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Screenshot from animated video shows mother and daughter characters and reads: New Year's 2026 Countdown.

Calling All (Tired) Parents! Count Down to the New Year Early With Your Kids — and Professor Second

December 17, 2025

Kids (or yourself) too tired to stay up to ring in the new year? Count down with our video instead!

Cartoon snow globe features a tape measure shaped like Santa's sleigh.

Count on NIST to Provide Well-Measured Holiday Cheer

December 15, 2025

Robin Materese

Just how bright are the holiday lights? How much does Santa eat on Christmas Eve? These are some of the big holiday measurement questions we’ve put to the test this season.

Ram Sriram poses smiling for a head shot outdoors on the NIST campus.

AI in the Doctor’s Office: How Standards Can Support Trustworthiness

December 4, 2025

Ram D. Sriram

If AI will be used in health care (or any other field), specific and useful standards are needed to make sure it’s reliable.

Close-up of a smartphone held in a person's hand, showing a Colorado mobile driver's license with an image of a bighorn sheep.

Tap for ID: Your Next Driver’s License Might Also Live on Your Phone

November 20, 2025

You’ve probably tapped your phone to pay, but have you ever used it to show your ID? It’s coming, and NIST experts are working on standards to make it work.

Doug White stands looking at a printed-out list taped to the end of a library shelf.

Software Library Helps Law Enforcement Catch Dangerous Criminals

November 13, 2025

Doug White

NIST’s software reference library creates digital fingerprints of software — including many older pieces of software that are no longer available.

Jack Glover poses outside on the NIST campus, holding a flat square object with holes of varying sizes.

Science-Backed Standards Keep You Safer in the Skies

September 25, 2025

Megan King

A NIST researcher’s expertise in physics helps ensure that airport security machines are tested effectively, keeping you safer in the skies.

Four people stand talking in a converted factory space near a large interior window through which a complex, high-tech manufacturing line is visible.

From the Machine Shop to Cutting-Edge Technology: How NIST Helps Grow American Manufacturing

September 22, 2025

Cassondra Blasioli

For more than a decade, Manufacturing USA has worked to grow and improve the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Sierra Miller sits at a desk facing a computer screen.

Using Experiments and Stories to Inspire the Next Generation of STEM Professionals

September 12, 2025

Sierra Miller

A love of science led a NIST researcher to her career. Now she’s working to encourage children to embrace science.

Andrew Iams wears safety glasses as his face is framed in an opening between two horizontal pieces of equipment in the lab.

From the Steel City to the Lab: Strengthening the U.S. Steel Industry Through Science

August 26, 2025

Andrew Iams

A NIST researcher from Pittsburgh — known as the Steel City — is working to understand how we can better make steel right here in the U.S.

Angie Hight Walker and Amber McCreary stand side by side in the lab adjusting a complex scientific device.

From Postdoc to Quantum Physicist: How NIST Made Me a Better Scientist and Leader

August 22, 2025

Amber McCreary

A former NIST postdoctoral researcher recalls how hands-on science and supportive mentoring helped develop her science career.

A bearded man poses smiling next to an open cabinet of equipment in a lab.

Laser Focused: How Light Reflections Could Revolutionize 3D Printing of Metals

August 13, 2025

Brian Gutierrez

A NIST researcher is working to better understand 3D metal printing — in hopes that the technology could make more consistent parts.

A woman sits in the passenger side of a parked car, looking at a large monitor attached to the dashboard.

A Summer of Science: How Our Interns Spent Their Summers in the Lab

July 25, 2025

Megan King

From self-driving cars to advancing forensics technology, NIST’s interns had a busy summer in the lab.

A researcher in safety glasses stands holding a remote control near a large blue model of a human head and torso with red marks on the chest.

Wearable, Implantable and Ingestible Medical Devices Could Revolutionize Your Health Care

July 22, 2025

Kamran Sayrafian

A NIST researcher is using measurement technology to monitor fluid in the lungs, with the hope of helping providers care for patients with a dangerous lung condition.

A researcher wearing safety glasses stands in the lab, reaching into a metal device on the lab table.

When Concrete Cracks: How Science Can Save Buildings

July 1, 2025

Brian Gutierrez

NIST concrete research has already saved billions of dollars, and we’re working to help homeowners address expensive cracks in their homes’ foundations.

Researcher Ming Zheng looks with interest at a small vial he is holding up in front of him.

How Nature’s Symmetry Might Help Us See Early Warning Signs of Cancer

June 27, 2025

Ming Zheng

A NIST researcher is looking to see molecules in a new way — from two perspectives. The goal is to learn more about molecules in our bodies that could help lead to breakthroughs in medical treatments.

Researcher in safety glasses and gloves sits at a lab bench working with small test tubes.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: How Measuring Molecular ‘Scissors’ Can Further Groundbreaking Research

June 12, 2025

Sam Schaffter

A NIST researcher solved a measurement mystery that can help with the development of medical treatments.

Two NIST researchers, wearing hardhats and protective jackets, watch a small shed burn as part of a setudy.

Fighting Fire With Research: How a Scientist Is Protecting People and Property From Wildfires

June 12, 2025

Brian Gutierrez

NIST fire experts are working to better understand dangerous wildfires, so communities can protect people and homes.

Lisa Ng kneels, holding parts of a circular fan built into a room divider.

Clearing the Air: How an Air Quality Researcher Takes Care of the Air Her Family Breathes

June 3, 2025

Lisa Ng

These are the simple and inexpensive steps a NIST air quality researcher takes to keep her home’s air as clean as possible.

A model of a human head lies face up on the platform of an MRI machine.

Precise Measurements Can Help Cancer Patients Live Longer, Healthier Lives

June 2, 2025

Stephen Russek

NIST researchers are working to better measure radiation — to help keep cancer patients living long, healthy lives after they complete their treatments.

Corey Stambaugh poses smiling outdoors on the NIST campus.

A Quantum Leap Forward: How Tiny Particles Can Bring Us Exciting New Tech

May 22, 2025

Corey Stambaugh

Researchers are using quantum science to develop computers that can do tasks traditional computers can’t do as efficiently. That’s why it’s an exciting time to work in quantum.

A person performs chest compressions on a CPR practice mannequin.

Shocking History: How a NIST Engineer Helped Create Lifesaving CPR

May 9, 2025

Keith Martin

An electrical engineer who worked at NIST helped create the technique we know today as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.

A detailed view of two connected blue and silver train cars on a railway track.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: NIST Edition

April 30, 2025

Riley Wilson

However you choose to get from A to B, NIST helped make your preferred mode of transportation safer and more standardized.

How NIST Helped Start an Industry: Our Role in Jump-Starting Quantum Information Science

April 29, 2025

Ben P. Stein

While quantum technology may seem like a new field, it’s been around for a while and has a fascinating history — much of which involved NIST’s experts.

A researcher wearing a mask, safety glasses and gloves sits at a desk, looking at electronic devices and writing on a clipboard.

Research-Based Practices Can Help Forensic Scientists Do Their Best Work

April 24, 2025

Melissa Taylor

A NIST working group made recommendations to help forensic scientists work more effectively — with the goal of making the justice system more impartial.

Scott Davis poses smiling and holding a frequency comb console. Other similar electronic products are stacked on carts around him.

Quantum Advances: NIST and Industry Drive Powerful Computing and Clocks

April 8, 2025

Scott Davis

Imagine what life would be like without GPS, something you use all the time without thinking about where it came from. NIST research helped bring you GPS and many other important technologies.

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