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Taking Measure

Just a Standard Blog

Health

NIST Radioactivity Measurements Get the Ball Rolling for New Cancer Therapies

February 18, 2021

From the earliest days of radioactivity research, radiation and cancer therapy have gone together like peas and carrots. But Zach Levine covered peas and

The NIST Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program Goes Virtual

February 2, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) designed the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program to inspire undergraduate students

Developing an Exposure Notification System to Blunt the Spread of COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

November 10, 2020

I am part of a grassroots effort at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that is developing an exposure notification system for pandemics

Paving the Way for Electronic Organs-on-a-Chip

November 25, 2020

It may sound like science fiction, but “organ on a chip” systems — devices capable of imitating the interaction of cells in a specific organ such as the lungs

NIST Charleston researchers Ashley Boggs-Russell (sitting) and Amanda Moors (standing) work with researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Mammal Foundation to process tissue samples during veterinary assessments of wild bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. No dolphins were harmed in this process.

Tracking Hormones on Land and at Sea

October 15, 2020

It’s usually pretty straightforward to explain how my work on clinical measurements is a benefit to society, but sometimes I get confused looks when I tell

graphic showing scientist in her lab interacting with computer screen and chemicals. There is a parrot on a perch to her right.

A Bird’s Eye View: Finding New Ways to Track Synthetic Chemicals in the Environment

September 23, 2020

I’m not a scientist. I’m not sure if that admission will turn the editorial overlords at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) against me

Experts Next Door: How a Public-Private Partnership Benefits the Regenerative Medicine Community

September 30, 2020

I’m a scientific program manager at the Standards Coordinating Body (SCB), a private nonprofit organization devoted to advancing standards for regenerative

patient in a comfy chair having his blood pressure taken. The blood pressure cuff is attached to a tablet.

Making Sure Virtual Doctor Visits Are Private and Secure

October 21, 2020

“Telehealth” refers to a wide range of technologies to connect patients to health care services through videoconferencing, remote monitoring, electronic

The Rapid Microbial Testing Methods Consortium: Enabling Safe, Effective and Timely Advanced Therapies

August 26, 2020

Advanced therapies are poised to change the face of medicine, promising to cure diseases that have long resisted us. But there are many challenges to overcome

How Can NIST Help: Collaborating at a Distance to Defeat COVID-19

June 16, 2020

I’ve been working from home since March 13. But even though I’ve been remote, I am still really connected to my colleagues — and have even created some new

My Stay-at-Home Lab Shows How Face Coverings Can Slow the Spread of Disease

June 11, 2020

Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing face coverings in public settings. Since COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to

Shaping the Future of the NIST Mass Spectral Library

July 7, 2020

When one thinks of mass spectral libraries — well, let’s be honest here, the very idea of mass spectral libraries will never cross most people’s minds, even

World Metrology Day: Measurements for Medicine

May 20, 2020

Today is World Metrology Day. Have you put up the decorations and baked a cake yet to celebrate?! You should! Metrology, the science of measurement, makes

Manufacturing Standards for Biopharmaceuticals: A Q&A With NIST’s Sheng Lin-Gibson and Vijay Srinivasan

January 28, 2020

Biopharmaceuticals, also known as biological drugs or biologics, are manufactured from living organisms or contain living organisms that have been genetically

image of a subway train as it rushes past, the words "mind the gap" appear on the subway platform

Mind the Gap: Bridging the ‘Valley of Death’ for U.S. Biomanufacturing

January 14, 2020

Biopharmaceutical manufacturing uses living cells to produce therapies that treat diseases like cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders. Manufacturing

Making Radioactive Lung and Liver Samples for Better Human Health

October 29, 2019

It was 1978, and the United States was embroiled in a Cold War. Nuclear weapons were being produced and numerous countries were carrying out atmospheric nuclear

Rewritten in Our DNA: Measurements for Genome Editing

September 24, 2019

I didn’t understand what people were asking me when I was a kid. The question would come in several different forms. Sometimes it was “What are you?” Other

Improving the Quality of Life through Smart Cities and Internet of Things Innovation

June 11, 2019

How It All Started Six years ago, I joined the U.S. federal government as a Presidential Innovation Fellow. The White House established the program to bring in

Linking the World Through Chemical Measurements

April 23, 2019

Our modern world depends on global connections. For instance, how can you be sure that the nutrition labels are correct on imported food products such as that

Genome in a Bottle: Spelling Out DNA’s ‘Dark’ Sequences

March 13, 2019

When the Human Genome Project began 20 years ago, its consortium of researchers at 20 research institutes spent more than $1 billion to sequence that first

Blood, Sweat and Genomes: A Quest to Advance Measurement Science in Non-Model Organisms

February 12, 2019

There are currently about 5,400 different species of mammals on Earth, but this wasn’t the case until about 56 million years ago. As non-avian dinosaurs faded

For All Times, For All Peoples: How Replacing the Kilogram Empowers Industry

November 27, 2018

Two unusual things happened on Nov. 16, 2018. Fifty-four nations from every continent (except Antarctica) agreed on something, and metrology, the science of

Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework

October 23, 2018

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework consists of standards, guidelines and best practices to manage cybersecurity-related risk. The Framework’s prioritized

The Next Big Health Care Merger: Biomedical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence

May 22, 2018

Two worlds just collided at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. On May 16, 2018, experts from the medical

Down for the Count: How NIST is Helping Defeat Cancer

September 25, 2017

Anyone who has met me knows that I’m a proud Buffalonian. Buffalo, New York, is best known for being the birthplace of “Buffalo” chicken wings, a gateway to

NIST scientist with jars of baby food and scientific equipment

(Baby) Food for Thought: The Limits of Detecting Toxic Elements

July 27, 2017

As the seasoned mom of three grown children, I’m happy to say that they all made it through babyhood without any major health issues. While I worked as an

'Cybersecuring' the Internet of Things

June 27, 2017

I recently had the chance to talk with the legendary Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the internet. We had a wide-ranging discussion about the past

SoS: Securing Wireless Infusion Pumps in a System of Systems

October 27, 2016

Aristotle once said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Two gears together can accomplish much more than one gear alone. And when you connect

Indoor Air Quality Is Nothing To Sneeze At

July 18, 2016

Have you ever wondered if the things inside your house that you consider safe and harmless actually are? The perfume that you spray, the plastic food containers

Say Hello to Our Little Friends: Toward Microbial BiotheraPOOtics and Diagnostics

May 13, 2016

My fascination with the microbial world began when I was around 7 years old and my mother bought me a book called “ The Value of Believing in Yourself: The

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