News and Updates

Displaying 1 - 25 of 278

NIST Moonlight Data Will Help Satellites Get a More Accurate Look at Earth

May 20, 2025

Reliable measurements of the light from our planet can help industries from agriculture to meteorology to mining.

A scientist wearing protective equipment places a tray of diced geoduck clam tissue into large open machinery.

NIST Researchers Develop Material for Measuring Arsenic in Shellfish

March 13, 2025

NIST’s new standard reference material will help ensure that geoduck clams and other shellfish are safe to eat.

A scientist wearing safety glasses stands in front of a monitor in her lab.

NIST Database Can Help Increase Recycling of Textiles and Clothing

January 7, 2025

Picture this: You have a bag of heavily used clothes that can no longer be donated taking up space in your closet, so you drop it off at your local recycling

Side-by-side photos show a buoy with attached scientific devices on the deck of a ship and then floating in the ocean.

Spotlight: NIST Dives In to Help Measure Ocean Color

November 8, 2024

Thanks to a collaboration between NASA and NIST, a new ocean color sensor buoy has been deployed off the western coast of Australia.

An upside down triangle with levels from top to bottom illustrating most preferable to least preferable: reduce, redesign, repair, reuse, mechanical recycling, waste to energy, waste.

NIST & ASTM International Publish Report Highlighting Standards Needs for Circular Textiles

November 8, 2024

103.5 pounds (47 kilograms) – that’s the average amount of textile waste each American produced in 2018. Things like clothing, footwear, sheets, towels, and

Square with rounded edges. Fill of square looks like American flag. Coming off the sides of the square are lines with unfilled circles at end. Words underneath: CHIPS for AMERICA

Biden-Harris Administration Opens $100 million Competition to Accelerate R&D and AI Technologies for Sustainable Semiconductor Materials

October 30, 2024

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for activities that will use cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)

NIST Scientists Use DNA Origami on a Chip to Detect Biomolecules

October 17, 2024

Using strands of DNA to create miniature hinges that pop open or shut when binding to specific molecules, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and

NIST Awards $15 Million to ASTM International to Establish Standardization Center of Excellence

October 15, 2024

The new center will support U.S. engagement in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies.

Esther Baumann leans over a lab table, surrounded with wires and scientific equipment.

Smart New Laser Technology Can Monitor Greenhouse Gases Faster, More Sensitively

October 9, 2024

New laser technology, known as free-form dual-comb spectroscopy, quickly measures gases of interest by homing in on the most information-rich parts of a sample.

Biden-Harris Administration to Invest up to $100 Million to Accelerate R&D and AI Technologies for Sustainable Semiconductor Materials

October 2, 2024

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to announce an open competition demonstrating how AI can assist in developing new

Yellow grass surrounds a wooden boat dock that extends into a shallow wetland. Across the water is a small town of buildings and trees.

NIST Funds Climate Measurements Center of Excellence at the University of Vermont

September 20, 2024

The agreement includes an award of $2.7 million appropriated by Congress for this purpose.

NIST Participates in White House Summit on Standards for Critical and Emerging Technology

July 29, 2024

A new Implementation Roadmap provides recommendations and actions for putting the U.S. standards strategy into effect.

Ashley Hartwell, a researcher, stands in her office and writes concepts down on a glass board.

Spotlight: A Q&A With NIST Engineer Ashley Hartwell

July 15, 2024

Ashley, an early-career engineer, studies ways to reduce waste and recycle efficiently.

Grid of six B&W images of asbestos fibers taken by scanning electron microscopy

NIST Researchers Identify a Cheaper, More Convenient Method to Detect Asbestos

June 25, 2024

Researchers have verified that scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a highly accurate way to test air samples for the presence of asbestos.

Julie Rieland, a researcher, looks at data on her computer screen in her lab.

Spotlight: NIST Researcher Julie Rieland Works Toward Recycling and Reusing Synthetic Plastics Used in Agriculture

June 18, 2024

Julie is surveying farmers to see what types of plastics they use on their farms and what the barriers to recycling might be.

Research Finds Dolphins With Elevated Mercury Levels in Florida and Georgia

June 12, 2024

Scientists said their study could inform future research on mercury in humans living in the affected areas.

Spotlight: NIST Researchers Are Helping Make Communities More Resilient Through Wind Tunnel Testing of Building Models

June 11, 2024

NIST researchers are helping by evaluating building structures through wind tunnel testing.

Diagram shows a vertical column with blue arrows (air flow) pointing down and moving through a central area marked with small circles (carbon molecules).

NIST Develops New Testing System for Carbon Capture in Fight Against Global Warming

April 25, 2024

The agency plans to release an early-stage reference material that companies can use to test equipment for direct air capture.

An open gray box filled with circuitry, wires, sensors and a single-board computer sits outside on a lawn.

Spotlight: Monitoring Carbon Dioxide Measurements During a Solar Eclipse

April 22, 2024

Researchers were curious as to whether their sensors would detect any changes to the concentration of CO2 during the eclipse.

Moonlight Measurement on a Hawaiian Volcano