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February 11-12, 2026 VCAT Agenda
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY | |
Day 1: February 11, 2026 | |
Session I: Director’s Office Updates and Outlook | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Call to Order and Roll Call Dr. Mark Pierpoint – Vice Chair, VCAT |
| 10:05 a.m. | Welcome and Updates Mr. Craig Burkhardt – Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director |
| 10:10 a.m. | Annual Ethics Briefing Mr. Zachary Prager – Attorney in the Ethics Law and Programs Division, Office of the General Counsel |
| 10:30 a.m. | Election Results for VCAT Chair and Vice Chair Ms. Stephanie Shaw – Senior Project Manager, Program Coordination Office, and Designated Federal Officer, VCAT |
Session II: NIST Strategic Priorities | |
| 10:35 a.m. | NIST Strategy Overview and Discussion Dr. S. Shyam Sunder – Associate Director of Laboratory Programs |
| 11:00 a.m. | Quantum Information Science and Technology Strategy Update Dr. Andrew Wilson – Director, NIST Quantum Acceleration Program |
| 11:30 a.m. | Discussion |
| 12:00 p.m. | Extended Break/Lunch |
Session III: NIST Strategic Priorities | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Artificial Intelligence Strategy Panel Discussion Dr. Kerrianne Buchanan – Senior Program Analyst, Program Coordination Office Ms. Hannah Brown – Acting Deputy Associate Director for Management Resources Dr. Craig Schlenoff – Senior Advisor for AI, Information Technology Laboratory Mr. Austin Mayron – Acting Director, U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) |
| 2:00 p.m. | Biotechnology Strategy Update Dr. Sheng Lin-Gibson – Chief, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory Dr. Rebecca Zangmeister – Acting Chief, Biomolecular Measurement Division, Material Measurement Laboratory |
| 2:20 p.m. | Discussion |
Session IV: Day 1 Closing Session | |
| 2:40 p.m. | Wrap Up Dr. Mark Pierpoint – Vice Chair, VCAT |
| 2:50 p.m. | Public Comment |
| 3:00 p.m. | Adjourn |
| Day 2: February 12, 2026 | |
Session I: Budget Session | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Call to Order and Roll Call Dr. Mark Pierpoint – Vice Chair, VCAT |
| 10:05 a.m. | Budget Updates and Discussion Dr. Christopher Szakal – Acting Director for Policy, Programs, and Planning |
Session II: NIST Strategic Priorities Part III | |
| 10:30 a.m. | Standards Strategy Update Dr. Heather Evans – Senior Advisor for Economic Security Ms. Dana Leaman – Acting Director, Standards Coordination Office |
| 10:50 a.m. | Discussion |
| 11:10 a.m. | Break |
| 11:30 a.m. | Facilities Strategy and Boulder Campus Safety Update Ms. Anita Vanek – Acting Associate Director for Management Resources |
| 12:00 p.m. | Discussion |
| 12:30 p.m. | Extended Break/Lunch |
Session III: Other Critical and Emerging Technologies Highlights Sessions | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Advanced Communications Update Dr. Ari Feldman – Acting Director, Communications Technology Laboratory |
| 1:50 p.m. | Discussion |
| 2:10 p.m. | Break |
| 2:30 p.m. | Cybersecurity Update Mr. Kevin Stine – Director, Information Technology Laboratory Ms. Julie Chua – Chief, Applied Cybersecurity Division, Information Technology Laboratory Mr. Jon Boyens – Chief, Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory |
| 2:50 p.m. | Discussion |
Session IV: Day 2 Closing Session | |
| 3:10 p.m. | Discussion of VCAT Annual Report Approach and Topics for June 2026 Meeting Dr. Mark Pierpoint – Vice Chair, VCAT |
| 4:00 p.m. | Adjourn |
Created January 30, 2026