News and Updates

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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

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.

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.

Flood protection sandbags buffer waters around flooded homes with rescue team pushing boat through flooded streets.

In National Climate Assessment, NIST Offers New Insights on Community Resilience and Adaptation

December 4, 2023

NIST researchers contributed to chapters that explore how communities can adapt to climate change while promoting the fair treatment and meaningful involvement

A woman in safety glasses stands between rows of metal cylinders.

Spotlight: Physical Scientist Christina Cecelski Goes From In-Flight to In-the-Lab Experiences

April 20, 2023

Coming from flights of fancy (instruments), physical scientist Christina Cecelski has landed at a place that matches her personality: NIST.

A yellow buoy with a red base floats in the sea under a blue sky.

Ocean Color System Gets a ‘Refresh,’ Allowing for More Precise and Accurate Measurements

January 3, 2023

NIST, NOAA and other partners have collaborated on an upgrade to an ocean-color sensor called the Marine Optical Buoy, or MOBY.

NIST Awards Funding for Educational Programs on a Circular Economy to Reduce Plastic Waste

September 20, 2022

Five universities have each been awarded $500,000 to develop new curricula for students who are interested in helping to solve the growing problem of plastic

Illustrated cube has crystal framework in gray with red balls interspersed in the open spaces.

To Remove CO₂ From the Atmosphere, Imagine the Possibilities

August 24, 2022

Computer simulation methods from NIST help speed up the search for carbon capture materials.

NIST Develops Interoperability Profile for Distributed Energy Resources and Grid Integration

July 1, 2022

With the increasing use of distributed energy resources (DER) – solar, wind, and more – to generate power, organizations have developed standards for their

A man in safety goggles crouches at the back of an open air-conditioning unit, looking at a handheld tester.

Spotlight: Overhauling the Refrigeration Industry to Fight Global Warming

June 26, 2022

NIST researchers are tackling the question of alternative refrigerant fluids.

Your Clothes Can Have an Afterlife

May 9, 2022

Only about 15% of used clothes and other textiles in the United States get reused or recycled. The other 85% head straight to the landfill or incinerator. This

Landscape view of buildings and lasers scanning the atmosphere

NIST Laser ‘Comb’ Systems Now Measure All Primary Greenhouse Gases in the Air

June 30, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have upgraded their laser frequency-comb instrument to simultaneously measure three

Carbon Dioxide Sensors in 2 Urban Areas Registered Big Drop in Emissions During COVID-19 Pandemic

June 7, 2021

Carbon dioxide emissions in Los Angeles fell 33% in April of 2020 compared with previous years, as roads emptied and economic activity slowed due to the COVID

Illustration shows cows in field with laser and fiber paths around the edges.

NIST ‘Agricomb’ Measures Multiple Gas Emissions From … Cows

March 31, 2021

After the optical frequency comb made its debut as a ruler for light, spinoffs followed, including the astrocomb to measure starlight and a radar-like comb

New NIST Framework Strives for Cleaner, More Secure Power Grid

February 18, 2021

Whether it’s a new set of solar panels glistening on a neighbor’s roof or a freshly installed smart thermostat at home, burgeoning renewable and smart

New Timeline of Deadliest California Wildfire Could Guide Lifesaving Research and Action

February 8, 2021

On a brisk November morning in 2018, a fire sparked in a remote stretch of canyon in Butte County, California, a region nestled against the western slopes of

The New NIST Fire Calorimetry Database Is Available to Answer Your Burning Questions

January 7, 2021

This news article is reproduced from a blog post that originally appeared in the NIST TAKING MEASURE Just a Standard Blog on December 16 th, 2020. By: Matthew

Data Collection Instruments Published Using New NIST Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices Publication Series

November 16, 2020

The NIST Engineering Laboratory recently launched the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices publication series. This publication series is

Climate Measurements