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Taking Measure

Just a Standard Blog

Stephen Eckel

Stephen Eckel is a physicist in the Sensor Science Division. His research focuses on using atoms, both at room temperature and ultracold, to probe thermodynamic quantities like pressure and temperature in calibration-free ways. He earned his Ph.D. at Yale University in 2012 and came to NIST as a postdoctoral researcher working with Bose-Einstein condensates. When not in the lab working with atoms and lasers, you will most likely find him tending to his garden or driving antique Stanley Steam cars.

Stephen Eckel wears dark safety glasses as he peers into the complex CAVS apparatus in a darkened lab.

How Low Can Temperature Go? Lord Kelvin and the Science of Absolute Zero

June 26, 2024

On Lord Kelvin’s 200th birthday today, we’re remembering the scientist who brought us the metric (SI) unit for temperature.

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