The discoveries of superconductivity, the quantum Hall effect and the fractional quantum Hall effect were all the result of measurements made at increasingly lower temperatures. Now, pushing the regime of the very cold into the very small, a research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the University of Maryland, Janis Research Company, Inc., and Seoul National University, has designed and built the most advanced ultra-low temperature scanning probe microscope (ULTSPM) in the world. The ULTSPM lab rests on a separate 110-ton concrete slab (1), supported by pneumatic isolators. Inner (2) and an outer (3) enclosures shield... Continue reading

Two new publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are intended to help developers of software and computer systems for doctors' offices, clinics, and hospitals improve the ease of use of electronic health records (EHRs). These publications are part of a federal effort, led by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to help providers adopt and use EHRs that can bring about broad quality improvements and cost savings in the health care system. Efforts to improve the usability* of EHRs are widely recognized as key... Continue reading

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has joined in a new public-private partnership to spur cybersecurity innovation in the financial services sector. Through a memorandum of understanding signed on Dec. 6, 2010, NIST, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council agreed to work together to speed the application of research into practice for better cybersecurity for the critically important financial services sector. The organizations plan to leverage their core cybersecurity expertise, research and development capabilities and other resources to explore the benefits of new cybersecurity technologies and develop... Continue reading

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program has announced that the 2011-2012 Criteria for Performance Excellence for businesses and nonprofit organizations are now available for download. The Criteria serve both as the standard for selecting the annual recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the road map for organizations worldwide seeking improved strategy and operations through pursuing performance excellence. The other two editions of the 2011-2012 Criteria—for health care and education—will be available on the Baldrige website later this month. The Baldrige Criteria work as an integrated framework for managing an organization. They are simply a set of questions focusing... Continue reading

Provide a valuable service to your country. If you're an expert from a business, education, healthcare or nonprofit organization, and possess knowledge and experience in leadership, strategic planning, customer service, human resources, process management and achieving results, you are on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program's "Most Wanted List." The Baldrige Program is seeking exceptional individuals to serve on the 2011 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Examiners evaluate applications for the Award and prepare feedback reports to applicants that cite strengths and opportunities for improvement. They also act as "ambassadors" for the Baldrige Program and performance... Continue reading

This simulation depicts flow in a rheometer, as its rotating vane's blade begins to stir a suspension of particles. Colors represent the quadrant where the particles are initially positioned. Such simulations can be used to link measurements of torque and angular velocity to fluid properties like viscosity, and they also can provide insight into physical mechanisims that control particle dispersion and mixing. View related video (WMV) Credit: NIST View hi-resolution image When you spot laborers pouring concrete for a new building or bridge, it may not occur to you that they are working with a substance so complex that it... Continue reading

ENERGY STAR, a program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) to promote energy efficiency, has recognized the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) as an accrediting body. This recognition enables NVLAP to accredit independent labs as having the technical capability necessary to test products to determine whether they meet ENERGY STAR requirements. NVLAP accreditation will be a necessary first step for a laboratory’s test data to be accepted under the enhanced ENERGY STAR program. NVLAP already accredits laboratories that test for energy efficiency in lighting products, electromagnetic compatibility... Continue reading

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's American Recovery and Reinvestment (NIST-ARRA) Act Measurement Science and Engineering Fellowship Program has announced its third round of applications for undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral and senior research positions. Administered by the University of Maryland, NIST-ARRA fellowships provide financial assistance to increase the number of research and collaboration opportunities at NIST in fields of measurement science and engineering, furthering the agency’s mission to advance innovation. Fellows will work on projects with NIST scientists and engineers engaged in research programs housed at NIST’s Gaithersburg, Md., campus and the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. Fellowship opportunities... Continue reading

Once ignited, a dry Fraser fir, one of the most popular Christmas tree choices, bursts into flames in less than 7 seconds, and it will be consumed by fire in slightly more than a minute. But if a well-watered Fraser fir briefly ignites, the flame soon dies. This experiment, videotaped by researchers at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), provides a stunning, visual lesson on why keeping one’s Christmas tree moist can be a matter of life-and-death importance. Every holiday season, hundreds of homes catch fire when something as small as poor insulation on a Christmas tree light sparks... Continue reading

For accomplishments ranging from determining the causes of failures in ballistic-resistant body armor to innovations in technology transfer strategies to organization-wide improvements in safety, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently honored 139 scientific, technical, and administrative employees at its 38th annual awards ceremony. The wide range of recognized achievements attests to the considerable diversity and usefulness of NIST’s research and service programs, as well as the array of underpinning in-house activities that support these programs. To get a representative sampling of these efforts, read the announcement listing this year’s winners of the NIST awards and the recipients... Continue reading

cookie disclaimer/privacy policy | download .mp4 | descriptive text for the visually impaired At dusk, a car stops at a checkpoint in Afghanistan. It is a tense moment for all. Because an interpreter is not available, U.S. Marines use hand gestures to ask the driver to step out of the car and open the trunk and hood for inspection. There’s a lot of room for error. This scene was re-enacted recently during an evaluation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—but, this time, the Marine had a new smart phone-based device that translates his English into the driver’s... Continue reading

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have cultivated many thousands of nanocrystals in what looks like a pinscreen or "pin art" on silicon, a step toward reliable mass production of semiconductor nanowires for millionths-of-a-meter-scale devices such as sensors and lasers. Colorized micrograph of semiconductor nanowires grown at NIST in a precisely controlled array of sizes and locations. View hi-resolution image Credit: K. Bertness/NIST NIST researchers grow nanowires made of semiconductors—gallium nitride alloys—by depositing atoms layer-by-layer on a silicon crystal under high vacuum. NIST has the unusual capability to produce these nanowires without using metal catalysts, thereby... Continue reading

Nothing against bloodhounds, but finding bodies buried by someone who wanted them to stay undiscovered can be difficult. However a new technique developed by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), can reliably detect biochemical changes in a decomposing cadaver. Typically, cadaver-sniffing dogs or ground penetrating radar are used to detect clandestine gravesites. But these methods are not always useful in all scenarios, such as if a body is buried under concrete. The NIST instrument is a modification of a technique developed at the lab to sense minute levels of difficult-to-detect chemical compounds. (See "Prototype NIST Method... Continue reading

Researchers at JILA have demonstrated the use of infrared laser light to quickly and precisely heat the water in "nano bathtubs"—tiny sample containers—for microscopy studies of the biochemistry of single molecules and nanoparticles. Infrared laser light heats the water in "nano bathtub" for JILA research on individual RNA molecules. View hi-resolution image Credit: K.Talbott/NIST Described in a new paper,* the JILA technique is faster, more controllable, and less prone to damaging expensive optics or accidentally altering chemistry than conventional methods using electric currents for bulk heating of microscope stages, optics and samples. The demonstration extends a technique used to study... Continue reading

Researchers at JILA have demonstrated the use of infrared laser light to quickly and precisely heat the water in "nano bathtubs"—tiny sample containers—for microscopy studies of the biochemistry of single molecules and nanoparticles. Infrared laser light heats the water in "nano bathtub" for JILA research on individual RNA molecules. View hi-resolution image Credit: K.Talbott/NIST Described in a new paper,* the JILA technique is faster, more controllable, and less prone to damaging expensive optics or accidentally altering chemistry than conventional methods using electric currents for bulk heating of microscope stages, optics and samples. The demonstration extends a technique used to study... Continue reading

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued draft recommendations for securely configuring and using full virtualization technologies, which, by means of software, duplicate a computer's operating system and its applications on other machines. Because it helps maximize the use and flexibility of computing resources—multiple operating systems can run simultaneously on the same hardware—full virtualization is considered a key technology for cloud computing, but it introduces new issues for IT security. The proposed security recommendations are contained in the draft document, NIST Special Publication 800-125, Guide to Security for Full Virtualization Technologies. NIST is requesting public review of... Continue reading

The Economy, Energy, and Environment (E3) Initiative, a collaborative effort involving five federal agencies, state and local governments, utilities, and manufacturers to support sustainability, boost competitiveness, and spur job growth and innovation in local and regional economies while, recently completed successful pilot projects in Columbus, Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a partner in the effort, through its Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Additional E3 pilot projects are under way in Alabama, Michigan, and West Virginia. Others, including California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South... Continue reading

The Baldrige Fellows, an executive development program centered on forming relationships with and learning from Baldrige National Quality Award recipient organizations and their senior executives, recently announced the 14 members of its initial class. The first Baldrige Fellows are: Wayne Foraker, senior director, Office of Institutional Assessment, University of Phoenix; William Griffin, vice president of marketing, North America, AGCO Corp.; Donald Haag, vice president of Mid-West area, Packaging Corporation of America; Robert Hagans, chief financial officer, American Association for Retired Persons; Ziad Haydar, vice president for clinical excellence and physician integration, Ascension Health; John McCarville, senior vice president of global... Continue reading

On July 15, 2010, two Department of Commerce Agencies—the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—announced the completion of a major initiative to enhance the stability and security of the Internet. The announcement marks full deployment of a security technology—Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)—at the Internet’s authoritative root zone. The accomplishment will help protect Internet users against phishing and other types of cyber attacks. The Domain Name System (DNS) is akin to a global address book for the Internet. The authoritative root zone of the DNS is at the top level... Continue reading

A radical, new method developed at NIST that transforms the humble, ubiquitous and inexpensive optical microscope into a powerful three-dimensional nanoscale and microscale measurement device has won one of this year's prestigious "R&D 100 Awards." The annual R&D 100 Awards program recognizes "the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the market" during the previous year, as selected by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine. Ravikiran Attota, a lead researcher in NIST's Precision Engineering Division, won an R&D 100 Award for his development of the Through-Focus Scanning Optical Microscopy (TSOM), which has applications that cut across... Continue reading

The fiscal year 2011 budget request for the National Institute of Standards and Technology submitted to Congress proposes a funding level of $918.9 million, a 7.3 percent increase over the FY 2010 appropriations for the agency. Continue reading

To pave the way for a hydrogen fuel infrastructure, researchers at the NIST Boulder Labs recently launched the largest hydrogen test facility in the United States for evaluating how component parts of such an infrastructure will react to exposure to this potentially corrosive gas in order to develop needed data and standards. Continue reading

Physicists at JILA have for the first time observed chemical reactions near absolute zero, demonstrating that chemistry is possible at ultralow temperatures and that reaction rates can be controlled using quantum mechanics, the peculiar rules of submicroscopic physics. Continue reading

Physicists at NIST have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world's most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom. Continue reading

NIST is co-sponsoring an international conference on biometric performance March 2-4 at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md. Continue reading