NIST News

BOULDER, Colo. – New results from sensitive medical tests indicate internal plutonium exposure in a small number of personnel at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … more

Materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a process to build complex, three-dimensional nanoscale structures of magnetic materials such as … more

WASHINGTON-Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that 17 individuals have been selected to participate in the Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship (ComSci) Program. … more

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced that 17 individuals have been selected to participate in the Commerce Science and Technology Fellowship (ComSci) Program. Established in 1964 … more

BOULDER, Colo. – Using detailed measurements made with the assistance of a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) team, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … more

In this photo montage of actual quantum images, two laser beams coming from the bright glare in the distance transmit images of a cat-like face at two slightly different frequencies … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers recently released a two-disk DVD set that demonstrates how Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV), a technique in which powerful fans … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a five-chapter preview of the much-anticipated online Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF). In development for … more

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for … more

Seeking to understand a new fuel cell material, a research team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, has … more

Using an ultra-fast method of measuring how a transistor switches from the “off” to the “on” state, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes now under development are … more

Microscopic magnets (above left), designed and tested in a joint NIST/NIH project, might one day be injected into the body to add color and “smart tag” capability to … more

Microscopic magnets (above left), designed and tested in a joint NIST/NIH project, might one day be injected into the body to add color and “smart tag” capability to … more

Boulder, Colo. – Re-entering the sealed laboratory room where a small plutonium spill occurred on June 9, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radiation safety experts … more

Boulder, Colo.-- Additional trace amounts of contamination have been found in the office and a nearby stairway used by a laboratory researcher originally exposed in an incident June 9 involving a … more

In this photo montage of actual quantum images, two laser beams coming from the bright glare in the distance transmit images of a cat-like face at two slightly different frequencies … more

James M. Turner, deputy director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has named three distinguished experts from industry and academia to serve on the Visiting Committee on … more

After a close examination of crude oil made from pig manure, chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are certain about a number of things. Most obviously, … more

Boulder, Colo.- On Monday afternoon, June 9, researchers in a laboratory room at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Boulder, Colorado … more

Relax, even scientists can sometimes use help when making conversions and measurements with the modern metric system, the International System of Units (known as SI from the French “Le … more

Eighty-five organizations—the highest number of applicants since 1992—are in the running for the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest … more

New research* shows that while engineered nanomaterials can be transferred up the lowest levels of the food chain from single-cell organisms to higher multicelled ones, the amount transferred was … more

After seven years of work, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a system that relies on the “noise” of jiggling electrons as a … more

To save lives, search and rescue robots crawling through the rubble of a collapsed building or surveying a chemical spill area must be capable of beaming back clear, easily interpretable images of … more

While the results may not rival the artistry of glassblowers in Europe and Latin America, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Cornell University have found … more

Materials researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a simplified, low-cost process for producing high-quality, water-soluble "quantum dots" for … more

A laser attenuator having a well-known and stable attenuation can extend the usefulness of an optical power meter for laser radiometry. The challenge of building attenuators for high-power laser … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks grant proposals for the construction of science research buildings from institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations. … more

If you love soccer but don’t want to wait until the next World Cup in 2010 to satisfy your appetite for the most popular game on Earth, the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

John Lehman, Chris Cromer and Xiaoyu Li of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have received a 2008 Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer from the Federal Laboratory … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking participants for its next Text Retrieval Conference—TREC 2008. TREC is an annual evaluation campaign that provides the … more

Information scientists announced an agreement last month on a “concept bank” programmers could use to build thinking machines that reason about complex problems at the frontiers … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a simpler and potentially lower-cost method for distributing strings of digits, or … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have shown for the first time that a single layer of molecular “salve” can significantly soothe the … more

The magnetic structure of the new iron-based superconductors was determined at the thermal triple-axis spectrometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. Physicists Jeff Lynn and Ying … more

The magnetic structure of the new iron-based superconductors was determined at the thermal triple-axis spectrometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. Physicists Jeff Lynn and Ying … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have reported* a new technique to sort batches of carbon nanotubes by length using high-speed centrifuges. Many potential … more

Scientists at the University of Konstanz (Germany) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an ultrafast laser that offers a record combination of high speed, … more

A materials scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has deciphered the structure of a new class of materials that can store relatively large quantities of hydrogen … more

As part of a project to improve wireless communications for emergency responders, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that underground … more

At the request of a worldwide Internet organization, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed an algorithm that may guide applicants in proposing … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for bitter orange, long used in folk medicine and now increasingly used in herbal … more

Nanosoccer returns to the field later this month, when the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts for the second time the world’s most Lilliputian sport. Three … more

A research team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found an explanation for the extreme sensitivity to mechanical pressure or voltage of a special class of … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new American version of the English language SI Brochure, the eighth edition of the international standard reference guide to … more

&The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering … more

David Wineland, physicist and fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is a 2008 recipient of a Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Award, given annually by a private, nonprofit … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany believe they can achieve a significant increase in the accuracy of one of … more

In what should be good news for integrated circuit manufacturers, recent studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped resolve two important questions about an … more

A novel, three-dimensional (3-D) screening method for analyzing interactions between cells and new biomaterials could cut initial search times by more than half, researchers from the National … more

The NIST Information Services Division received a 2007 Silver Maryland Quality Award on Monday, April 7, 2008 at the University of Maryland in College Park. The NIST division was one of three … more

On April 21, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at … more

Thomas Hicks won the 1904 Olympic Games marathon in St. Louis, Mo., with a little help from his friends—two doses of strychnine, raw eggs and a brandy chaser, administered during the … more

The NIST terahertz imaging system reveals slight temperature differences, as shown in this post-processed image. The color scale ranges from blue indicating 301 K or 28.75 degrees C, to … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a new device that creates nanodroplet “test tubes” for studying individual proteins … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has published detailed guidelines* for making essential … more

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Army Dugway (Utah) Proving Ground have developed reliable methods based on DNA analysis to assess the … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have combined two tiny but powerful NIST inventions on a single microchip, a cryogenic sensor and a microrefrigerator. The … more

In February 1998, Timothy Foecke, a metallurgist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), published a rather low-key “interagency report” that cast a new … more

The new Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is launching a series of webcasts to inform interested parties about the new grants program … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released the second public draft of NIST Special Publication 800-39, Managing Risk from Information Systems: An Organizational … more

Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but their impacts on life, property and the economy can and should be managed. That’s the challenge that Congress has given the National Earthquake … more

On Tuesday, April 8, 2008, NIST presented some of its novel technologies developed at the NIST Labs in the nanoelectronics, nanofabrication, and nanometrology technologies. Slides and videos of the … more

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – More than 200 entrepreneurs and business executives learned today how they can capitalize on cutting-edge nanotechnologies developed in the research facilities at the … more

A research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland has succeeded in cooling atoms of a rare-earth element, erbium, to within two … more

For manufacturing engineers and linguists “interoperability” and “ontology” go together like horse and carriage—“you can’t have … more

On-line process tools, improved sensor calibration and analytical and data analysis methods are among the technological challenges facing the biomanufacturing industry over the next 10 years to … more

Michael D. Schroeder, a pioneer researcher in computer security, will be presented with the 2008 National Computer Systems Security Award by the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

Federal agencies have begun issuing a secure form of government-wide ID known as the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card, mandated in 2004 by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 … more

Electronic commands passed from machine to machine over data networks increasingly drive today’s precisely timed and sequenced manufacturing production lines. However timing … more

A fingerprint identification technology for use in Personal Identification Verification (PIV) cards that offers improved protection from identity theft meets the standardized accuracy criteria for … more

One of the key engineering challenges to building a clean, efficient, hydrogen-powered car is how to design the fuel tank. Storing enough raw hydrogen for a reasonable driving range would require … more