Metrology

What’s in a Name? The Magnetic Weber

October 23, 2024

Dr. Wilhelm Weber gets the distinction of having the unit of magnetic flux, the weber, named in his honor. Magnetic flux measures the total magnetic field that

NIST Chief Metrologist Jim Olthoff stands in front of equipment in a lab.

Keepers of the Right Answer: Why Measurements at NIST Are Important for the Nation and the World

September 11, 2024

Practically everything you use in your everyday life works because of measurement science.

A researcher wearing a lab coat uses tongs to place a silvery sphere into a large scientific device as another researcher looks on.

One of the World’s Roundest Objects Is Helping to Build a Better Mass Measurement

July 17, 2024

Different countries' approaches can lead to different definitions of the kilogram. But NIST is working with our international partners to see how we can close

You Don’t Learn This in School: My Experience as a NIST Summer Intern

July 10, 2024

The most important thing I remember from being a NIST intern last summer is the power of persistence in research.

Measurement in the Movies

March 6, 2024

The nominees are in … for the best use of measurement in a movie.

Melinda Kleczynski poses sitting at her desk, with a monitor showing data and graphs behind her.

From Diamonds in Your Computer to Safer Medications, NIST Researchers Look at What’s Next for 2024 and Beyond

January 3, 2024

Our up-and-coming researchers look ahead to 2024 and beyond — and tell us how their work will impact the world.

A Scientific Christmas Tale

December 19, 2023

’Twas the night before Christmas; NIST staff had gone home. Our director was left to reflect all alone. She thought about NIST and the breadth of its work, from

An antique clock showing a few minutes before 12 is topped with a party hat, and colorful streamers hang in the background.

Auld Lang ‘Time’: One of the Country’s Timekeepers Makes Sure We Ring in 2024 at Just the Right Second

December 28, 2023

As you prepare to watch the ball drop or pop champagne on New Year’s Eve, we’ll be keeping an eye on the clock — just as we always do.

Jerilyn Izac sits at a lab bench with her hands inside a plastic shield, using a device to draw liquid from a plastic container into a tube.

How Measurement Science Can Help Protect Us From Viruses

November 29, 2023

Imagine if for the next dangerous virus, we could quickly and easily test everyone’s levels of defenses — known as antibodies.

A researcher wearing safety glasses reaches into a box of circuitry and other equipment, which emits a green glow.

Think You Know What a Second Is? It Will Likely Change in the Next Decade.

November 8, 2023

As the world has modernized and our pace of life has increased, our relationship to time has changed.

Diana Ortiz-Montalvo, wearing safety glasses and holding a small circular filter with tweezers, poses with Abigail Lindstrom in the lab.

Microplastics Mystery: Sampling Airborne Microplastics at a Recycling Facility

October 11, 2023

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, a NIST researcher shares how her upbringing in Puerto Rico inspired her to study air quality.

A large white balloon with a small box attached to it waits inside a cinderblock building with a rolltop door.

Up, Up and Away: How NIST Research Helped Improve Weather Balloon Forecasting

September 27, 2023

A key component of the weather balloon — which helps meteorologists forecast the weather every day — was developed at NIST in the 1930s.

My Lab Helps People Breathe Easier All Over the World

July 19, 2023

My lab here in Gaithersburg, Maryland, helps agencies all over the world track their pollution levels by measuring them accurately.

NIST researchers Yoshi Ohno and Jane Li demonstrate different types of lighting in their lab on NIST’s campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The Eye of the Beholder: How Lighting Affects Our Color Perception

June 28, 2023

Remember the social media controversy over the color of a dress? That’s a lighthearted example of how illumination can affect the things we see, but this is

Under Pressure: Blaise Pascal, the Barometer and Bike Tires

June 14, 2023

On his 400th birthday, we celebrate the scientist whose name is the unit of measurement for air, bike and car tire pressure. You should read it. No pressure.

4 Places Weights and Measures Help You Get What You Pay For

March 1, 2023

Here at NIST, we are committed to making sure you get what you pay for when buying something based on weight or measure, such as food or fuel.

The Twelve Days of Metric

December 20, 2022

As we approach the end of 2022, we wanted to share with our readers a NISTified version of a classic seasonal song about a topic that is near and dear to our

Top 10 Tips for Teaching the Metric System

October 12, 2022

Calling all teachers, parents and students. It’s easy to learn the metric system — or, as it’s more formally called, the International System of Units (SI)

Sun and shade play over green and rocky mountains and terraces outlined with stone walls.

Historic Measures: How Standards and Technology Enabled the Inca Empire to Thrive

September 21, 2022

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a reflection on the achievements of the Inca of the South American Andes.

A Lego structure wired to various electronic readout devices stands on a wooden counter surrounded by other scientific equipment. A sign on the concrete wall behind reads "No Turkeys Allowed."

How Lego Bricks Shaped My Career at NIST

September 7, 2022

Leon Chao explains how the popular toys inspired the first tabletop version of an ultraprecise measurement machine.

Two women in hiking gear stands at the top of a canyon, which is in the background.

Speeding Up Carbon Capture: A Q&A With NIST Scientist Pamela Chu

August 24, 2022

She explains what NIST is doing to speed up the chemical reactions — and the innovations — that might help slow down climate change.

Detecting Methane Gas Leaks and Other Pollutants Using Frequency Combs: A Q&A With Sammie Finalists

May 4, 2022

The list of what is polluting our atmosphere and contributing to global warming is long and varied. And if we want to solve this problem, being able to

From the Noggin to the Butt: Quirky Measurement Units Throughout Human History

March 30, 2022

When we talk about measurement units here at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), you'll typically hear us rattling off the official ones

A white telescope dish is surrounded by wooded mountains in autumn colors.

In Case You Missed It From NIST: 2021 Edition

December 21, 2021

While the pandemic still grips the world, researchers at NIST continue their work on COVID-19 related research, as well as the wide range of other science and

Fundamental Constants Are the Future of Measurement. Can They Replace Artifacts for Measuring Isotopes?

May 11, 2021

In an essay titled “ The end of artefacts, ” Nobel laureate and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fellow William D. Phillips details how

Improving Forensic Chemistry: A Q&A With NIST's Ed Sisco

May 5, 2021

Ed Sisco has been a research chemist within the Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since

3D Printing With Light: A Q&A With NIST's Callie Higgins

May 3, 2021

Callie Higgins is a materials research engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She studies a special branch of additive

Everyday Time and Atomic Time: Part 5

April 28, 2021

This is part 5 in a series. Read part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. The Leap Second Solution When atomic clocks were developed in the 1950s, scientists needed

Monitoring the Oceans’ Color for Clues to Climate Change

April 22, 2021

It is February 1994 and I am on the research vessel R/V Moana Wave off the coast of Lanai, Hawaii, with the team of the Marine Optical BuoY (MOBY) project. The

NIST Lends a Hand to Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturers

March 18, 2021

Like everyone on the planet, our organization, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), became concerned with the COVID-19 outbreak in March

Taking Measure