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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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New NIST OWM Contacts System is Open for Business

October 2, 2024

The Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) Contacts System customer portal is open for business. NIST OWM officially launched the new online portal for the OWM

Metric Week 2024: Measure Up with Metric Education

October 2, 2024

National Metric Week ( October 6 to 12, 2024) is an opportunity to draw attention to the educational and economic benefits of metric system measurements

Shelf Labels for Instant Noodles - Price Verification

2024 NCWM National Price Verification Survey

October 1, 2024

The National Council on Weights and Measures (NCWM) recently completed the 2024 National Price Verification Survey together with support from NIST OWM and

Latest Updates on EPOs for Electrical Energy and Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling

October 1, 2024

OWM is pleased to announce the latest inspection and test procedures for two alternative vehicle fueling applications: Electrical Energy (EVSE for Vehicle

DYK: NIST OWM Fun Facts

October 1, 2024

DYK: The Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) is the oldest office at NIST? NIST OWM’s principal mandate to “ fix the standard of weights and measures” is

Info Hours Presented by NIST OWM: 2024 Series Successfully Completed!

October 1, 2024

This year, NIST OWM launched a new series of Information Hours, aka “Info Hours,” as an informal forum for our customers and stakeholders to engage in

Dinelka Jagada tallies team scores during NIST Metric Est Game.

2024 NIST Internship Reflections

October 1, 2024

During the summer of 2024, the NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory’s ( PML) Office of Weights and Measures ( OWM) hosted two undergraduate students through the

David Sefcik reviews an inspection report with a Massachusetts Weights and Measures Official James Shattuck

NIST OWM Teams Up with Massachusetts for Price Verification Training

September 30, 2024

NIST OWM was delighted to provide a 2-day price verification training event based on the NIST Handbook 130 Examination Procedure for Price Verification for the

Mike Stocker working with EVSE equipment

NIST OWM-ANL Co-Host Inaugural EVSE Metrology Training Event

September 30, 2024

Several of the NIST OWM staff teamed up with Ted Bohn of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to deliver a one-day hybrid workshop and training event on electric

Table in darkened lab holds wiring and other laser electronics; a circular light source is situated above.

Major Leap for Nuclear Clock Paves Way for Ultraprecise Timekeeping

September 4, 2024

These clocks could lead to improved timekeeping and navigation, faster internet speeds, and advances in fundamental physics research.

Spotlight: Game-Changing Microscopy Technique for Identifying Cancerous Cells

September 3, 2024

Breast-conserving surgery, or lumpectomy, is a treatment for early-stage breast cancer. It’s important for surgeons to remove enough tissue around the tumor to

Tiny New Lasers Fill a Long-Standing Gap in the Rainbow of Visible-Light Colors, Opening New Applications

August 28, 2024

Researchers have created orange, yellow and green lasers tiny enough to fit on a chip.

Cassie Stoffer smiles while wearing safety glasses and standing next to a large metal tank with many pipes and wires attached to it.

Spotlight: Cassie Stoffer Helps Run Calibration and Measurement Services Related to Magnetic Resonance

August 27, 2024

If you ask NIST physicist Cassie Stoffer what she finds most exciting about science, it’s seeing what she learned in a textbook have real-world applications

What Time Is It on the Moon?

August 12, 2024

New lunar time proposal is a first step for Moon GPS.

A high-tech laboratory with large black equipment featuring two circular insets showing detailed machinery setups. A computer workstation is in the foreground.

From Pandemics to Pedicures: NIST Rebuilds World-Class UV Calibration System

July 22, 2024

UV detectors need to be carefully calibrated to ensure that the UV light used is both safe and effective.

Close-up of a scientific instrument with wires and a circular metallic component, illuminated by blue light, featuring a small red dot at the center.

World’s Most Accurate and Precise Atomic Clock Pushes New Frontiers in Physics

July 1, 2024

The clock is the latest demonstration that a much more precise definition of the official second is possible and that new applications of clocks are feasible.

The Reason the U.S. Doesn't Use the Metric System

June 27, 2024

It is now common knowledge that the U.S. is one of a handful of countries that still use non-SI measurements in our daily lives and in many commercial

weight measure on the electronic balance

Considerations for Class II Scale Applications

June 26, 2024

For several years, there has been an increase in the use of Class II scales in commercial applications. Previously relegated to pharmacies, jewelry stores, and

OWM Resources for the NCWM Interim and Annual Meetings

June 26, 2024

NIST OWM produces publications, technical guidance documents, and documentary standards on legal metrology, laws, regulations, measurement devices

Digital library as a computer with electronic files

Announcing OWM’s New (Web and Excel Searchable) Technical Article Library

June 26, 2024

OWM staff have consistently published newsletter articles over the years to keep our customers and stakeholders informed on current weights and measures issues

Update on NIST Activities for EVSE

June 26, 2024

NIST OWM is striving to assist the weights and measures community meet the new technical challenges and demands of America’s continued transition to E-mobility

Webinar image with hands over laptop in background

Recorded Webinars for Weights and Measures Available On-Demand!

June 26, 2024

Webinar training has emerged as a powerful tool for delivering flexible, accessible, and cost-effective educational content to the weights and measures

A person in a black shirt works on a mechanical device in a lab setting.

NIST Brings Mass Measurement to the Masses

June 12, 2024

NIST has delivered a portable and highly accurate instrument for measuring mass to the U.S. Army, marking the first time in the U.S. that this technology is

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

June 5, 2024

Microcombs – chip-scale devices that generate and measure frequencies of light with exquisite accuracy – have transformed timekeeping and boosted optical

A photo of the night sky with greenish lights on the right.

Spotlight: Geomagnetic Storm Creates Bright Northern Lights While Also Affecting NIST’s Cesium Clocks

May 21, 2024

Did you see the northern lights recently? NIST’s cesium fountain clocks did.

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