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.

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 12:03
More Evidence That Baldrige Criteria Help Organizations Perform Better Once again, analysis shows that the Baldrige Criteria are worth the effort
Tue, 02/24/2015 - 13:03
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Several recent articles in national journals support the validity of the Baldrige approach across several sectors, including healthcare and manufacturing. First, “Understanding High-Reliability Organizations: Are…
2015 Baldrige Sponsorship Opportunities Are Available Benefits: prominent recognition at Quest conference, recognition on Baldrige website, and more
Thu, 01/22/2015 - 11:41
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Organizations and individuals are invited to help support the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program by becoming Baldrige sponsors. Sponsors support a range of products and services, including the 27th Annual Quest for…
Collaborative Project Gives Manufacturing Some New Digital Threads Standardized 3D models can reduce cycle time and errors while increasing part yields
Tue, 01/20/2015 - 11:21
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers and their industrial partners aim to add a new dimension to manufacturing capabilities. In a new project, they will demonstrate the feasibility—and benchmark the advantages—of using…
Summer STEM Opportunities at NIST Designed for middle-school science teachers and undergraduates
Thu, 01/08/2015 - 16:56
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- NIST is soliciting applications from eligible public school districts and accredited private educational institutions in the United States and its territories, nominating middle school science teachers to participate in…
NIST Shows You How to Build Your Own Watt Balance... With LEGO And that is just... AWESOME
Tue, 12/23/2014 - 15:20
On Dec. 10, 2014, the MIT Technology Review ran a story titled, “How to Measure Planck’s Constant Using Lego,” based on a paper by NIST researchers posted to Cornell University’s arXiv.org site. (“A LEGO Watt Balance: An Apparatus to Demonstrate…
Better Cargo Inspection Standards at Border Crossings NIST study provides feedback on two image-quality standards
Wed, 12/17/2014 - 15:00
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- As part of an interagency agreement between NIST and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), PML’s Radiation Physics Division recently completed a series of image quality measurements of a high-energy X-ray vehicle-…
Cyber Security: Your Mother Was Right Sharing is good, and NIST has some help on how
Thu, 11/20/2014 - 13:26
(NIST) -- Time is not your friend when your information systems are under cyber attack, but sharing threat information before, during, and after an attack with a trusted group of peers can help. Not only does it alert the other members of your…
Four U.S. Organizations Honored With 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Honorees include two Texas healthcare organizations
Mon, 11/17/2014 - 00:00
Penny Pritzker, the U.S. commerce secretary, has announced that four U.S. organizations are recipients of the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation,…
NIST Laser Comb System Remotely Maps 3D Surfaces Applications for manufacturing and forensics
Thu, 10/16/2014 - 15:27
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a laser-based imaging system that creates high-definition 3D maps of surfaces from as far away as 10.5 meters. The method may be useful in diverse fields,…
New NIST Research Center Helps the Auto Industry ‘Lighten Up’ Managing by the gram
Mon, 09/15/2014 - 16:21
At the new NIST Center for Automotive Lightweighting (NCAL), workloads are fraught with stress and strain—all to help the auto industry take a heavy load off future cars and light trucks. To meet proposed federal fuel-efficiency standards—54.5…