics
-Building materials
-Energy efficiency
-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
-Indoor air quality
-Structural engineering
-Thermal comfort
Chemistry
-Analytical chemistry
-Chemical engineering and processing
-Chemical thermodynamics and chemical properties
-Molecular characterization
-Theoretical chemistry and modeling
-Thermochemical properties
Electronics
-Electromagnetics
-Flexible electronics
-Magnetoelectronics
-Optoelectronics
-Organic electronics
-Semiconductors
-Sensors
-Superconducting electronics
Energy
-Alternative energy
-Conventional energy
-Electric power / smart grid
-Fuels
Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
-Climate Measurements
-Environmental health
-Greenhouse gas measurements
-Marine science
-Sustainability
Fire
-Fire detection
-Fire dynamics and science
-Fire fighting
-Fire modeling
-Fire risk reduction
-Materials flammability
-Structural fire resistance
-Wildland urban interface fire
Forensic Science
-Digital evidence
-Drugs and toxicology
-Firearms and toolmarks
-Forensic biometrics
-Forensic genetics
-Trace evidence
Health
-Biopharmaceuticals
-Cell and gene therapy
-Clinical diagnostics
--Cancer
--Medical imaging
-Food and nutrition
-Human microbiome
-Precision medicine
-Regenerative medicine and advanced therapy
--Flow cytometry
Information technology
-Artificial intelligence
--AI measurement and evaluation
--Applied AI
--Fundamental AI
--Hardware for AI
--Machine learning
--Trustworthy and responsible AI
-Biometrics
-Cloud computing and virtualization
-Complex systems
-Computational science
-Conformance testing
-Cyber-physical systems
--Smart cities
-Cybersecurity
--Cryptography
--Cybersecurity education and workforce development
--Cybersecurity measurement
--Identity and access management
--Privacy engineering
--Risk management
--Securing emerging technologies
--Trustworthy networks
--Trustworthy platforms
-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
--Natural language processing
-Federal information processing standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
-Internet of Things (IoT)
-Interoperability testing
-Location based services
-Mobile
-Networking
--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Privacy
-Software research
--Software testing
-Usability and human factors
--Accessibility
-Video analytics
-Virtual / augmented reality
-Visualization research
-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing economics
-Manufacturing quality assurance
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
-Nanomagnetics
-Nanomaterials
-Nanomechanics
-Nanometrology
-Nanophotonics
-Nanophysics
-Nanoplasmonics
Neutron research
Performance excellence
-Assessment tools and services
-Baldrige award
-Baldrige examiners
-Baldrige Framework and Criteria
-Best practices
-Leadership development
Physics
-Atomic / molecular / quantum
-Biological physics
-Condensed matter
-Electron physics
-Magnetics
-Nuclear physics
-Optical physics and communications
-Quantum information science
-Radiation
-Spectroscopy
-Thermodynamics
-Time and frequency
Public safety
-Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)
-First responder preparedness
-Law enforcement
-Public safety communications research
-Response robots
Resilience
-Community resilience
--Recovery
--Resilience metrics
-Disaster and failure studies
-Earthquake risk reduction
-Resilience economics
-Resilient materials
-Windstorm impact reduction
Standards
-Accreditation
-Calibration services
-Conformity assessment
-Documentary standards
-Frameworks
-Quality assurance
-Reference data
-Reference instruments
-Reference materials
-Standards education
Technology transfer
Transportation
-Aerospace
-Automotive