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
NIST Congratulates Colleague on Nobel Chemistry Prize Dan Shechtman’s research and persistence completely changed the thinking of scientists
Mon, 10/17/2011 - 12:25
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) colleagues of Dan Shechtman, Ph.D., joined others in the scientific community in congratulating him on winning the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Shechtman made his astonishing discovery of a…
Baldrige Book Helps Organizations Gain 20/20 Foresight Why read it? Because 20/20 hindsight is easy but 20/20 foresight is not.
Mon, 10/03/2011 - 11:56
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- While most of us would say that hindsight is 20/20, the folks at the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program believe just the opposite for organizations that want to survive and thrive now and for years to come. To…
Metric Week Begins Oct. 9, 2011 A reminder of the system’s importance in commerce and STEM careers
Mon, 10/03/2011 - 11:38
Counting the seconds until Metric Week (Oct. 9–15, 2011) begins? That’s the spirit! Seconds are the metric unit of time. You also could figure your distance in meters (the metric unit of length) from the National Institute of Standards and…
U.S., Europe Collaborating on Smart Grid Standards Development Plan is to ease renewable energy sources, electric vehicles into the power system
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:00
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the European Union's (EU) Smart Grid Coordination Group (SG-CG) jointly announced their intention to work together on smart grid…
Researchers Expand Capabilities of Miniature Analyzer for Complex Samples Microfluidic system, electrophoresis, and pressure-driven flow isolate components
Fri, 09/02/2011 - 10:44
It’s not often that someone can claim that going from a positive to a negative is a step forward, but that’s the case for a team of scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and private industry.

In a…
Survey of Baldrige Examiners Reveals Current Perceptions of Performance “Are We Making Progress?” helps focus on improvement and communication efforts
Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:49
Management and nonmanagement personnel across a broad cross-section of U.S. organizations see eye to eye on mission, customer focus, and commitment to success but differ significantly in their views on how to best measure quality of work and…
Quantifying Greenhouse Gases The measurement challenge
Wed, 08/17/2011 - 12:33
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The continuing increase in the level of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” in the Earth’s atmosphere has been identified as a cause for serious concern because it may radically accelerate changes in the Earth’…
DNA Strands That Select Nanotubes: A Step Toward Quantum Wires ‘Armchair’ carbon nanotubes could revolutionize electric power systems
Wed, 08/03/2011 - 14:03
DNA, a molecule famous for storing the genetic blueprints for all living things, can do other things as well. In a paper due to be published in the Journal of American Chemical Society, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and…
The Constants They Are A Changin’ NIST posts latest adjustments to fundamental figures
Mon, 07/25/2011 - 12:54
The electromagnetic force has gotten a little stronger, gravity a little weaker, and the size of the smallest “quantum” of energy is now known a little better. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has posted the latest…
Piece of Cake: Nanotubes May Help Measure Terahertz Lasers VANTA coating will help researchers develop reference standards for calibrating absolute power
Fri, 07/22/2011 - 10:43
Terahertz radiation can penetrate numerous materials—plastic, clothing, paper, and some biological tissues—making it an attractive candidate for applications such as concealed weapons detection, package inspection, and imaging skin tumors.…