Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Material Measurement Laboratory

Blog Search

Displaying 51 - 75 of 100

From 1901 to 2021: Measurements Then and Now

March 3, 2021

A lot has changed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the past 120 years. For one thing, we were known as the National Bureau of

RNA Structure and Dynamics: The One-Two Punch in the Fight Against COVID-19

February 24, 2021

We are all well aware of COVID-19, and by now most people have seen pictures of the spike protein that forms the “handshake” interaction between virus and host

Internships in the Time of COVID: A Q&A With Shelby Platner and NIST's Zach Trautt

February 4, 2021

Across the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), internships are a very important experience for students and staff members alike. But for most

NIST Gets Going With the Flow Cytometry Standards Consortium

January 27, 2021

Advances in cell and gene therapies are revolutionizing health care by providing curative treatments for previously untreatable diseases. To help develop

Atlantic Salmon Hormones, Trapping Molecular Ions, Lasers for Greenhouse Gas Measurements: Postdocs Share Their Stories on NIST Social Media

January 19, 2021

As the Feb. 1, 2021 deadline approaches for early-career researchers to join the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Research Council

NIST Charleston researchers Ashley Boggs-Russell (sitting) and Amanda Moors (standing) work with researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Mammal Foundation to process tissue samples during veterinary assessments of wild bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. No dolphins were harmed in this process.

Tracking Hormones on Land and at Sea

October 15, 2020

It’s usually pretty straightforward to explain how my work on clinical measurements is a benefit to society, but sometimes I get confused looks when I tell

graphic showing scientist in her lab interacting with computer screen and chemicals. There is a parrot on a perch to her right.

A Bird’s Eye View: Finding New Ways to Track Synthetic Chemicals in the Environment

September 23, 2020

I’m not a scientist. I’m not sure if that admission will turn the editorial overlords at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) against me

Experts Next Door: How a Public-Private Partnership Benefits the Regenerative Medicine Community

September 30, 2020

I’m a scientific program manager at the Standards Coordinating Body (SCB), a private nonprofit organization devoted to advancing standards for regenerative

The Rapid Microbial Testing Methods Consortium: Enabling Safe, Effective and Timely Advanced Therapies

August 26, 2020

Advanced therapies are poised to change the face of medicine, promising to cure diseases that have long resisted us. But there are many challenges to overcome

How Can NIST Help: Collaborating at a Distance to Defeat COVID-19

June 16, 2020

I’ve been working from home since March 13. But even though I’ve been remote, I am still really connected to my colleagues — and have even created some new

My Stay-at-Home Lab Shows How Face Coverings Can Slow the Spread of Disease

June 11, 2020

Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing face coverings in public settings. Since COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to

Shaping the Future of the NIST Mass Spectral Library

July 7, 2020

When one thinks of mass spectral libraries — well, let’s be honest here, the very idea of mass spectral libraries will never cross most people’s minds, even

How Robots Could Teach Us to Trust AI

April 28, 2020

The influence of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere in our lives. It helps us pick movies to stream, recommends old friends to reconnect with, and

Addressing Measurement Challenges for Detecting Chemicals That Could Cause Cancer

April 7, 2020

For over 20 years, a class of man-made, potentially cancer-causing chemicals called PFAS have commonly been found in humans and the environment. These chemicals

Women in STEM: Igniting Young Minds, Illuminating the Future

March 19, 2020

I am a research chemist and lab officer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). From November 2019 to February 2020, I worked as an

Manufacturing Standards for Biopharmaceuticals: A Q&A With NIST’s Sheng Lin-Gibson and Vijay Srinivasan

January 28, 2020

Biopharmaceuticals, also known as biological drugs or biologics, are manufactured from living organisms or contain living organisms that have been genetically

A Step in the Right Direction: Building a Better Army Boot

February 4, 2020

Perhaps for as many as 40,000 years, people have been protecting their feet with some type of covering, initially using animal hides and fur. Today, footwear

How Neutrons and Gamma Rays Can Reveal Our Cultural Heritage

January 7, 2020

Most people think that understanding and preserving our cultural heritage is mainly the concern of the social sciences and humanities, such as archaeology and

The Vara: A Standard of Length With a Not-So-Standard History

October 11, 2019

By the 1850s, the United States had annexed nearly all of what are now its southwestern states from Mexico, and with the region, its peoples. Though the U.S

Rewritten in Our DNA: Measurements for Genome Editing

September 24, 2019

I didn’t understand what people were asking me when I was a kid. The question would come in several different forms. Sometimes it was “What are you?” Other

Before the Melting Pot: Pre-Columbian Weights and Measures

September 17, 2019

This month, we celebrate the heritage of the multitude of identities that arose from the intermingling of Spanish and indigenous American cultures. To do this

Human DNA Standard: A Q&A With NIST’s Becky Steffen

July 16, 2019

How do you solve a crime using DNA? First, you have to find biological evidence — such as blood, other bodily fluids, or maybe just a few skin cells that might

Reflections on Growing Up Gay and the Solace of Science

June 26, 2019

I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the mid-’70s into a blue-collar family. My father was a carpenter and my mother was a homemaker. My family was of modest means

A Winding Road: From the Hills to the Halls of NIST

June 25, 2019

My mother and father did not plan to become parents while still in high school, but they never viewed it in a negative light and soon presented me with three

The Plastic That Washes Up on Hawaii’s Beaches Affects Me. Personally.

June 5, 2019

On the occasional weekend when I find myself avoiding house chores or lacking a social event, I wear out my 3-year-old daughter at Kualoa Regional Park, only 15

Was this page helpful?