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NIST@Night: Snapshots of NIST Science

Word "NIST" across the middle. Above the NIST: EST. 1901. In a circle around the NIST: CELEBRATING 125 YEARS

Have you ever …

Filled your car’s tank with gasoline?

Watched a true crime documentary with DNA evidence?

Used a smartphone as something other than a brick?

Provided a urine sample at a doctor’s office?

Brainstormed with generative AI?

Whether you realize it or not, NIST plays a role in your life. In this evening colloquium of lightning talks, a handful of researchers step up to the podium to share their science with presentations no longer than five minutes in duration. Find your NIST connection in this unconventional forum.

Note: These events are most appropriate for high school and above. 


Throughout the year, NIST will host lectures, tours, and special programs on our campus and partner with local organizations across the region. We encourage you to stay connected as we celebrate 125 years of service to the American public by visiting the dedicated NIST 125th anniversary webpage.

Weights and measures in the United States (so you get what you pay for)

Katrice Lippa, Chief, NIST Office of Weights and Measures

The continually evolving role of DNA forensics

John Butler, NIST Fellow & Special Assistant to the Director for Forensic Science

Semiconductor electronics in the quantum era

Joshua Pomeroy, Experimental Physicist

Cryptography in a world of quantum computers

Carl Miller, Mathematician & Fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information Computer Science (QuICS)

Standards for biotechnology in an age of artificial intelligence

David Ross, Lead Scientist for the NIST Living Measurement Systems Foundry

Building communities resilient to potential disasters

Jennifer Helgeson, Acting Group Leader for the NIST Community Resilience Group & Associate Program Manager for the Risk Reduction and Recovery Program

Improving accuracy for kidney disease diagnostics

Ashley Beasley Green, Bioanalytical Chemist

Enabling industry to harness the power of artificial intelligence

Craig Schlenoff, Chief of the NIST AI Research, Measurement, and Standards Division & Senior Advisor for AI in the NIST Information Technology Laboratory

Accurate measurements of time

John Kitching, NIST Fellow & Acting Division Chief for the NIST Time and Frequency Division

Created March 2, 2026, Updated September 11, 2026
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