George Uriano to Retire as Chief of Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program

Officials of the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology today announced that George Uriano, director of the NIST Advanced Technology Program, will retire from government service early next year.

Uriano is credited with playing the key role in creating and shaping the ATP, which is defining a new role for the federal government in supporting civilian technology for economic growth. He brought a relatively rare blend of scientific, administrative, and business expertise to the post. A 32-year veteran of NIST (formerly the National Bureau of Standards), Uriano is by training a physicist specializing in solid-state phenomena and is an internationally recognized expert in metrology and the development and use of standards. He has pursued basic research on magnetic properties of metals and alloys, planned and managed research programs in materials science and chemistry, and directed the widely used NIST services for scientific instrument calibrations and measurement support prior to taking on the job of establishing the ATP.

Uriano also has been certified as a Registered Representative of the New York Stock Exchange and the National Association of Security Dealers, and has been certified as a commodities solicitor by the Chicago Board of Trade, unusual credentials for a government scientist.

In announcing Uriano's planned retirement in February 1995 NIST Director Arati Prabhakar said, "The ATP's reputation as a smoothly run, tightly managed program is due in no small measure to George Uriano's leadership, his unwavering insistence on establishing a rigorous, unbiased selection process, and his willingness not only to listen to industry's views but to use those views in directing the program. We intend to make good use of the next few months in searching long and hard for a suitable replacement to build on the excellent foundation Mr. Uriano has laid."

Prior to taking on the job as director of the ATP, Uriano served as scientific assistant and adviser to the director of the NBS Institute for Materials Research, became chief of the Office of Standard Reference Materials, director of Measurement Services, and finally NBS deputy associate director for Industry and Standards.

His awards and honors include the Department of Commerce Silver Medal; the Meritorious Senior Executive Award from President Reagan; the Distinguished Senior Executive Award from President Bush; and the Edward Bennett Rosa Award, given by NIST for the development of significant standards of practice in scientific measurement.

The Advanced Technology Program invests in U.S. economic growth by supporting the development of innovative new technologies with strong commercial potential. The ATP provides cost-shared funding to private industry to help develop high-risk technologies that, if successful, could form the basis for new and improved products, manufacturing processes and services. Under Uriano's direction, the program grew from a budget of $10 million in 1990 to $431 million for fiscal year 1995.

As a non-regulatory agency of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, NIST promotes U.S. economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards.