VISITING COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF JUNE 13-14, 2006 MEETING
GAITHERSBURG, MD
ATTENDANCE
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Visiting Committee Baer, Thomas Ehrlich, Gail NIST Senior Management Board Anderson, Bill
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Baer, Thomas Ehrlich, Gail NIST Senior Management Board Anderson, Bill NIST Staff Allocca, Clare |
Jones, Al Guests McDonald, Neil, Federal |
Welcome
Ms. Deborah Grubbe, VCAT Chair
Ms. Grubbe called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. and introduced the new VCAT member, Dr. Paul Fleury, Dean of Engineering at Yale University. She announced the meeting theme of innovation and thanked in advance the members who volunteered to participate in Wednesday morning's panel. Other members should feel free to offer their opinion as well during the panel session.
NIST Update
Dr. William Jeffrey, NIST Director
(For details, see Dr. Jeffrey's presentation.)
After pointing out the emergency exits, Dr. Jeffrey welcomed Dr. Fleury and expressed his appreciation for the 100 percent attendance at the meeting. He then described recent NIST outreach activities; key staff changes at the Department of Commerce and NIST; examples of significant staff recognition; technical highlights in measurement science, biometrics, bioscience, and nanoscale technology; and other highlights associated with international standards, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
Discussion
- Effectiveness of NIST
Outreach - A VCAT member was impressed with NIST's outreach efforts and asked
how NIST measures the effectiveness of these efforts. Dr. Jeffrey noted that
the purpose of NIST's outreach efforts is to increase awareness of NIST by senior
leaders in industry. This effort is working as demonstrated by feedback from
senior leaders who may contact NIST directly or have their next level of staff
contact NIST, have a dialogue with senior policy officials about NIST, or include
NIST in their major talks. NIST is actively engaged in targeting specific areas
for partnerships that can best leverage academic and industry expertise.
- Approach for Building University Partnerships - Dr. Jeffrey noted that NIST
has a role to play in those areas where metrology is important as universities
develop new capabilities and Centers of Excellence. For example, NIST is exploring
how its capabilities can support the University of Albany's $3 billion state
and industry funded Nanotechnology Center geared strongly to the semiconductor
industry. In the area of biosciences, NIST is faced with the challenge of how
to merge its physical sciences and measurement capability with the needs of
NIH. NIST is looking at partnerships slowly and methodically to make sure they
make sense.
- Next Generation MEP - With a focus on developing partnerships and identifying
technologies that help make small manufactures competitive, this effort will
be carried out within the existing budget and some transformation in the skill
set may be required.
- Deemed Exports - NIST should provide input on the proposed changes to the
deemed export policy which could have a dampening effect on basic research and
innovation in universities and industry. Dr. Jeffrey discusses this topic frequently
with Undersecretary for Industry and Security David McCormick, who is trying
to form a panel on these changes. Feedback from NIST and the community is welcomed.
Safety at NIST
Rosamond Rutledge-Burns, Chief, Safety, Health and Environment Division
(For details, see presentation.)
Ms. Rutledge-Burns acknowledged the help from her partner, Sonja Ringen, the
Safety Manager in Boulder. She reported that NIST is working hard to reduce
its lost workday incidence rate by 25 percent of the preceding five-year average.
The presentation included graphs with trend data from FY 2000 through May 31,
2006, for all of NIST recordable incidents, top incidents by category, and the
reduction in recordable total cases (TC) and lost time cases (LTC) for the staff
of the Chief Facilities Management Officer (CFMO). The increase in Boulder's
recordable incidents in FY 2003 was partially due to accidents by the non-scientific
staff who felt threatened by an impending A-76 study and thought that if they
worked faster they would preserve their jobs. The CFMO has had a safety committee
for five years that meets regularly to help improve its safety record. In FY
2004, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began to include
weekends in the calculation of lost workdays in federal organizations for comparison
to the private sector. Another significant change is that NIST now has to report
its Worker's Compensation Claims through a contractor. The DoC no longer has
a Claims Office within the Department and the Department of Labor must approve
all follow-up medical treatment and report back through the contractor. This
new process has caused delays in treatment and data reporting that are of great
concern to NIST as well as other agencies within DOC. A benchmark of NIST's
safety record versus other institutions and the Department of Energy labs finds
that NIST's total case rate per 100 employees is lower than these other organizations.
Following the safety data analysis, Ms. Rutledge-Burns reviewed the status of the activities outlined in the FY 2006 Safety Operational Committee plans and described an integrated NIST Safety Operational System that is now compliant with ANSI's Z10 Occupational Safety and Health Management Standard. She highlighted this year's safety and health training topics; areas of policy and procedure development; continuous integrated safety management activities; and the June 15, 2006, NIST Safety Day.
Discussion
- Respiratory Training at
NIST - NIST offers four three-hour courses in respiratory prevention and fit
testing. The specific training depends on the type of respirator. NIST now has
the ability to fit all types of respirators from various manufacturers.
- Nanotechnology Hazards - NIST is working with the WSSC and the Maryland Department
of the Environment on a new neutralization system for the Nanofabrication Laboratory.
- Best in Class Comparisons - NIST was encouraged to continue to compare their
safety practices with companies that are best in their class.
- Leading Indicators and Trends - NIST's Ionizing Radiation Committee gathers
broad safety data, such as incidents involving lasers and isotopes, in an annual
report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and to officials from Montgomery
County who need to know how NIST is functioning in case they need to respond
to an emergency. The Fire Department also collects data on its emergency responses
at NIST and other sites within Montgomery County. Some trend data is collected
and NIST is working on a system to track inspection results in a database. The
VCAT Chair encouraged NIST to take the following actions:
o Collect trends on broader safety issues and have supervisors give these as
much attention as injuries due to slips and falls.
o Emphasize off the job safety as part of NIST Safety Day.
o Improve system for tracking open items generated by safety inspections.
- Bureaucracy of New Reporting System - NIST and other government agencies should
try to fix the delays caused by the new reporting system. The Inspector General
has issued a report on this topic.
- Targets for NIST - The goal for NIST is to reduce both its lost workday cases
and recordable cases by 25 percent from the previous five-year average. This
aggressive goal was based on discussions with safety specialists from DuPont.
NIST met its target in FY 2005 for recordable cases but not lost workday cases.
- Impact of Current Activities - NIST attributes its improved safety record
primarily to training of supervisors in accident investigations, other management
training, and site inspections.
- Evacuation Drills for High-Rise Buildings - NIST conducts very effective evacuation
drills of its high-rise building that are coordinated through the Emergency
Management Division. Emergency coordinators have been assigned to each floor
with a designated meeting area outdoors. The Building and Fire Research Laboratory
captured an evacuation on video tape for analysis.
- Best Practices - NIST published best safety practices a few years ago. NIST
is developing an electronic system for use at the OU and division level to capture
data more easily and consistently and to update best practices as needed.
- External Emergency Resources - NIST has arrangements with several external
medical and fire departments, such as Montgomery County, the National Institutes
of Health, Navy Medical, and Shady Grove Hospital.
Introducing NIST's Center
for Nanoscale Science and Technology (NCST)
Dr. Robert Celotta, Director, CNST
(For details, see Dr. Celotta's presentation.)
Dr. Celotta described the vision, mission, and desired characteristics of the newly created CNST which is in the process of being formed from staff in the Physics Laboratory and the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory. Located in the Advanced Measurement Laboratory, the CNST will provide measurement methods, standards, and technology to support all phases of nanotechnology development from discovery to production. In addition, the CNST will consist of a Nanofab, a national user facility with unsurpassed nanoscale fabrication and measurement capabilities. A multidisciplinary approach to problem solving with partnerships and links within the NIST laboratories are among the important characteristics of this Center. The presentation also included a definition of nanotechnology with examples of how materials act differently at the nanoscale. Lastly, Dr. Celotta provided an overview of the CNST's research program, the Nanfab, operating plans, and the status of the CNST's staff and funding.
Discussion
- Plans for a Research Program
in Life Sciences at the CNST - NIST acknowledges that this is an important area
but has not yet been included on the CNST research agenda pending further exploration
of NIST's current efforts in biotechnology. The five expanded program areas
underway represent only a quarter of those under consideration.
- Safety and Security Issues - NIST recognizes the need to be extra cautious
with nanoparticles and plans to have the appropriate safeguards in place, if
such materials are handled.
- Industry Outreach - NIST is preparing a philosophy for opening up the CNST
to industry as a user facility and has been talking to industry associations,
companies, and toxicologists to understand their needs. The NIST web site includes
a CNST brochure with general information about the Center. Information regarding
its measurement and fabrication capabilities will be added.
- Use of DoE Naotech Centers as Models for Developing the CNST as a User Facility
- NIST acknowledges the complexity of establishing a user facility and has modeled
the CNST largely after the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). NIST examined
DoE's, NSF, and DoD's nanotech centers and found the NSF model at Cornell to
be closer to the CNST as a shared facility offering lots of training; user fees
may depend on the experience of the process engineer.
- Fee Structure - The CNST will have a fee structure. For proprietary work,
industry will have to pay the full fee for time and labor. NIST can supplement
the fee for those projects that support the NIST mission by enabling nanotechnology
and developing measurement methods that can be published. These fees would be
comparable to an NSF center, but not extremely expensive. It is important to
have lots of academic participation and success depends on many ideas and lots
of interactions.
- How the CNST Differs from Other University Efforts at Other Nanotech Centers
- Only NIST is interested in metrology issues with a focus on providing enabling
measurements and the ultimate instrumentation for helping industry solve their
problems for making things work. The NIST director noted that the National Nanotechnology
Initiative, a coordinated effort across federal labs, specifically calls for
NIST to take the lead in metrology.
- Definition of a "Local University" - A "local university"
will send lots of their staff to NIST to help supervise and support their people
on site, such as the successful partnership between the NCNR and the University
of Maryland.
- How will NIST Define Success? - Provided the NIST nanotechnology initiative
is funded, the CNST staff would be expanded with expert technical leaders, the
number of external users would significantly increase, and the number of partnerships
with companies to solve immediate and long-range problems would increase.
NIST U.S. Measurement
System (USMS) Effort, Status Briefing
Dr. Dennis Swyt, Director, USMS Program
(For details, see Dr. Swyt's presentation.)
The purpose of Dr. Swyt's presentation is to address the VCAT's reservations from the December 2005 briefing about the approach for the USMS assessment and to provide an update on the progress of the assessment. As background information, Dr. Swyt reviewed the goal, objective, and rationale for the USMS assessment and emphasized that its focus is on measurement problems that pose technical barriers to technological innovation. The USMS assessment will be a credible and distributable report based on facts. He then summarized the basic methodology of the assessment, stressing the importance of authenticating or confirming the measurement needs and findings with industry representatives. In response to the VCAT's concerns, the assessment addressed only those measurement problems in the innovation process that deal with applied research, production, market, and end-use. The USMS Task Group has compiled 728 documented and authenticated measurement needs, equally divided between case-studies and roadmaps. Dr. Swyt plans to deliver the report with these 728 measurement needs, findings, and conclusions to the NIST director on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, for distribution to the Operating Unit Directors for comment before it is finalized. He reminded the VCAT that NIST will use this report as input to its strategic planning process.
Discussion
- Aggregation of the 728
Measurement Needs - The foundation of the report is the case-study measurement
needs with each posing a barrier to innovation. NIST analyzed these documents,
then classified, correlated, and sorted them into industry sectors with aggregate
tiers of findings, conclusions, and judgments. No algorithm was used in the
process. Instead, deductive logic was used for the findings with a higher level
of inference for the judgments.
- Measurement Needs Associated with Life Sciences - Measurement based problems
in healthcare, including new diagnostic techniques such as biomedical imaging,
are included in the assessment and have deep roots in the physical sciences.
- Definition of the "USMS" - The working definition of the USMS will
be defined in the report.
- Rigorous Methodology - As a participant in the external review process for
authentication of one of the findings, one of the VCAT members complimented
NIST for the rigorous methodology used to uncover the technical barriers and
remarked that he is no longer a skeptic about this assessment being ready for
distribution in June.
NIST Planning Process: Overview and Future Direction
Dr. William Jeffrey, NIST Director
(For details, see Dr. Jeffrey's presentation.)
The purpose of Dr. Jeffrey's presentation is to describe the NIST-wide planning process and some changes being implemented. This is a big picture view that complements the Operating Units' (OUs) past presentations on their planning processes. As requested by VCAT Vice-Chair, Dr. David Spong, this presentation maps the NIST planning process to three of the ten steps in the Boeing's Enterprise Planning Process: Step 1 - Guidelines and Constraints; Step 3- Review and Refine Mission, Vision, Objectives, Gaps, and Strategies; and Step 10 - Lessons Learned and Process Improvements.
Dr. Jeffrey noted that the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) provides one of the most important set of guidelines and constraints for NIST as one of three agencies called out for a doubling of its budget in key areas over the next ten years. Other guidelines and constraints used in setting priorities are provided by the National Science and Technology Council, the Department of Commerce (DoC), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress. The guidelines and constraints are then examined in terms of their relationship to NIST's mission, vision, and core competencies along with industry and academia needs before initiatives can be identified. Dr. Jeffrey also noted many on-going external and internal assessments and reviews with examples and provided the status of the NIST mission statement, vision, core competencies, and core values. NIST has a number of mechanisms for identifying gaps, such as the recent assessment of the U.S. Measurement System that identified 728 specific unmet industry measurement needs that pose technical barriers to technical innovation. Dr. Jeffrey also summarized the implementation plans for NIST's three top-level strategies and stressed the importance of adequately funding NIST's core competencies. He also described how the selection of program priorities is a team effort between the individual OUs and NIST senior managers. Lessons learned and process improvements include the use of the Heilmeier questions; direct ties to national priorities, economic impact studies, and core competencies to justify initiatives; new competition processes for budget initiatives and the Innovation in Measurement Science Program projects; and the new Program Office functions. In closing, Dr. Jeffrey reported that three NIST Nobel Prize winners recently testified before Congress and attributed their success to the NIST management who allowed and encouraged them to pursue innovative, high-risk research. NIST should never lose the atmosphere that attracts the best and brightest individuals.
Discussion
- NIST Mission Statement
- The history and significance of inserting the word "industrial"
in the current NIST mission statement was reviewed and the statement should
continue to include this important term.
- Terminated projects - A VCAT member suggested that the strategic plan should
explicitly state what projects will be terminated in order to align its programs
to higher priorities and that this information should be shared with industry
to help NIST's credibility. Dr. Jeffrey remarked that each of the OUs justify
and prioritize their projects on an annual basis and have identified projects
that have stopped because of budget limitations.
- Program Office (PO) Reduction - Although the PO staff will be reduced by two
people, no work will be stopped. The administrative duties are still needed
and will be shifted to another office so that the PO can concentrate on their
new functions.
- Competence Program Results - NIST tracks the results of competence projects.
All three of NIST Nobel Laureates began their award winning projects with competence
funds. Competence projects are reviewed every three years by the Director to
assess if funding should continue and some of these projects have been converted
to base programs and new initiative areas.
- NIST Recognition in the ACI - The ACI is a clear indication of the Administration's
recognition on the importance of NIST, as illustrated in its "glowing"
description of NIST's contributions to the economy.
- External Reporting Demands - One of the realities of the Federal budget process
is the significant amount of time spent on responding to external requests from
DoC, OMB, and Congress. The OUs are isolated from as much of this reporting
as possible.
- Director's Top Two Concerns - Dr. Jeffrey's top two concerns are funding of
the ACI and ensuring that NIST spends every dollar to maximize and meet the
needs of the Nation. The Heilmeier questions helps to address these concerns.
Laboratory Tours
Super-Resolution Microscopy for Chemical and Materials Characterization - Until recently, the chemistry of organic and biological surfaces has been impossible to study in detail because of a lack of analytical instruments offering both high spatial resolution and chemical specificity. To overcome this limitation, NIST is developing novel "chemical microscopes" that make it possible to nondestructively image and measure site-specific chemical composition on the nanometer scale. Such instruments will help to revolutionize understanding of the chemistry of surfaces and materials important to industry and represent an enabling measurement technology. NIST's strategy draws on advances in optics originally developed for semiconductor lithography ("phase aperturing") and for defense and security applications (adaptive optics) combined with the chemical specificity of vibrational spectroscopy. Development of this microscopy and the protocols for its use will directly impact nanotechnology, health care, and homeland security and has attracted intense interest from high profile NIST customers in the U.S. chemical industry.
Nanomagnetics - A revolution is occurring in magnetics based on the discovery of new nanoscale phenomena that can be harnessed to produce novel magnetic materials and devices of exceptional value to industry, health care, and defense. Successful realization of these products requires measuring the relationship between physical, chemical, and magnetic structure on the nanoscale. NIST has developed a powerful measurement technique to directly image and correlate magnetic, physical, and chemical structure at a spatial resolution of 10 nanometers in a way that is sensitive enough to detect tiny amounts of magnetic material without perturbing the magnetic structures. SEMPA, which stands for Scanning Electron Microscopy with Polarization Analysis, is based on the detection of the spin polarization of free electrons ejected from a magnetic sample in a high resolution scanning electron microscope. SEMPA has successfully been applied to a wide range of important scientific and technological problems in nanomagnetism. For example, SEMPA has been used to develop a fundamental understanding of the coupling between magnetic elements over nanoscale distances and to help manufacturers debug magnetic storage media and magnetic field sensors.
Building for Environmental
and Economic Sustainability (BEES) - Manufacturers are increasingly asked
to address issues of product environmental performance and long-term cost performance.
Is a product automatically environmentally superior if it has recycled content?
Do emerging products marketed and perceived as "green" perform better
than mainstream products? Do green products always cost more? The BEES software
tool says, "not necessarily." BEES evaluates the environmental and
economic performance of products over their life cycles. Environmental impacts
such as global warming, smog, and ecological and human toxicity are quantified
at each life-cycle stage including raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation,
installation, use and waste management. BEES measures life-cycle economic performance
of products by considering the costs for purchase, installation, operation,
maintenance, repair, replacement and waste management. With over 20,000 users
in more than 80 countries, BEES is playing a key role in selecting biobased
products containing renewable agricultural or forestry materials that qualify
for a major federal "green" preferential purchase program.
Performance of Physical Structures in Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita,
Reconnaissance Findings and Recommendations
Mr. Stephen Cauffman, Leader, Structures Group, Building and Fire Research
Laboratory
(For details, see Mr. Cauffman's presentation)
Mr. Cauffman provided an in-depth overview of the NIST-led reconnaissance of the performance and damage to physical structures in the regions affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including the principal findings associated with storm surge, the Saffir-Simpson Scale, the New Orleans Flood Protection System, bridges and parking structures, moored casino barges, operation of critical equipment, wind and wind-induced damage to structures, and wind and wind-borne debris damage to major buildings. On June 9, 2006, NIST issued a report with the findings from the multi-organizational team that emphasizes the critical importance of state and local entities adopting and then rigorously enforcing building standards, model codes, and practices. The report makes 23 recommendations for specific improvements in the way buildings, physical infrastructure, and residential structures are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated in hurricane-prone regions across the United States. These recommendations were highlighted in this presentation along with a description of the actions already underway, a summary of the next steps for NIST, and a list of the 16 private sector, academic, and government entities on the team.
Discussion
- The Need for NIST Briefings
- A VCAT member expressed the need for NIST to brief State Governors or other
high-level state officials on the importance of implementing and enforcing building
codes and standards to minimize structural damage from hurricanes. NIST is planning
to brief state government officials and Congressional staff.
- The Three Most Important Areas Needed to Change - Mr. Cauffman expressed his
personal opinion in regard to the following areas in need of change: 1) rigorously
enforce current building codes and standards; 2) develop risk-based storm surge
maps for use in flood-resistant design of buildings; and 3) eliminate aggregate
surface roofing that caused significant damage.
- Corps of Engineers Reconstruction Efforts - The Corps of Engineers reconstruction
efforts on the levies are consistent with recommendations. The Corps is concerned
with more of the geotechnical issues than the structural engineers in the Building
and Fire Research Laboratory.
- Building Codes and Standards Related to Trailers - Mr. Cauffman noted that
the team did observe portable classrooms in Port Arthur, Texas, that performed
flawlessly during the storms.
VCAT Panel: How to Maximize
NIST Impact on U.S. Innovation?
Ms. Deborah Grubbe, Moderator
Three VCAT members provided presentations that reflected their personal views in response to the following questions posed by NIST:
1. How can NIST best support
innovation?
2. How can NIST demonstrate its impact on innovation?
3. How can NIST best measure its impact on innovation?
A discussion session followed each presentation.
Robert Williams' Presentation
(For details, see Mr. William's presentation.)
Mr. Williams described the stages of an "ideal pipeline" for the innovation cycle. He stressed how the U.S. has to get better and faster in the production development cycle as well as the innovation cycle because the playing field is changing quickly. In addition, he provided four suggestions for how NIST can best support innovation. These cover: 1) having technical staff take sabbaticals within industry to learn about the opportunities and needs; 2) leading joint government/industry/academia task forces on innovation or solution creation with funding from both industry and government; 3) "field following" the breakthroughs and ensuring that they are "industrialized" and working at a beta site; and 4) forming "Kaizen" teams to create solutions and implementations to keep the innovation moving. According to Mr. Williams, NIST can demonstrate its impact on innovation by playing key leadership and participatory roles on the Kaisen teams. NIST can best measure its impact on innovation by having each project identify its economic drivers and by creating metrics and performing process checks at key milestones.
Discussion - Based
on Mr. Williams' presentation, the NIST senior managers and VCAT members discussed
the following topics:
- The feasibility of sending NIST staff to industry, including small companies
involved in the supply chains, and how to motivate industry to participate in
this arrangement.
- The need for NIST to improve its ability to help smaller companies who are
at the heart of innovation and competitiveness in the United States.
- The benefits of CRADAs and other mechanisms in-place for having industry people
working directly at NIST and for NIST staff to work in other organizations.
- The need for more NIST outreach to publicize its capabilities and talent,
for example, using the MEP, business round tables, and state round tables.
- NIST's role in helping to shorten the product development life cycle by being
close to the customers to find out their needs and to help define the playing
field.
- NIST's role in working cooperatively with industry and government in areas
of marketplace risks.
- The availability of venture capital to help large and small start-up companies.
- Industry's response to disruptive technologies and the need for management
to view these technologies as an opportunity rather than a threat.
- The biggest challenge for NIST is to expose outsiders with the latest innovations
and to "cross-fertilize" its scientists, who are well known in their
respective fields, to transfer their knowledge.
W.Wyatt Starnes Presentation
- Demonstrating Impact on Innovation
(For details, see Mr. Starnes presentation.)
Mr. Starnes introduced his talk by stating that he is President and CEO of a small company, SignaCert, and that this business depends on how to make money on innovation faster than the larger companies. In his opinion, every manufactured product becomes a commodity, including Information Technology (IT) products and the issue is how to respond to these commodities. He stressed that the U.S. has allowed global competitiveness to become more fluid and that this is an opportunity. His presentation covered the 1) importance of innovation, including a quote from the Council on Competitiveness; 2) a diagram of the innovation cycle that highlights the importance of NIST role in measurements and standards for both large and small companies; and 3) methods for demonstrating NIST's impacts related to historical success stories and future projects. According to Mr. Starnes, NIST needs to promote its accomplishments to the world in a more tangible manner and to show how future projects in such areas as nanotechnology and IT can further foster innovation.
Discussion - Based on Mr. Starnes presentation, the NIST senior managers and VCAT members discussed the following topics.
One way to nurture the front
end of the innovation cycle is to communicate NIST's role, capabilities, and
breakthroughs by the following mechanisms suggested by individual VCAT members:
- Pursue a "physical" organized outreach effort with a NIST-sponsored
symposium, such as NIST's capabilities in support of nanotechnology initiatives.
Although this is a lot of work, the VCAT members could help support and organize
these efforts on behalf of their state or company.
- Outreach to national organizations with state and regional presence, such
as the American Electronics Association (AEA) that has been heavily involved
with promoting innovation. Mr. Starnes is on the AEA board and offered to promote
NIST's mission with this organization.
- Since every state has some type of state-sponsored group to advance innovation,
the NIST director or other senior managers should attend these groups as well
as the Business Round Table to communicate NIST's talents and success stories.
- Prioritize the measurement needs from the USMS assessment and contact the
responsible groups to communicate NIST's talents in these areas.
- Improve access to information on the NIST web site, including "Do you
Know" facts and add other add slick brochures with one-liners about NIST.
In addition, the members stressed the difference between name brand awareness and targeted program involvement to help promote innovation. For example, the Council on Competitiveness is very aggressive about clusters context. NIST should identify the top ten clusters in the U.S. and find out how to contact or interact with them.
Thomas Baer's Presentation
- How can NIST best support innovation?
(For details, see Dr. Baer's presentation.)
Dr. Baer began his talk by noting that he has spent the last 25 years in the private sector and has been involved with start-up companies in the biotech areas for the last 10-15 years. His presentation included an overview of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" that discusses critical issues about U.S. innovation in the 21st century. Dr. Baer indicated that although he does not agree with all of the recommendations, they are well articulated and well supported. He urged the VCAT members to read this report and discuss the specific recommendations for MEP and ATP with the NIST senior management who should take these recommendations very seriously. Dr. Baer also summarized his four conclusions after reading the report, including the observation that NIST can best support innovation by staying focused on its mission to support U.S. industry by developing and improving the standards infrastructure for key/major U.S. industries and by being a world leader in advancing measurement science. According to Dr. Baer, NIST is doing a great job in providing the quantitative sciences and engineering components to support the traditional industries, but needs to consider radical changes to how it supports the biotechnology and healthcare industries that are expected to generate a large amount of commerce over the next 10-20 years. As an example, Dr. Baer provided a detailed presentation on how NIST could have a major impact on innovation in healthcare through support of measurement science for overcoming barriers related to cancer screening and diagnosis.
Discussion - Based
on Dr. Baer's presentation, the NIST senior managers and VCAT members discussed
the following topics.
- NIST's Current and Future Efforts in Support of Biotechnology and Healthcare
- NIST is working in the biosciences area and has requested additional funding
for a bioimaging initiative in the FY 2007 President's budget. NIST welcomes
the VCAT input on how to increase its efforts in this area. The Information
Technology Laboratory is focusing on the large amount of data needs for the
health IT community. JILA has two new hires who are very interested in the biosciences.
- The feasibility of replacing NIST's current structure for addressing biotech
and healthcare needs with a new Center at NIST dedicated to these needs.
- NIST Role Versus the NIH Role - NIST has an active dialogue with NIH to determine
the most appropriate role of NIST in the biosciences. The government has invested
$28 billion primarily at NIH for the discovery phase; NIST strength is in the
physical sciences. According to Dr. Baer, there are no territorial issues between
NIST and NIH; NIH is looking for NIST to help expand the technology development
and measurement science.
- NIST senior management is nurturing innovation at NIST as illustrated by its
recent renaming of the "Competence" program to "Innovations in
Measurement Science."
- Effect of Intellectual Property and Patents on the Product Life Cycle - Small
companies as well as large companies need to know how to interface with NIST
as they become more innovative, especially in the life sciences. High tech IT
companies are effectively pooling their intellectual property.
- NIST was encouraged to carefully select its fundamental work based on what
will be important in the future, such as the life sciences, and focus on accelerating
this technology rather than the latest problem of the day.
-MEP's Contacts can Help Identify Industrial Needs and Customer Clusters - For
example, a few years ago, the Physics Laboratory worked with MEP to identify
the needs of the optics industry and identified both large and small company
clusters in three cities for NIST staff to visit. This effort led to new connections
between NIST and top executives in several of these companies.
Wrap-Up
Ms. Deborah Grubbe, VCAT Chair
Disclaimer: These minutes are not a verbatim transcript of speaker's
comments but rather an interpretation of their main points. These comments reflect
individual views of the members, not necessarily the views of the VCAT.
Ms. Grubbe and other members provided additional feedback on the agenda items from Tuesday, June 13, as follows:
- NIST Update - The NIST
Update provided many positive attributes, including the superior recognition
of NIST in the federal government. The VCAT requested that the Update include
the issues and challenges that NIST is facing as a result of their increased
recognition.
- Safety - TheVCAT is pleased that NIST has made some progress in its safety
record with few injuries. They want to be kept informed of NIST safety efforts
but with a shorter reporting process. The reports should include trends on broader
data sets, leading indicators, and comparisons to best in class.
- CNST - The VCAT is very supportive of the CNST and is impressed with its early
progress. Although there is a distinctive focus on metrology, the CNST should
produce a framework or a written plan with more details on the actual work to
be conducted at the CNST, how it will interface with its users and other stakeholders,
how it will distinguish itself from others nanotechnology facilities, and what
is needed for visibility. The VCAT would like to have some sense of this plan
at the September meeting. The members recognize the difficulty of developing
business plans for early stage endeavors, but this plan could serve as an opportunity
to create a strong case study around an important emerging area for NIST's involvement.
- USMS Effort - Although the USMS project is not totally representative of all
of the U.S. measurement needs, the VCAT has seen progress in the evolution of
the USMS effort and NIST has had a good start. The process for assessing the
needs was excellent. The VCAT would like a brief presentation at the September
meeting on how NIST will integrate the elements of the USMS assessment into
its overall plan and budget documents, including the top priorities and other
spin-off activities for NIST. The briefing should include how the USMS influences
the planning process and link to specific deliverables in the USMS assessment.
There also was a request for NIST to describe the process for selecting which
of the 728 measurement needs will receive funding. Another member would like
to know the approach for identifying gaps in the life sciences. The members
would appreciate receiving any advanced materials on this topic to facilitate
their discussion. The VCAT was reminded that the USMS assessment will be used
to drive existing as well as future resources. The NIST Director agreed to address
some of the VCAT's concerns after the report has been released.
- NIST Planning Process - The VCAT was pleased to see the overall planning process
and requested to see the details of the plan.
- Tours - As usual, the tours were enlightening and the VCAT appreciates the
efforts of the speakers. The tours could be improved by showing equipment that
is actually operational with the appropriate safeguards. This request may result
in less tour stops but they would be more beneficial. For projects that can
be explained without the need to see the corresponding lab, such as the BEES
project, then have speakers give a short presentation in the main meeting room.
- Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - The ability of the U.S. to move forward after
the level of devastation resulting from these hurricanes is a testimony to the
economic strength of the United States.
- September Meeting - The meeting's theme should be NIST's role in the international
arena, including how the international arena affects NIST's planning process,
the USMS, the CNST, and the deemed exports issue. How does NIST perceive the
effect of its work on the international arena and how does the work done internationally
affect NIST? The discussion should focus on uncertainties and potential issues
for NIST. Where possible, describe the gaps, show how NIST can be leaders in
these areas, and build these areas into NIST's planned outputs. In addition,
NIST should address the dilemma related to being a global player in the standards
arena versus the mission of promoting the U.S. competitiveness.
The meeting was adjourned
at 11:02 a.m.
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