Topics

View from inside a square tunnel looking out into a dark space. Near the end of the tunnel, two small devices are attached to the floor.

Safer Flight Takeoff and Landing

Just about every airspeed sensor in the United States can trace its calibration back to a wind tunnel at NIST.

Protection From Fire Risks

NIST’s fire research has played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives annually.

Improved Cybersecurity

NIST released the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 in 2024 to help organizations of all sizes and sectors manage and reduce their cybersecurity risks.

A researcher peers around the edge of large cylindrical piece of equipment in the lab.

Trust in Insulation Claims

NIST helps develop next-generation insulation materials so that new buildings can be designed to reduce energy usage and consumer costs.

A photo of NIST researcher John Sieber in his lab.

Innovation in Building Materials

NIST is helping industry improve concrete durability while reducing its cost and environmental impact.

Quality Satellite Imagery

NIST's calibrations enable space innovation and help U.S. companies lead in the “commercial space race.”

Better Cement and Mortar

NIST provides concrete standard reference materials that the industry uses to calibrate devices that measure how concrete flows.

Andrew Novick poses leaning on a rack of servers and other electrical equipment.

Precision Time for All — Internet Version

NIST provides official U.S. time over the internet so that users and customers can have a traceable, unbiased reference.

Precision Time for All — Broadcast Version

For more than a century, NIST radio stations have made the precise time available for free to everyone in the United States.

Alejandra Collopy wears safety glasses as she works the lab. She is surrounded by various pieces of equipment and many hanging wires.

Fair Stock Trades

U.S. stock markets are required to synchronize to NIST time.

Highly Accurate Measurements for Manufacturing at the Smallest Scale

NIST provides precision measurement of length for high-value manufacturing industries and scientific research institutions.

A woman in a lab coat adjusts a piece of scientific equipment

Safe Mammography Doses

NIST’s calibration laboratory for mammographic X-rays helps to ensure that patients receive the appropriate X-ray exposures, which means fewer repeat tests and lower radiation doses.

Nuclear Security

NIST ensures that radiation detectors and sensors are working as intended and that their capabilities are understood.

A worker in a white coverall with a yellow apron leans over a counter, using a small instrument on a flat blue material.

Access to Nanofabrication Technology

The NIST NanoFab provides researchers from industry, academia and other government labs with rapid access to state-of-the-art nanotechnology fabrication and measurement tools.

Next-Generation MRIs

NIST's imaging "phantoms" support the quantitative analyses of images from MRIs.

Reliable Vaccine Storage

NIST's study of temperature control for vaccine storage and transport led to a significant reduction in vaccine waste.

Quality Large-Scale Manufacturing

Every laser tracker worldwide is bought, sold and warranted using well-understood specifications, thanks to NIST-led documentary standard development in collaboration with industry experts.

Photo of Produce Scale in Grocery Store with blurred image of two women in background

Fair Food Pricing

NIST helps protect consumers and businesses and ensures fair trading for grocery stores, restaurants and customers.

Emerson Processing, Mass Flow Meter in Pipeline

Accurate Natural Gas Flow Measurements

NIST’s role in natural gas flow measurements promotes fairness and transparency by calibrating flow meters at “best in the world” accuracy.

Fair Fuel Transactions

NIST supports state weights-and-measures officials by providing accurate and traceable measurements of the volume of liquid containers, ranging in size from one gallon to 500 gallons.