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NIST in Louisiana
$5.6M
in recent and planned financial awards from NIST to organizations in the state of Louisiana since 2022
NIST Supports Key Sectors in Louisiana
Aerospace, aviation, and defense
- NIST supports Louisiana’s $9.6 billion defense sector with funding for semiconductor research and workforce development. In FY 2023, NIST awarded Tulane University with $2 million for the purchase of advanced semiconductor research equipment. In FY 2024, NIST provided a $3.5 million grant to Louisiana Tech University for semiconductor technology and training.
- Louisiana manufacturers rely on NIST reference materials for metals, gases, fuels, cements and more to ensure small engineering tolerances and the highest quality control for parts where failure would cause catastrophic losses.
- NIST standards, calibrations and other services ensure accuracy in measurements of altitude and airspeed, and in remote sensing via satellites. The atomic clocks used by global positioning systems and telecommunications networks rely on precision timekeeping disseminated by NIST, starting with the NIST primary standard atomic clock.
- NIST supports deployment of the next generation of wireless communications, including providing world-class test beds for characterizing antennas for space applications. This research helps the industry make smaller antennas for smaller, less expensive satellites.
Chemicals and energy
- Each year, NIST’s measurement standards help to validate the volume of liquid fuel in billions of dollars’ worth of transactions. Our calibrations of industrial natural gas flow meters ensure fair and transparent sales of millions of dollars’ worth of product. Trillions of dollars of commerce in the energy, aerospace, chemical, automotive and aerospace sectors are traceable back to NIST calibrations of gas flow meters.
- NIST reference materials and calibrations help manufacturers check the purity or composition of gases and other raw materials and comply with environmental regulations.
- The NIST Mass Spectrometry Data Center produces data libraries that speed chemical identification and quality control for the chemical manufacturing sector and many other industry sectors. This data is so widely trusted that it is packaged with nearly every mass spectrometer sold.
- The NIST ThermoData Engine is used by chemical companies around the world. It provides thermophysical properties for industrially important fluids and fluid mixtures so that chemical plants can optimize production processes through computer modeling, without running expensive full-size experiments.
Public safety, health and resilience
- NIST provides near real-time identification of illicit street drugs submitted by state partners, including Louisiana, and has now expanded this program into 15 states. Reports on trends in detected drugs along with never-before-seen substances are released to the public monthly.
Food and agriculture
- From FY 2020 to 2024, Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEP of LA), part of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, received nearly $8 million in federal funds, with $5 million matched in nonfederal funds, to provide Louisiana manufacturers with best-practice solutions to improve their competitiveness.
MEP LA helped Guidry’s Catfish, in Breaux Bridge, expand its operations by helping with a feasibility study and sales predictions. These were instrumental in Guidry’s applications for tax credits and a Department of Agriculture grant. The grant for nearly $7 million helped Guidry’s increase production lines and hire more employees, resulting in $25 million in new or retained sales.
MEP Success Stories
News & Updates
Learn how NIST improves the lives of all Americans by conducting research and fostering collaborations that make possible everything from reliable vaccine storage and fair fuel transactions to next-generation MRIs and fair stock trades. Check out NIST Works for You.
