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Projects/Programs

Displaying 51 - 75 of 94

Measurements and Standards for Contaminants in Environmental Samples

Ongoing
In 1971 NIST issued the first natural environmental matrix SRM for contaminants, SRM 1571 Orchard Leaves, with certified concentrations for trace elements. The development of SRM 1571 Orchard Leaves formalized the approach of combining results from "two or more independent and reliable analytical

Measurements and Standards for Organic Contaminants in Wildlife Matrices

Ongoing
Monitoring contaminant exposure in wildlife is crucial to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on animal health. The development of methods to screen samples for the presence of new compounds (non-targeted research) and to measure the accurate concentration of known, targeted compounds in

Microcryocooler for Terahertz Detectors

Ongoing
DARPA has been interested in the development of cooled detector systems (infrared and terahertz) that require less than 1 W of input power (battery operated) and have a total volume less than about 4 cm 3. Such systems could be used for detection of enemy missile launches (infrared), chemical

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Metrology

Ongoing
The Micro and Nanoplastic (MNP) Metrology Project aims to develop a toolbox of methods for size-based separations from complex matrices, chemical characterization protocols, and test materials necessary to enable quantification of micro- and nano-sized plastic particles, a need articulated by our

Molecular Innovation in Agriculture

Ongoing
Plant science and breeding aim to develop new plant phenotypes with desired qualities, increased production, disease resistance, and traits that mitigate the effects of climate change. At the federal level in the US, plant research is conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection

NIST Assists in Marine-Related Disaster Response

Ongoing
NIST and the Biospecimen Science Group continue to collaborate with NOAA Fisheries, other federal and state agencies, and non-profit organizations to provide the ability to accurately assess exposure of marine animals to environmental stressors and provide a resource for retrospective analysis of

The NIST Biorepository

Ongoing
The NBSB was established in 1979 at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD with a pilot project archiving human liver samples associated with collections through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). New collaborations and banking projects began to be established including the National Oceanic and

NIST Data Resources for Adsorption

Ongoing
NIST/ARPA-e Database of Novel and Emerging Adsorbent Materials A centralized resource for the scientific community to find and compare single- and multi-component adsorption isotherms reported in the literature. The database sorts data according to adsorbent material, adsorbate species

NIST Ocean Carbon Measurements

Ongoing
NIST is committed to sustaining the quality of ocean carbon measurements by developing capabilities to provide certified reference materials for the ocean carbonate system measurements and by conducting research to understand fundamental elements of the ocean carbon thermodynamic system. NIST Ocean

NIST U.S. Pacific Islands Program

Completed
To help address environmental research and resource management in the Pacific Islands region, the 111th U.S. Congress directed NIST to "expand its capabilities and resources into the Pacific region through a Pacific Islands component of NIST" and included funding to "expand its biodiversity storage

Northeast Corridor Urban Test Bed for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Ongoing
The NEC project includes multiple measurement and analysis components. The backbone of the NEC project is a network of in-situ CO2 and CH4 observation stations with continuous high-accuracy mole fraction measurements of these two greenhouse gases. In addition, the University of Maryland ( FLAGG-MD)

Omics Technological Advances in Aquaculture

Ongoing
According to the NOAA Fisheries of the U.S. report, in 2020 U.S. seafood consumption was estimated at ~6B pounds with Atlantic salmon being one of the top 3 valued items. Approximately 85% of U.S. seafood consumption is imported, and U.S. exports have seen a significant decline with an annual trade

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Ongoing
Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a family of compounds that are distinguished by partial or complete fluorination of alkyl hydrocarbons. Dubbed “forever chemicals”, the unique chemistry of PFAS imparts a high level of stability, making the compounds resistant to

Performance Criteria Development

Ongoing
Objective: To advance component-level seismic performance criteria in current design standards by conducting focused experimental tests and analytical studies. What is the Problem? Performance-based seismic engineering methodologies require a thorough and accurate understanding of component-level

Performance Metrics for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Ongoing
Sorbents in Direct Air Capture (DAC) are exposed to the atmosphere, where they adsorb CO2 then are isolated from atmosphere, the CO2 is driven off by heating or pulling vacuum, refreshing the sorbents. This adsorption-refresh cycle depends not only on the competitive adsorption of CO2 with the other

Photonic Radiometry

Ongoing
Meeting the needs of the photonics industry and anticipating emerging technologies requires investigation and development of improved measurement methods and instrumentation. This project develops state-of-art, absolute microfabricated thermal detectors with absorber coatings consisting of carbon

Plastic Pollution Measurement Science

Ongoing
Plastic pollution is a complex mixture of various types of plastics with different shapes and chemical additives. From microscopic nanoplastics (as small as 1 nm) to large megaplastics (over 1 m), plastic pollution poses significant measurement science challenges. By developing accurate methods for

Quantification and Characterization of Plastic Additives

Ongoing
Plastic products are not “pure polymers'' as they consist of up to 70 % additive chemicals by weight. Plastic additives are mixed into the polymer matrix during production to enhance functional properties, performance, or appearance of the plastic product. The use of additives in plastics is

Quantum Radiometry

Ongoing
For quantum applications, it is important to generate quantum states of light and detect them with extremely high efficiency. This project explores the metrology challenges associated with precision measurement of single photon sources and detectors. The classical photonic radiometry techniques used

Radioanalytical Metrology

Ongoing
The Group engages in a wide range of methods applicable to the detection and characterization of nuclear materials. The work can benefit environmental studies, waste remediation, naturally occurring radioactivity detection and characterization and general radioanalytical metrology. Expertise in

Real Fuels

Ongoing
The variability of the price of oil, the need for energy efficiency and pollution minimization has led to increasing interest in alternative fuels. These fuels are structurally and compositionally different than the conventional fuels presently used.  Past work on conventional fuels have established

Reference Material Production and Support

Ongoing
Bulk Cryogenic Production Large-batch cryogenic reference materials are produced using a Palla VM-KT Vibrating Cryomill. The mill is pre-cooled to cryogenic temperatures using liquid nitrogen. Frozen material is fed through the inlet funnel to a vibrating chamber containing 26 titanium rods. The