National Institute of Standards and Technology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly known as The National Bureau of Standards) is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration. The institute's 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 quality of life.

As part of this mission, NIST scientists and engineers continually refine the science of measurement, making possible the ultraprecise engineering and manufacturing required for today’s most advanced technologies. They also are directly involved in standards development and testing done by the private sector and government agencies. NIST was originally called the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), a name that it had from 1901 until 1988. U.S. technological innovation and progress depend on NIST’s unique skills and capabilities, especially in four key areas: biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing.

NIST has an operating budget for fiscal year 2006 (October 1, 2005-September 30, 2006) of about $930 million. NIST employs about 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support and administrative personnel. About 1,800 NIST associates (guest researchers and engineers from American companies and foreign nations) complement the staff. In addition, NIST partners with 1,400 manufacturing specialists and staff at nearly 350 affiliated centers around the country.

Facilities

NIST's headquarters are located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It also has laboratories in Boulder, Colorado. NIST has four major programs through which it helps U.S. industry: the NIST Laboratories (physics, information technology, chemical science and technology, electronics and electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, manufacturing engineering, and building and fire research); the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (HMEP), a nationwide network of centers to assist small manufacturers; the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), a grant program where NIST and industry partners cost share the early-stage development of innovative but high-risk technologies; and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program, the nation's highest award for performance and business excellence.

NIST's Boulder laboratories are best known for NIST-F1, a clock that shares the distinction of being the world's most accurate atomic clock with a similar device in Paris, France. NIST-F1 serves as the source of the nation's official time. From its precise measurement of the natural resonance frequency of cesium—which is used to define the second—NIST broadcasts time signals via longwave radio station WWVB at Fort Collins, Colorado, and shortwave radio stations WWV and WWVH, located at Fort Collins, Colorado and Kekaha, Hawaii, respectively.

Measurement

As part of its mission, NIST supplies industry, academia, government and other users with over 1,300 Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) of the highest quality and metrological value. These artifacts are certified as having specific characteristics or component content, making them valuable as calibration standards for measuring equipment and procedures, quality control benchmarks for industrial processes, and experimental control samples for all kinds of laboratories. For example, NIST SRMs for the food manufacturing sector include:

Typical Diet (SRM 1548a, $624)
Non-Fat Milk Powder (SRM 1549, $318, 100 g)
Oyster Tissue (SRM 1566b, $540, 25 g)
Wheat Flour (SRM 1567a, $418, 80 g)
Rice Flour (SRM 1568a, $390, 80 g)
Bovine Liver (SRM 1577b, $261, 50 g)
Tomato Leaves (SRM 1573A, $332.00, 50 g)
Natural Water (SRM 1640, $198.00, 250 mL)
Peanut butter (SRM 2387, $501, three 6 oz (170 g) jars)

NIST manages some of the world’s most specialized measurement facilities—including an unmatched and extraordinarily cost-effective NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) user facility where cutting-edge research is done on new and improved materials, advanced fuel cells, and biotechnology. NIST's Advanced Measurement Laboratory (AML) is considered the most technically advanced research facility of its kind in the world. The AML offers American researchers unparalleled opportunities for making the most sensitive and reliable measurements. That’s increasingly important as new technologies become more complex and smaller—and more dependent on the most accurate possible measurements in order to move from theory, proof of concept, and prototypes into products.

Recent roles

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, NIST is playing a key role in enhancing the nation’s homeland security. Through projects spanning a wide range of research areas, NIST is helping the millions of individuals in law enforcement, the military, emergency services, information technology, airport and building security, and other areas protect the American public from terrorist threats. For example, NIST is currently developing government-wide identification card standards for federal employees and contractors to prevent terrorists, criminals and other unauthorized people from getting into government buildings and computer systems.

In response to the 9/11 attacks on New York City's World Trade Center complex, NIST has a three-part plan: a technical building and fire safety investigation to study the factors contributing to the probable cause of the collapses of the WTC Towers (WTC 1 and 2) and WTC 7; a research and development program to provide the technical basis for improved building and fire codes, standards, and practices; and a dissemination and technical assistance program to engage leaders of the construction and building community in implementing proposed changes to practices, standards and codes. NIST also is providing practical guidance and tools to better prepare facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers, emergency responders, and regulatory authorities to respond to future disasters. The investigation portion of the response plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006 with the release of the final report on WTC 7. The final report on the WTC Towers -- including 30 recommendations for improving building and occupant safety -- was released on October 26, 2005.

People

Three researchers at NIST have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their work in physics, William D. Phillips in 1997, Eric A. Cornell in 2001 and John L. Hall in 2005. Other people who have worked at NIST include

Directors

The director of NIST is a Presidential appointment and must be confirmed by the Senate. Thirteen persons have held the position (along with two acting directors who filled in until a new appointment was made). They are:

Samuel W. Stratton, 1901-1922
George K. Burgess, 1923-1932
Lyman J. Briggs, 1932-1945
Edward U. Condon, 1945-1951
Allen V. Astin, 1951-1969
Lewis M. Branscomb, 1969-1972
Richard W. Roberts, 1973-1975
Ernest Ambler, 1975-1989
John W. Lyons, 1990-1993
Arati Prabhakar, 1993-1997
Raymond G. Kammer, 1997-2000
Karen Brown (acting director), 2000-2001
Arden L. Bement Jr., 2001-2004
Hratch Semerjian (acting director), 2004 - 2005
William Jeffrey, 2005-Present

External links

Standards organizations | United States Department of Commerce