2017 Bronze Medal Award

The group is recognized for developing a robust and precise calibration method, accompanied by a novel verification method, for detectors that monitor chemical-warfare agents in the field. The new calibration method eliminates the need for gas-bottle standards, which are impractical for highly reactive agents; produces results with an eight-fold reduction in uncertainty; plus is insensitive to chemical degradation in the test environment. The NIST-developed method for field verification, adopted by the U.S. Army, uses low-cost ampoules filled with a test analyte to give rapid indications of detector performance. Use of this field verification method eliminates the need to establish and maintain a $2.5M US Army calibration facility.