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Taking Measure

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Displaying 201 - 225 of 381
A man in safety gear crouches to examine a damaged wall inside a building after an earthquake.

The Highs and Lows of Studying the Aftermath of One of Turkey’s Deadliest Earthquakes

October 16, 2023
Matthew Speicher
… But it was an opportunity to learn something new and see how the information gathered may help better prepare for future earthquakes.  … take a photo and walk around and inspect damage yourself to glean the information needed. It takes time and money to visit a site multiple … over and over again for a period of years, they could learn valuable information we couldn’t get in one visit. This information could help …
Researcher Erica Stein pipetting under chemical hood

Down for the Count: How NIST is Helping Defeat Cancer

September 20, 2017
Erica Stein
… areas of cancer diagnostics. For example, the latest cancer diagnosis technology looks for free-floating cancer DNA in the blood. At NIST, we … welcomed into a wonderful team that uses the newest and most advanced technology to quantify cancer biomarkers and develops resources that …
A couch is in flames in a mocked-up room inside a large fire testing facility.

Saving Lives by Making Upholstered Furniture More Resistant to Fire

February 7, 2022
Mauro Zammarano
… of Trieste in Italy visiting the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the first time. What was supposed to be a few … prevent furniture fires, I have been investigating a different kind of technology, known as fire-barrier fabrics. They aren’t based on … industry has not yet adopted fire barriers in its products. For a new technology such as this one, reasonable concerns could include cost and …
cartoon of a young woman at her desk speaking by webcam with another person.

The NIST Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program Goes Virtual

January 27, 2021
Brandi Toliver
… Brandi Toliver … The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) designed the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship … to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through a unique research … communications … Bioscience … Buildings and Construction … Chemistry … Information technology … Cybersecurity and privacy … Resilience … …
worker repairing an electrical line

Learning from the Best of the Best

November 22, 2017
Walter Copan
… the recently-appointed Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, it was a pleasure to add my own congratulations in each of … NIST for a wide-ranging portfolio including oversight of the nation’s technology transfer program, as well as the Baldrige Program. The … Framework and Criteria … Best practices … Leadership development … Technology transfer … Learning from the Best of the Best …
Woman and man talking beside wall with several square illustrations of science art

Finding Art in Science

October 24, 2016
Kelly Irvine
… in the language of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management , a "Visual Information Specialist." For the past 18 years I’ve been working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal laboratory where some of the best and …
group of five men holding champagne flutes

The 'Gang of Five' and the SI Revolution

May 16, 2019
Peter Mohr
… that influenced me to come to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was the important work it was doing on providing … but we can hope that it is a step forward for the SI and science and technology. I’m proud to have been a member of the Gang and to have … Electronics … Metrology … Mass metrology … Metric … Physics … Quantum information science … Standards … The 'Gang of Five' and the SI …
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
… graduate school. Her dad’s interest in science and automated vehicle technology encouraged Roberts to consider this emerging field. “I’ve … student who might want to join us next summer? Visit our SURF information page and sign up for the SURF program’s email list for more information.   … Autonomous systems … Automated vehicles … Chemistry … …
female face against a black background littered with bits of computer code. The woman is wearing a hat and sunglasses. There is a string of code coming from her mouth that looks like a cigarette.

Cybercrime: It’s Worse Than We Thought

June 24, 2020
Douglas S. Thomas
… activity, making cybercrime more prevalent. For example, my personal information (e.g., Social Security number) has been stolen countless times and my credit card information has been stolen and used on numerous occasions, but my … But the evidence suggests it’s more than we thought. … Information technology … Cybersecurity and privacy … Cybersecurity measurement … …
an apple tree standing in a courtyard with the sun streaming through its leaves

The Tangled Tale of NIST’s Newton Apple Tree

June 20, 2018
Mark Esser
… tree, is among those to whom the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has bestowed a scion of a different sort: a clone of … Commerce Ed Vetter, who donated his to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; former NIST Director Pat Gallagher, who donated his to the … internet (and former chair of the NIST Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology) Vinton Cerf, who donated his to Stanford University. As the …
Tom Bruno with an instrument inside a small suitcase. He holds a tube coming from the suitcase inside a paint can.

Judging the Quality of Forensic Evidence

January 23, 2018
Tom Bruno
… called PLOT-cryoadsorption, a NIST-developed vapor characterization technology that can be used in many different areas of interest to the … they are nonetheless responsible for regulating the flow of scientific information at trial. Under the Daubert standard (one of the more common guidelines for the control of scientific information in court), the judge is indeed the gatekeeper. They must …
graphic illustrating different aspects of critical infrastructure, including power transmission, nuclear plants, and factories

A Framework for Protecting Our Critical Infrastructure

October 30, 2017
Matt Barrett
… are we doing an update? Well, to keep pace with trends in threats and technology, we believe the Framework must be a living document. NIST … users.  NIST gathers that input from its stakeholders via request-for-information (RFI) responses, as well as conversations at meetings and … or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. … Information technology … Cybersecurity and privacy … Risk management … …
Photo of man in white space suite on surface of moon at night.

Mooning Over Measurement

January 31, 2017
Ann Chiaramonti Debay
… and other moons in our solar system, the reflected light can provide information about what the surface is made of and its texture. Using … tomography (XRCT), which allows him to get detailed 3-D shape and size information on a large number of particles at the same time, in size … as Ed does with his XRCT data, I can still provide a lot of useful information in the study. For example, we can tell if the particles …
Magnifying glass magnifying a part of a DNA molecule

From Fiction to Forensics: An Inspired Story for National DNA Day

April 25, 2016
Becky Steffen
… DNA analysis faster (PDF), identifying markers that can bring more information to the table, and tackling challenging DNA samples such as … highly characterized samples in the world. We published much of this information about these samples in the form of what is called “allele … all of the mysteries that Nancy Drew could solve using today’s DNA technology. And real medical examiner versions of Kay Scarpetta are out …
Infusion pump in foreground of hospital room with patient lying in bed

SoS: Securing Wireless Infusion Pumps in a System of Systems

October 27, 2016
Gavin O'Brien
… possible security risks that could result in loss of protected health information. We have also identified some key benefits associated with … trade-off or hidden cost. It’s unfortunate that people would exploit a technology to do harm that was intended to do good. Although I wish we … work my colleagues and I do could potentially save lives. … Health … Information technology … Cyber-physical systems … Cybersecurity and …
Photos of everyday objects like an iron, a gas can and a laptop along with high-tech items like an atomic clock and a mass balance. Label reads: 10 Ways NIST Impacts Your Daily Life.

From Safer Skies to Fewer Fires: 10 Ways NIST Impacts Your Daily Life

December 10, 2024
Robin Materese
… against skimming attacks due to NIST measurements of RFID-enabling technology. And every day, the more than 2 million Americans flying on commercial flights rely on advanced screening technology for their safety. NIST measurement standards for radiation … used in this list. Check out Jim’s recent blog post for even more information about why measurements at NIST are important for the nation …
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