News and Updates

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NIST Hosts Workshop on “Whole Community Preparedness for Smart Cities and Communities”

October 1, 2024

On 27-28 August 2024, NIST’s Smart Connected Systems Division hosted a workshop at the George H. W. Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington D

Spotlight: NIST Researchers Are Helping Make Communities More Resilient Through Wind Tunnel Testing of Building Models

June 11, 2024

NIST researchers are helping by evaluating building structures through wind tunnel testing.

Two men stand a table in a warehouse space, looking at a broken piece of concrete that one is holding.

NIST to Provide Public Update on Hurricane Maria and Champlain Towers South Investigations During Advisory Committee Meeting March 6-7, 2024

March 4, 2024

The meeting will be livestreamed each day.

Groups of people sit or lie in a parking lot surrounded by low buildings as fires burn in the forest beyond.

NIST and NSF Award Nearly $7.1 Million to 15 Universities to Support Disaster Resilience

January 18, 2024

The grants will fund research that will improve the ability of buildings, infrastructure and communities to withstand severe natural hazards.

Flood protection sandbags buffer waters around flooded homes with rescue team pushing boat through flooded streets.

In National Climate Assessment, NIST Offers New Insights on Community Resilience and Adaptation

December 4, 2023

NIST researchers contributed to chapters that explore how communities can adapt to climate change while promoting the fair treatment and meaningful involvement

NIST Issues New Guidance for Emergency Response During Wildfires

August 23, 2023

Lessons learned from the 2018 Camp Fire in California include strategies for protecting lives when there is not enough time to safely evacuate all residents.

Photo shows a NIST firefighter on standby watching a shed burn next to a target structure representing a wall of a residence during an experiment.

For Sheds in Wildfire Zones, NIST Researchers Determine How Close Is Too Close to Home

June 1, 2023

How far away do sheds need to be located to significantly limit fire spread to homes? New research led by NIST has begun to provide important answers.

Yalda Saadat poses sitting at a table at home, next to an open laptop and a vase of roses.

Spotlight: Yalda Sadaat Delves Into the Backbone of Urban Life, Infrastructure

November 7, 2022

Infrastructure: There's more to the term than you might think, and civil engineer and researcher Yalda Saadat can shed light on its scope.

Camila Espina Young poses outdoors for a head shot

Once Her Struggle, Now Her Strength: Camila Young Evaluates Shelters in the Wake of Hurricane Maria

October 14, 2022

At NIST, Camila works on a National Construction Safety Team investigation of how critical buildings and systems performed during the storm.

Flames rising from a burning fence are spreading to a tree above and a shed nearby.

NIST Study Finds Wildfire Hazards in Residential Fences and Mulch Beds

August 11, 2022

When building fences and landscaping their properties, homeowners should keep fire safety on the top of their minds.

Study Links Urbanization to Poor Ecological Knowledge, Less Environmental Action

May 4, 2022

A new study by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and collaborators highlights a sharp contrast between urban and suburban

Building that has been destroyed by a tornado

NIST, NSF Award More Than $7.6 Million to Support Disaster Resilience Research

May 4, 2022

The agencies are funding 20 projects to be conducted across 24 institutions through the Disaster Resilience Research Grant (DRRG) program, which they manage

Illustration shows two houses from above with distances marked between house, woodpile and shed for fire safety.

NIST Offers First-of-a-Kind Guidance for Holistic Home and Community Wildfire Protection

March 1, 2022

Once they have a foothold, severe wildfires can quickly overwhelm a community, particularly one that is densely packed. To shield houses against such a fierce

A person works inside a food truck near the Washington Monument at night.

Businesses Run by Minorities, Women and Vets Disproportionately Affected by Pandemic, NIST, NOAA Study Finds

February 14, 2022

By many measures, 2020 — a year dominated by an emerging pandemic and overrun with natural disasters — was bad for business. A multitude of variables affected

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

The Joplin Tornado: A Calamity and a Boon to Resilience, 10 Years On

May 21, 2021

In 2011, a vicious tornado wreaked havoc on the city of Joplin, Missouri. The tragic event spurred NIST and others into action to improve the country’s

New Timeline of Deadliest California Wildfire Could Guide Lifesaving Research and Action

February 8, 2021

On a brisk November morning in 2018, a fire sparked in a remote stretch of canyon in Butte County, California, a region nestled against the western slopes of

A view of rubble in the central business district of Christchurch, New Zealand, following a devastating earthquake.

New Report Charts Path Toward Superior Earthquake Recovery

January 27, 2021

For the last century, seismic building codes and practices have primarily focused on saving lives by reducing the likelihood of significant damage or structural

NIST Reports Progress in Learning from Hurricane Maria’s Impacts on Puerto Rico

January 22, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a report summarizing progress in its multi-year study of the impacts of Hurricane Maria

Data Collection Instruments Published Using New NIST Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices Publication Series

November 16, 2020

The NIST Engineering Laboratory recently launched the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices publication series. This publication series is

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