DYK: NIST OWM Fun Facts

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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 explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution. Also, the “Office of Standard Weights and Measures” was formed in 1836 as part of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and predated the formation of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) which was renamed the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 1988. This makes the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) the oldest office at NIST. Learn more About OWM here.

DYK: OWM provided the foundation of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now NIST)?

What is also not well known is that a critical need for accurate weights and measures (and other standards) in the late 1800s prompted the U.S. Congress (in 1901) to transform the Office of Weights and Measures into NBS as the U.S. National Metrology Institute (NMI). Learn more about the History of OWM and NIST’s History of Standards here.

DYK: Weights and measures support approximately 50 % of the U.S. economy?

At OWM, we are mindful of the Office's significant history and the roles and responsibilities that come with it. We are also very proud of the present-day importance of our weights and measures function in providing foundational metrology training services for NIST as the U.S. National Metrology Institute (NMI) and underpinning a large portion of the U.S. economy.

DYK: NIST’s role extends beyond the U.S. with a significant global impact?

NIST’s chief metrologist, James Olthoff, recently explained how NIST as the U.S. NMI is part of a harmonized international measurement system that contributes to trust in consumer products and goods, new technologies, and global trade. I encourage all to read Dr. Olthoff’s recent blog that celebrates being a metrologist (and the impact of weights and measures!) through understandable examples of how NIST’s measurements are important for the U.S. and the world.