NIST

An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce

Founded in 1901, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a nonregulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. With headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland, NIST’s mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

Tue, 03/24/2015 - 10:31
A Turning Point for Humanity Redefining the world’s measurement system
Tue, 06/05/2018 - 12:03
I n November 2018, in Versailles, France, representatives from 57 countries are expected to make history. They will vote to dramatically transform the international system that underpins global science and trade. This single action will finally…
Silicon ‘Lenses’ Enable Neutron Beams to See Details Inside ObjectsScanning technique could reveal details from 1 nanometer up to 10 micrometers
Wed, 04/18/2018 - 12:01
You can’t see well without lenses that can focus, whether those lenses are in your eye or the microscope you peer through. An innovative way to focus beams of neutrons might allow scientists to probe the interiors of opaque objects at a size range…
NIST’s ‘Charpy’ Test: A Precise Impact on Industrial Materials Decades-old impact test about to be significantly improved
Tue, 04/10/2018 - 12:01
A decade before an iceberg shattered the hull plates of the Titanic and half a century before a plague of brittle fractures started sinking Liberty ships during World War II, scientists in the United States and France had devised a novel, and…
Join Baldrige Award Winners at the 2018 Quest for Excellence ConferenceApril 8–11, 2018, in Baltimore
Tue, 03/27/2018 - 12:00
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- If your organization is striving to achieve breakthrough performance and results, the recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will soon be sharing their role-model best practices at the 30th Anniversary…
Putting Statistics Into Forensic Firearms Identification How good a match is it?
Mon, 02/26/2018 - 12:01
On February 14, 1929, gunmen working for Al Capone disguised themselves as police officers, entered the warehouse of a competing gang, and shot seven of their rivals dead. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is famous not only in the annals of…
Microwave-Based Test Method Helps Inspect 3D Chip DesignsGives chip designers better way to minimize the effects of ‘electromigration’
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:01
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have invented a new approach to testing multilayered, 3D computer chips that are now appearing in some of the latest consumer devices. The method may be the answer the…
Baldrige Examiner Application Process Is Now OpenWork with and learn from some of the nation’s best people and organizations
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 12:00
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- This is an exciting time of the year for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, as we welcome our newest Baldrige Award recipients to the Baldrige family of role model organizations. We celebrate our award…
Tucking Into NIST’s 3D Printer TestbedResearchers are studying additive manufacturing to give industry users tools to better control the process
Tue, 06/27/2017 - 12:01
Printing 3D metal objects is a booming industry, with the market for products and services worth more than an estimated $2.3 billion in 2015—a nearly fivefold growth since 2010. For this type of manufacturing, a metal part is built up successively…
NIST 3D Laser Scanner Standard Expected SoonLeading scanner manufacturers involved in development of draft standard
Mon, 06/26/2017 - 13:33
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- It’s no surprise that tiny precision objects, such as the parts inside your smartphone, must be measured with laser technology in order to fit together and work properly. But some of the largest structures people depend…
New Computer Modeling Could Improve Material Design Across AirframesVirtually stressing airplane wings
Thu, 06/01/2017 - 12:01
How do jumbo-jet designers develop resilient materials for modern airframes, while still bringing in their projects on time and on budget? Before they prototype a new material, they depend heavily on computer simulations to indicate how it will…