Chairman Massie, Ranking Member Wilson and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the NIST Laboratories and the vital role they play in enabling innovation and competitiveness. I am Willie May, Associate Director for Laboratory Programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is one of our Nation’s oldest Federal laboratories and our mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. Enabling innovation and competitiveness has been an important part of our mission since we were founded as the National Bureau of Standards 112 years ago. In the spring of 1900, when Congress was considering the Act that created the National Bureau of Standards, the accompanying Committee report stated:
“…that no more essential aid could be given to manufacturing, commerce, the makers of scientific apparatus, the scientific work of the Government, of schools, colleges, and universities than by the establishment of the institution…”
That statement is as true today as it was then. From our early electrical measurement research to today’s quantum information science, NIST has long been a center for high-impact research meeting the needs of academia, industry, and government.
In today’s global economy, the ability of the United States to remain competitive relies increasingly on our ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize innovative technologies. The amount of scientific components in products has increased dramatically. Just think about how much more complex an iPhone is compared to early cell phones, let alone those that hung on everyone’s kitchen wall. The ability of America to be technologically innovative both drives and is driven by our ability to observe and to measure. If you cannot measure something, you will not be able to control it. And if you cannot control it, you will not be able to reliably manufacture it. NIST’s unique role is to advance measurements and standards to drive innovation and commercialization, thus enabling American industry to remain globally competitive. The important role that NIST plays in supporting innovation and commerce has been recognized time and again with NIST playing central roles in multiple national priorities from manufacturing to cybersecurity. NIST’s labs’ technological expertise provides the capability to meet these challenges. In my testimony today, I will outline the role that the NIST plays in the areas of measurement science, standards, and technology, as well as some of the significant impacts produced over the past several years.
Since 1901, NIST has maintained the national standards of measurement, a role that the U.S. Constitution assigns to the Federal government1, and has been supplying the measurements and tools to help U.S. industry compete successfully. As a non-regulatory agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce, an experienced partner of industry, and the Federal research agency specifically focused on promoting U.S. economic competitiveness, NIST is well-positioned to accelerate and promote innovation and advanced technologies through its laboratory programs.
The NIST laboratory programs work at the frontiers of measurement science to ensure that the U.S. system of measurements is firmly grounded on sound scientific and technical principles. Today, the NIST Laboratories address increasingly complex measurement challenges, ranging from the very small (nanoscale devices) to the very large (vehicles and buildings), and from the physical (renewable energy sources) to the virtual (cybersecurity and cloud computing). As new technologies develop and evolve, NIST’s measurement research and services remain central to innovation, productivity, trade, and public safety.
The NIST laboratory programs provide U.S. industry, academia, and other Federal agencies with:
The efforts of the NIST laboratories are focused on three primary mission areas:
NIST carries out its mission with staff that includes some of the world’s foremost experts in the measurement science field. In the last 15 years, researchers at NIST have been awarded 4 Noble prizes in Physics, Kyoto Prize in Material Science (an international Nobel level prize for non-Nobel awarded categories), 2 National Medals of Science, a MacArthur “Genius” Award, over 100 other national scientific awards annually among other recognitions. Because of the caliber of expertise of the NIST research staff, more than 2,800 collaborating researchers come to NIST each year to work alongside our researchers and assist NIST in the delivery of our mission. We are proud of the work we do and continually strive to provide cutting edge research in measurement science to industry.
NIST creates the infrastructure necessary to measure the performance and quality of products and services. In close cooperation with industry, academia, and other Federal agencies, NIST continually advances measurement science, develops standard protocols and test methods, and evaluates and generates data. These critical tools, which the private sector cannot provide due to the high cost and unique skills needed, are the foundations for interoperability between products and systems, enabling global trade.
Industry relies on NIST for the physical measurements and standards needed to enable advanced manufacturing, to develop and test new materials, to enable innovation, and to ensure compliance with regulations. NIST measurement research facilitates the diffusion of precision metrology into industry in a number of ways. Frequently, NIST researchers will develop the next-generation of measurement techniques that are adopted by industry and integrated into commercially available devices, such as scanning probe microscopes, mass spectrometers, and other high precision instruments.
In addition, NIST provides measurement and calibration services via its Standard Reference Materials®, calibration services, and Standard Reference Data programs. Certified reference materials are made available to industry, academia, and throughout the world on a cost-recovery basis, to assure the accuracy of measurements made daily throughout the United States. The calibration services NIST provides help customers achieve the highest measurement quality and productivity. NIST Standard Reference Data are well-documented numeric data used in technical problem-solving, research, and development. Looking to the future, NIST is working to develop a suite of portable, highly-precise devices that will provide customers with “in place” precision measurements to keep pace with ever-accelerating product development cycles. These chip-scale devices will be capable of being directly integrated into equipment and products to provide continuous quality control and assurance, freeing customers from complex measurement traceability chains and lengthy calibration procedures.
Examples of NIST work in this space include:
NIST customers span the full range of industries, from established—such as automotive, aerospace, microelectronics, and heavy equipment—to emerging, including nanotechnology and biomanufacturing, across the NIST laboratory programs. The NIST laboratory programs heavily leverage partnerships with major industry and other stakeholders to help guide and inform the development of research programs. Advanced manufacturing is an important component of the NIST laboratory programs, and is ideally positioned across a number of emerging areas of potential opportunity:
Technology is rapidly evolving to integrate new capabilities across the economy, including manufacturing processes, transportation systems, critical infrastructure, and healthcare. While these innovations will contribute to the U.S. economy and quality of life, they also present associated challenges in interoperability, security, and resiliency. NIST programs respond to these challenges through the development of standards, prototypes, and guidelines, established through engagement with government and industry users and stakeholders. NIST’s expertise in measurements and standards, and its experience supporting industry, accelerate the transition from world-class basic research to applied solutions. To support this transformation, NIST provides test-beds, testing and validation methodologies, support for certification, and support for the development of standards that are essential for the adoption and dissemination of new technologies into wide-spread use in areas such as smart grid, cybersecurity, cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, and smart manufacturing, to name a few.
Smart Grid: NIST’s involvement in the smart grid is a prime example of how NIST combines its core research capability with extensive stakeholder engagement to drive technology adoption.
The smart grid is a planned nation-wide network that uses information technology to deliver electricity efficiently, reliably, and securely. As outlined Section 1305 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140), NIST has “primary responsibility to coordinate the development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems.” NIST initiated the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) to support NIST in coordinating standards development for the smart grid. The SGIP is a public-private partnership that defines requirements for essential communication protocols and other common specifications and coordinates development of these standards by collaborating organizations, enabling NIST to solicit input and cooperation from private and public sector stakeholders in developing the smart grid standards framework.
Cybersecurity: NIST is a recognized world leader in cybersecurity, with a track record of accelerating the development and deployment of cybersecurity solutions and standards that are reliable, usable, interoperable, and secure, as well as the measurements and standards infrastructure for emerging cybersecurity applications. Some of NIST’s recent accomplishments in this area include
Industry, academia, and other government agencies have access to unique NIST user facilities that support innovation in materials science, nanotechnology, and other emerging technology areas. The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) provides world-class neutron measurement capabilities to the U.S. research community, and the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) NanoFab facility supports nanotechnology developments from discovery to production. The customer-focused mission of both NCNR and CNST includes the safe and reliable operation of the facilities, as well as the development and application of entirely new and cutting-edge measurement and fabrication techniques.
NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR): The NCNR develops, delivers and maintains world-class neutron measurement capabilities and applies them to science and engineering problems of national interest. The NCNR is operated as a major national user facility with merit- based access made available to the entire U.S. scientific and technological community. In a typical year, more than 2,200 research participants, representing some 42 states, 32 government agencies, and 46 U.S. corporations, utilize the NCNR for neutron measurement studies. Between 1998 and 2007, these users contributed over 2,500 high-impact research papers to the open scientific literature.
Neutrons are powerful probes of the structure and dynamics of materials, and can be used to study a range of material behavior, ranging from molecules inserted into membranes simulating cell walls to protons migrating through fuel cells. The NCNR's neutron source provides the intense beams of neutrons required for these types of measurements. Neutron-based research covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, including engineering, biology, materials science, polymers, chemistry, and physics. Some highlights of the work at the NCNR include:
NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST): The CNST user facility was created to reduce barriers to innovation by providing industry, academia, and other government agencies with access to world-class nanoscale measurement and fabrication methods and technology. The unique CNST operating model is designed to support both the current and future needs of the national nanotechnology enterprise. The shared-use NanoFab facility provides convenient, rapid access to a comprehensive, state-of-the-art commercial tool set for nanoscale measurement and fabrication. Looking beyond the current state of the art, the CNST
NanoLab creates the next generation of nanoscale measurement instruments and methods, which are made available through to the scientific community through collaboration.
In the few years since its inception, the CNST has become a major national resource for nanoscale science and the development of nanotechnology. The number of research participants at the CNST is increasing rapidly, exceeding 1,600 in FY 2012 (the fifth full year of operation), and continues to grow. The research participants represent diverse communities, including over 350 institutions from 39 states and the District of Columbia. CNST projects resulted in 160 publications and patents in FY2012, and helped more than 120 companies meet their measurement and nanofabrication needs.
Within the CNST, the NanoFab facility is a world-class, 5,600 square meter (60,000 square foot) shared resource for nanofabrication and measurement – with more than 1,800 square meters (19,000 square feet) of cleanroom laboratory space and more than 85 major commercial measurement and processing tools. To meet specific needs of industry, the NIST NanoFab has created a quick and easy process for researchers to obtain equitable access to the equipment.
Research at the NanoFab can be carried out by individual users or with the assistance of a technical expert from the NanoFab staff, imparting the flexibility needed to satisfy the widest range of needs, from expert academic researchers to small companies with an innovative new technology but limited expertise in nanofabrication. Within the next three years, the NanoFab will add a variety of new commercial tools, including those for automated, reproducible lithography; wet chemical processing; and nanoscale patterning and chemical analysis of metals and other hard materials.
Recent highlights of work in the CNST include:
Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, the NIST laboratories play a unique role in our Nation’s research and development enterprise. NIST sits at the nexus of science and industry, conducting cutting- edge, world-class measurement science and developing standards that allow industry to innovate and compete in the global economy. Ensuring that our researchers have the facilities and resources necessary to keep advancing the critical measurements that will enable U.S. industry to develop the most advanced and best products and services is the top priority for NIST. Thank you for inviting me to testify today. I would be happy to answer any questions.
1 Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution of the United States accords to the Congress the power to “. . . fix the Standard of Weights and Measures.”