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Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

NIST Names Joannie Chin as Director of Its Engineering Laboratory

December 20, 2021

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected Joannie Chin to lead its Engineering

Streamlined NIST Tool Could Help Homeowners, Renters Reduce Airborne Exposure to COVID

November 24, 2021

COVID-19 is still circulating in the U.S. and may once again gain traction as families and friends gather indoors over the holidays. There are several measures

NIST researchers lead a hackathon addressing challenges in data analytics

November 16, 2021

In August, 38 students, researchers, and industry professionals came together to participate in the 2021 ASME-CIE Hackathon. The theme of this year’s hackathon

Equipment stands on tripods on a balcony with the beach and sea in the background.

Oct. 25, 2021, Update on NIST’s Champlain Towers South Investigation

October 25, 2021

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will present an update on its investigation into the June 24, 2021

A woman in a face mask works at a laptop behind a curving prototype robot arm.

Spotlight: Jennifer Case and Soft Robots, the New Bots on the Block

October 12, 2021

Through squishy and flexible materials and systems of cords and cables, robots can pull off some of the remarkable body movements that animals like octopuses

Draft California Fire Code Includes NIST Tool to Evaluate Wildfire Hazard

September 13, 2021

Severe wildfire disasters are often the product of numerous factors — vegetation, drought, a lack of firefighting resources, and many others — coalescing

New pipeline visualizes STEP and QIF data using augmented reality

August 25, 2021

Imagine a manufacturer picking up a machined part and being able to see data on that part’s geometry, how it’s assembled, and its product manufacturing

NIST Establishes Expert Team to Investigate the Champlain Towers South Collapse

August 25, 2021

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today the expert team members who will

New version of the STEP File Analyzer and Viewer is released

August 23, 2021

STEP (ISO 10303) is a widely-used standard for representing and exchanging data about manufactured parts and assemblies. NIST and the Systems Integration

Common Solar Tech Can Power Smart Devices Indoors, NIST Study Finds

August 19, 2021

Any time you turn on a light at home or in the office, you are expending energy. But what if flipping the light switch meant producing energy too? We usually

Illustration of a burning tree generating embers next to a device composed of four cameras fixed to the ends of metal arms.

NIST’s Emberometer Could Gauge Threat of Wildfire-Spreading Embers

August 18, 2021

As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also

Person in hard hat is tapping concrete with a hammerlike device.

Aug. 11, 2021, Update on NIST’s Champlain Towers South Investigation

August 11, 2021

NIST continues its investigative work, studying the geologic characteristics underneath the collapsed building site, as well as the properties of the building’s

Palm trees stand in the foreground before a pile of debris with construction vehicles.

Update on NIST’s Investigation of the Champlain Towers South Collapse

July 16, 2021

NIST’s work right now is focused on ensuring that information and evidence related to the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South

A man in a construction hat points to damage on a concrete column lying on the ground while another researcher looks on.

NIST Will Conduct Technical Investigation Into the Collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium

June 30, 2021

SURFSIDE, Fla. — Today the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it would launch a full technical

Potential Cost Savings as US Manufacturers Spend Billions on Machinery Maintenance

June 24, 2021

As discussed in NIST AMS 100-18 , the cost of machinery maintenance is not well understood; however, Census data estimates that $50 billion was spent on

Major New Building Standard Can Map Out Tornado Threat for the First Time

June 21, 2021

Of the natural hazards in Mother Nature’s arsenal, tornadoes are some of the most vicious. But while other hazards are regularly considered in building designs

Firefighters spray water into a burning concrete building with a sign saying "NIST Fire Research."

How AI Could Alert Firefighters of Imminent Danger

June 1, 2021

Firefighting is a race against time. Exactly how much time? For firefighters, that part is often unclear. Building fires can turn from bad to deadly in an

Integrating Science & Technology with Disaster Response

June 1, 2021

Each year, communities across the United States are devastated by disasters. As the frequency, severity, and cost of many of these disasters continues to

Flammability Reduction Group provides virtual seminar on Reducing the Fire Risk of Residential Upholstered Furniture Fires as part of SFPE Member Series

May 24, 2021

The “Low Heat Release Upholstered Furniture” project at the Fire Research Division (FRD) of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducts