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Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

Spotlight: Using Robots to Assess Photovoltaic Cells

October 4, 2023

How can we make photovoltaic cells (such as those used for solar panels) work more efficiently, even in diffuse or indirect light?

A slab of concrete with ragged edges sits on a warehouse floor as researchers use equipment to extract core samples.

NIST Provides Update on Investigation Into the Collapse of Champlain Towers South

September 7, 2023

Preliminary evaluations show additional deviations from design in pool deck construction, no underground voids.

NIST Earthquake Engineering Group Members Conduct a Preliminary Earthquake Reconnaissance Mission to Turkey

August 31, 2023

In the early morning hours of February 6, 2023, a M W 7.8 earthquake occurred in Turkey, followed by four additional earthquakes throughout the day with MW of 5

Groups of people sit or lie in a parking lot surrounded by low buildings as fires burn in the forest beyond.

NIST Issues New Guidance for Emergency Response During Wildfires

August 23, 2023

Lessons learned from the 2018 Camp Fire in California include strategies for protecting lives when there is not enough time to safely evacuate all residents.

AI Can Accurately Predict Potentially Fatal Cardiac Events in Firefighters

July 11, 2023

Training a machine-learning model with real-life data from firefighters was key.

A woman in a NIST hard hat and other safety gear stands inside a warehouse holding a plastic bag labeled "Evidence."

New Videos Available on the NCST Champlain Towers South Investigation

June 23, 2023

See new video interviews of team members and footage from recent sample concrete coring.

Photo on top showing researchers studying a large concrete structure on a wall; image on bottom showing a heat map of forces on a similar simulated structural column.

New Building Standard Paves the Way for Collapse-Resistant Structures

June 5, 2023

A new building standard can help engineers prevent the worst.

Photo shows a NIST firefighter on standby watching a shed burn next to a target structure representing a wall of a residence during an experiment.

For Sheds in Wildfire Zones, NIST Researchers Determine How Close Is Too Close to Home

June 1, 2023

How far away do sheds need to be located to significantly limit fire spread to homes? New research led by NIST has begun to provide important answers.

Concrete columns lay on their sides inside a warehouse with lots of space around each one.

May 31, 2023, Champlain Towers South Investigation Update: Second Warehouse Will Allow New Phase of Testing

May 31, 2023

On May 11, 2023, the MDPD and the NCST finished moving a portion of evidence retrieved from the Champlain Towers South building into a second warehouse.

The graphic depicts a firefighter wearing protective turnout gear with a diagram of the three layers of the gear, which are the outer shell, the moisture barrier and thermal barrier.

Researchers Pin Down PFAS Prevalence in Firefighter Gear

May 1, 2023

The findings hint at potential solutions for safer equipment.

Nehika Mathur sits at a workstation with multiple computer monitors.

Spotlight: Industrial Engineer Nehika Mathur’s Journey Into the Circular Economy

April 19, 2023

Sustainability is easier said than done. NIST industrial engineer Nehika Mathur learned this lesson with an eye-opening experience that spurred an early-career

AI Could Set a New Bar for Designing Hurricane-Resistant Buildings

March 29, 2023

Determining the right level of winds to design for is tricky business, but support from artificial intelligence may offer a simple solution.

Serena Martinez sits at a computer workstation in an office setting.

Spotlight: The Big Career Switch to Information Technology for NIST Administrative Professional Serena Martinez

February 19, 2023

One trip to a conference for women in tech changed everything.

Assessing the Fineness of Construction Materials

January 20, 2023

Portland cement powder is characterized by particle size for use in calibrating instruments, measuring fineness characteristics of portland cement, and other

Yalda Saadat poses sitting at a table at home, next to an open laptop and a vase of roses.

Spotlight: Yalda Sadaat Delves Into the Backbone of Urban Life, Infrastructure

November 7, 2022

Infrastructure: There's more to the term than you might think, and civil engineer and researcher Yalda Saadat can shed light on its scope.

Omar Aboul-Enein poses next to a silver and blue robotic arm in a lab setting.

Spotlight: Mobile Robots Traversing the Factory Floor

October 25, 2022

In manufacturing plants, robotic arms are typically fastened down in one spot, repeating a single task over and over. While stationary machines are already

A fireball rushes out of the opening of a small metal compartment in a concrete room.

A Machine Learning-Based Solution Could Help Firefighters Circumvent Deadly Backdrafts

October 17, 2022

The NIST team got data from hundreds of backdrafts in the lab to use as a basis for a model that can predict them.

Camila Espina Young poses outdoors for a head shot

Once Her Struggle, Now Her Strength: Camila Young Evaluates Shelters in the Wake of Hurricane Maria

October 14, 2022

At NIST, Camila works on a National Construction Safety Team investigation of how critical buildings and systems performed during the storm.

A flatbed truck with equipment on the back sits in a puddled parking lot near the remains of a demolished building foundation, with two figures in safety gear nearby and palm trees in the background.

Sept. 29, 2022, Update: Champlain Towers South Investigation Completes Site Testing, Announces Next Advisory Committee Meeting

September 29, 2022

This summer, members of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) completed testing at the former site of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside