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Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

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NIST Shows Laser Ranging Can ‘See’ 3D Objects Melting in Fires

August 8, 2018

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used a laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system to image three-dimensional (3D)...

In this photo, we see a split-screen image of a laboratory fire. The left side shows the fire obscuring the view of an object behind it while the right side shows the same object with the clarity dramatically enhanced using ordinary blue light.

NIST Unblinded Me with Science: New Application of Blue Light Sees Through Fire

July 23, 2018

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated that ordinary blue light can be used to significantly improve the...

Full-Scale Furniture Fire Experiments

June 29, 2018

The Flammability Reduction Group recently completed a two-week-long series of full-scale furniture fire experiments in the National Fire Research Laboratory...

Highlights from the 29th Annual Conference on Recent Advances in Flame Retardancy of Polymeric Materials

May 24, 2018

Four members of the NIST Flammability Reduction group traveled to Stamford, Connecticut for the 29 th Annual Conference on Recent Advances in Flame Retardancy...

Two firefighters look over the last flames inside a compartment where the flammability of cross-laminated timber buildings is being tested.

New NIST Roadmap Charts Path to Reduced Fire Hazards from Materials

May 21, 2018

Fire researchers will tell you that there’s a simple solution for reducing fire hazards: eliminate flammable materials. If it doesn’t burn, the experts say...

A home in the mountains of Puerto Rico lies in ruins as a result of the extreme force winds of Hurricane Maria.

NIST Launches Study of Hurricane Maria’s Impact on Puerto Rico

May 16, 2018

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it will study the impacts of Hurricane Maria on...

Astronaut aboard the International Space Station is seen preparing a carousel holding samples of materials for a smoke detection test.

NIST/NASA Study Shows One Detector Doesn’t ‘Fit All’ for Smoke in Spacecraft

May 1, 2018

What had been a peaceful and productive mission for the six men aboard the Russian space station Mir, including U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger, nearly became a...

NIST Flammability Reduction Group Commissioned a Second Cone Calorimeter for Use in its Cone Calorimetry Lab

April 17, 2018

The NIST Flammability Reduction group recently commissioned a second cone calorimeter for use in its cone calorimetry lab. Originally developed in 1982 by...

Join the NIST Center of Excellence Documenting and Modeling Community Recovery Webinar Thursday, May 3, 9-11 AM (MDT)

April 13, 2018

Learn about the NIST-funded Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning and how its research is advancing models of community recovery, and is...

NIST Seeks Comments on “EDGe$” Tool that Can Help Communities Select Cost-Effective Resilience Projects

April 12, 2018

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking feedback about the utility and ease of use of a software-based tool designed to help...

In this illustration, a gas well field has a circle on it. A dual-comb spectrometer at the center sends out laser light which bounces off mirrors, goes through a gas cloud and returns to the spectrometer for analysis.

Mobile ‘Dual-Comb’ Device Significantly Improves Methane Leak Detection

March 22, 2018

Accurately detecting, locating and quantifying leaks of methane, the main component of natural gas and a major fuel source worldwide, is critically important...

2018 Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute Technical Meeting (ESSCI 2018)

March 4, 2018

The NIST Flammability Reduction group traveled to State College (Pennsylvania State University) for the 2018 Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute...

New NIST “EDGe$” Tool Can Help Communities Select Cost-Effective Resilience Projects

January 8, 2018

A powerful software-based technique for selecting cost-effective, infrastructure-based community resilience projects is now available to the public. The...

The Community Resilience Panel Transitions to a Workshop Format

December 4, 2017

Note: Several recent media reports have inaccurately described NIST’s decision to conclude the Panel’s efforts and transition to a workshop format to achieve...

Spanish Language Overviews of NIST Community Resilience Guides Now Available

November 14, 2017

Two popular brochures highlighting National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) planning guides to help communities to strengthen their resilience are...

Historic Preservation, Flooding Threats are Community Resilience Drivers: Could Benefit from NIST Guides

November 14, 2017

Many communities across the country are dealing with flooding threats, but those that rely on historic and culturally important properties face special...

Local Government Managers Learn about NIST Community Resilience Guides

October 30, 2017

City managers, public works department directors, and county administrators learned about NIST’s Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and...

Lighting a Path to 'Smarter' Homes, Roads, and Bridges

September 27, 2017

If you’re worried about carbon monoxide poisoning, you might purchase a detector for your home. But what if your house itself could sense carbon monoxide and...

Three people looking at drawing of Fire Escape Plan

NIST Study Suggests Frailty Makes Elderly More Likely to Die in Home Fires

August 22, 2017

A new study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows scientifically for the first time that an individual’s ability to respond quickly...

EL’s Shaw Feng Leads Standardization for Key Performance Indicators for Assessing Manufacturing Sustainability Performance

August 4, 2017

ASTM International’s committee on sustainability ( E60) has developed a new guide that will help companies set reasonable, realistic operational objectives for...

Cornell University engineers testing a novel earthquake-resilient pipeline

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