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Communications Technology Laboratory

News and Updates

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NIST Wireless Networks Division Releases a Model for the IEEE 802.11ay Physical Layer

September 22, 2021

On September 22th, 2021, NIST released its Matlab implementation of the IEEE 802.11ay Enhanced Directional Multi-Gigabit (EDMG) Physical Layer. It is available

PSCR Staff Spotlight: Prize Competition and Challenge Specialist Sarah Hughes

September 13, 2021

Sarah Hughes is a Prize Competition and Challenge Specialist with the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division's Open Innovation team. In this role

A six-propeller drone sitting on the grass in front of a lake

NIST Announces Top 4 Winners in the National First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge

August 17, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently announced the four winners of the 2021 PSCR

Man with beard and glasses in light grey sweater sitting on the right looking at computer screen on the left, with mass of blue wires in the foreground.

Encouraging Coexistence: NIST Model Cuts Measurement Needs for Spectrum Sharing by About 33%

August 12, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a modeling technique that can save time and money in estimating how to

A firefighter wearing augmented reality glasses

PSCR Awards $9.7M for Augmented Reality Funding Opportunity

August 6, 2021

To accelerate research and development (R&D) for public safety user interfaces (UIs), NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division has awarded

NIST Prize Challenge Launches Research for Unmanned Aircraft in Search and Rescue

July 7, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a new prize competition to advance the use

A woman wearing a face mask works at a laptop with communications equipment on the desk.

Spotlight: Finding the Fix to Wireless Connectivity on the Fritz With Susanna Mosleh

June 29, 2021

When the Wi-Fi is wonky or there’s bad cellphone reception, Susanna Mosleh can’t ignore it. After all, her research at NIST is about finding solutions to those

Human figure stands facing large wooden board. Behind that is a row of tubes sticking up from a base.

NIST Method Uses Radio Signals to Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

June 25, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Wavsens LLC have developed a method for using radio signals to create real-time

New Draft Report Open for Public Comment: Mobile Biometrics for First Responders

June 15, 2021 - July 20, 2021

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) has released a new draft report, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Interagency or

NIST Joins Department of Commerce and Colorado Governor Polis to Celebrate Pride

June 15, 2021

NIST's Communication Technology Laboratory (CTL) was honored to take part in the June 14 Department of Commerce PRIDE panel discussion. The webinar highlighted

PSCR Staff Spotlight: The Magic of Cellular Technology with Max Maurice

May 28, 2021

Max Maurice is an Electronics Engineer and Principal Investigator for the Highly Mobile Deployed Networks project at the Public Safety Communications Research

4 Cutting-Edge Research Sessions at PSCR 2021

May 5, 2021

Since 2010, NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) division has annually convened stakeholders across public safety, industry, and academia to

An image of radio frequency indoor localization and mapping hardware with a generator and antenna lines.

PSCR Awards $8M for First Responder 3D Indoor Tracking Prize

April 30, 2021

NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division has awarded $8 million to the Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab at Indiana University’s (IU)

NIST Joins NSF-Led Partnership to Support Next-Generation Communications Technology

April 27, 2021

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has joined the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF

Illustration shows computer monitor linked to walkie talkie on one side and smartphone on the other.

Low-Cost NIST Demo Links Public Safety Radios to Broadband Wireless Network

April 12, 2021

Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a low-cost computer system that connects older public safety radios with the

CTL Discusses Space Commerce Research with U.S. Representative Perlmutter

April 8, 2021

Dr. Marla Dowell joined Colorado Labs and U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter for a discussion on aerospace-related digital communications technology research at

Tiny glass vial in holding device glows green in dark photo.

NIST Demo Adds Key Capability to Atom-Based Radio Communications

April 5, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and collaborators have demonstrated an atom-based sensor that can determine the

Composite image of four women on a video conferencing call.

NIST Builds ‘Sisters in STEM’ With YWCA Code Jam

March 18, 2021

Twenty-three middle-school girls from the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont, Colorado, have logged on to their school tablets and laptops for a

Spotlight: Kate Kapalo’s Journey Into Virtual Reality for Public Safety

March 11, 2021

The road so far — NIST postdoctoral associate Kate Kapalo followed an unconventional path into research for public safety, but the experiences fuel her projects

A firefighter on the rails of a subway track

Calling All Firefighters: A New Research Study Wants to Hear from You

March 9, 2021

First responders are seeing a significant increase in the amount and types of data available to them while responding to emergencies. To maximize the value of

NIST Wireless Networks Division releases a new version of the Quasi-Deterministic Channel Realization Software

February 15, 2021

The NIST Q-D Channel Realization software, initially released in August 2019, is a Three-Dimensional (3D) ray-tracing software developed in Matlab. It provides

PSCR Staff Spotlight: Human and Tech Connections with Kate Kapalo

February 9, 2021

Kate Kapalo is the Lead User Experience Researcher at NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research Division. Dr. Kapalo’s expertise lies at the intersection of

NIST and federally funded research labs discuss climate and advanced communications technology with U.S. Representative Joe Neguse.

February 9, 2021

The Communication Technology Laboratory was pleased to take part in the CO-LABS panel discussion with U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (CO CD-2) to hear from

A Responder's Critical Path

January 26, 2021

We’ve all come to rely on the navigation apps on our mobile devices to steer our daily itineraries. Within seconds of typing our destination into a blinking

Nearly $500K Awarded to Tech to Protect Finalists

December 1, 2020

The largest prize challenge in NIST's history reached its culmination last month as contestants of the Tech to Protect Challenge, a software development prize

Advanced communications
-Quantum communications
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
-Biomanufacturing
-Biomaterials
-Biomolecular characterization
-Cell biology
-Engineering / synthetic biology
-Genomics
-Glycomics
-Metabolomics
-Microbial measurements
-Proteomics
Buildings and Construction
-Building codes and standards
-Building control systems
-Building damage and repair
-Building economics
-Building materials
-Energy efficiency
-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
-Indoor air quality
-Structural engineering
-Thermal comfort
Chemistry
-Analytical chemistry
-Chemical engineering and processing
-Chemical thermodynamics and chemical properties
-Molecular characterization
-Theoretical chemistry and modeling
-Thermochemical properties
Electronics
-Electromagnetics
-Flexible electronics
-Magnetoelectronics
-Optoelectronics
-Organic electronics
-Semiconductors
-Sensors
-Superconducting electronics
Energy
-Alternative energy
-Conventional energy
-Electric power / smart grid
-Fuels
Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
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-Greenhouse gas measurements
-Marine science
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Fire
-Emergency building evacuation
-Fire detection
-Fire dynamics and science
-Fire fighting
-Fire modeling
-Fire risk reduction
-Materials flammability
-Structural fire resistance
-Wildland urban interface fire
Forensic Science
-Ballistics
-Digital evidence
-DNA and biological evidence
-Drugs and toxicology
-Fingerprints and pattern evidence
-Trace evidence
Health
-Clinical diagnostics
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-Food and nutrition
-Medical imaging
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Information technology
-Artificial intelligence
--Applied AI
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--Smart cities
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--Cryptography
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--Cybersecurity measurement
--Identity and access management
--Privacy engineering
--Risk management
--Securing emerging technologies
--Trustworthy networks
--Trustworthy platforms
-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
--Natural language processing
-Federal information standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
-Internet of Things (IoT)
-Interoperability testing
-Mobile
-Networking
--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Privacy
-Software research
--Software testing
-Usability and human factors
--Accessibility
-Video analytics
-Virtual / augmented reality
-Visualization research
-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing economics
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Quality assurance
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
-Nanomagnetics
-Nanomaterials
-Nanomechanics
-Nanometrology
-Nanophotonics
-Nanophysics
-Nanoplasmonics
Neutron research
Performance excellence
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Physics
-Atomic / molecular / quantum
-Biological physics
-Condensed matter
-Electron physics
-Magnetics
-Nuclear physics
-Optical physics and communications
-Quantum information science
-Radiation
-Spectroscopy
-Thermodynamics
-Time and frequency
Public safety
-Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)
-First responder preparedness
-Law enforcement
-Public safety communications research
-Response robots
Resilience
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Standards
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Transportation
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