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
New Method Measures Movements of Tiny Devices Every step accounted for, with surprising results
Wed, 10/17/2012 - 12:06
Here’s a question for makers of minuscule moving machines—the kind being eyed for nanomanufacturing and assembly as well as other uses: Do you know where your micro- and nanorobots really are? Care to bet? A team of researchers at the National…
New Reference Material Helps Get Lead Out of Paints for Children’s Products SRM 2569 can be used to check lead levels against industry regulations
Wed, 10/17/2012 - 11:16
To help manufacturers adhere to new regulations intended to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed standard test samples of lead paint films of the sort…
Home Sweet Lab NIST has prototyped a computerized house that generates as much energy as it uses
Fri, 09/14/2012 - 13:56
During a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled a new laboratory designed to demonstrate that a typical suburban home for a family of four can generate as much…
NIST ‘Hybrid Metrology’ Method Could Improve Computer Chips Scientists have devised a precise, less expensive method of measuring what sits on a chip
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 14:20
A refined method developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for measuring nanometer-sized objects may help computer manufacturers more effectively size up the myriad tiny switches packed onto chips’ surfaces. The method,…
New Measurement Capabilities Advance Fire Prevention NIST strategic road map aims to reduce U.S. fire burden by one-third
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 12:19
The United States already has one of the highest direct fire loss rates among developed nations, and progress in reducing this tremendous burden is slowing. Fires claim more than 3,000 lives a year, injure more than 90,000 firefighters and…
PML Goes to Mars: Far-Out Thermal Calibration Sensors help turn radioactive plutonium into power
Tue, 09/11/2012 - 12:27
Sometimes the chain of measurement traceability—the unbroken series of links between a calibrated instrument and the official NIST standard—can get pretty long. But 250 million kilometers is remarkable, even for the National Institute of Standards…
Excellence by the Dozen Twelve organizations vie for 2012 Baldrige Award
Wed, 09/05/2012 - 11:37
Twelve U.S. organizations have reached the next step on the road to possibly achieving a silver anniversary Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest recognition for organizational performance excellence.…
NIST Announces 12 Small Business Innovation Research Awards Competitive funding program encourages companies to commercialize new technologies
Tue, 09/04/2012 - 12:47
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced nearly $2 million in Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards to 12 U.S. businesses. These awards provide funding to help companies develop…
Baldrige Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary Honoring its past while building an even better future
Tue, 08/21/2012 - 11:32
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program is building an even better future as a national steward of validated management practices; even better operations, systems, and processes for the thousands of organizations that…
Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium to Demo New Standard Nearing completion, the QIF standard will reduce information processing costs and quality losses
Thu, 08/16/2012 - 16:14
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- At the September 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, the Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) and eight software vendors will demonstrate standards-based workflow of…