National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Wildfire evacuations are challenging. Emergency responders may have less than an hour’s notice to get everyone to safety. NIST has put together an ESCAPE playbook for how to prepare in advance for wildfire evacuations and sheltering based on more than 20 years of wildfire research. We have interviewed first responders and survivors of some of the deadliest recent wildfires and found what worked and didn’t work.  We believe that these procedures will save lives if they are used.  To make ESCAPE as accessible as possible, we’ve put together a free interactive online course. If you work in emergency planning or wildfire management, this is a great way to learn the cutting edge of research on wildfire evacuations. Learn more: https://escape.nist.gov/ #Wildfire #Evacuation #PublicSafety #Emergency #Planning

This issue celebrates the launch of the NIST-F4 atomic clock — one of the world’s most precise timekeepers of its type. Based on the cesium atom, NIST-F4 will help make global timekeeping even more accurate, which is important for GPS, financial transactions, data networks and so many other applications. You can check out our news article about the F4, read a profile of our atomic clock architects who brought the clock back to life, watch a video detailing how the clock works, and check out a YouTube short about how scientists measure a second. For a deep dive into atomic clocks, check out our recently launched website on the topic. #Newsletter #AtomicClock #GPS #Time

Going to the doctor for your annual physical? An important part of the checkup is getting your blood drawn so your doctor can examine various health indicators, including cholesterol, red blood cell count, and glucose.      Glucose is a sugar molecule and is the main energy source for your body’s cells. Glucose levels that are too high or too low can have detrimental effects on the body. So, it’s essential that medical professionals can accurately measure glucose levels in your blood.       A NIST standard reference material (SRM) called Glucose in Frozen Human Serum helps ensure that glucose measurement methods are accurate and precise.     The material can be used by:   🧪 Hospital labs   🧪 Manufacturers of devices used to measure glucose in blood   🧪 Researchers/scientists #Glucose #Health #Medicine

It seems like every week, researchers announce a breakthrough in quantum devices or quantum information. But quantum tech is not new, and NIST played a big role in jumpstarting the quantum field in the 1990s. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/enkAEdWU #IYQ2025 #Quantum #Research

Hush! Take a step into one of the best laboratories in the world for minimizing mechanical vibrations and electromagnetic fields. The lab is a controlled environment deep underground, in which our researchers make 3D nanoscale measurements using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study the small things, such as the fine features of semiconductor chips or nanoparticles. The SEM is housed inside a cleanroom space, which allows us to avoid contamination of our samples by the environment. The instrument itself sits on a five-ton concrete slab, floating on air, isolated from the floor in the rest of the building to stabilize itself and minimize vibrations. Foam on the walls also mitigates sound from neighboring laboratories. But why does everything need to be so silent and still? The laser-based measurements are so sensitive that they can be affected by a person talking across the room (and you could actually pinpoint what was said and where in the room that person was). This laboratory is special because we are pushing SEM technology to its physical limits to improve image and measurement quality as much as possible—less noise, less grain, less blur, and more atomic-scale data. #Cleanroom #ScanningElectronMicroscope #Imaging #Nanoscience

NIST researchers and their colleagues have demonstrated a method to distinguish century-old coins from fakes by imaging antique coins with beams of low-energy neutrons. Authenticating coins is critical because scientists rely on them to chronicle the economic, political, and scientific developments of nations.     The team employed two complementary imaging techniques. One of the methods, known as neutron tomography, uses a beam of neutrons to take a series of two-dimensional images of an object from different perspectives as the object rotates. Just as in an X-ray CT scan, these two-dimensional snapshots are combined to reveal the three-dimensional structure of the coins.     The other method, known as neutron grating interferometry, records neutrons scattered at small angles and homes in on microstructures, such as pitting and pores within the coins, that are signs of corrosion.    In the authentic coin, the researchers found that corrosion had penetrated deep within the body, indicating that the degradation was a gradual process that occurred over many decades. In contrast, corrosion in the recently minted replica was mainly confined to the surface, consistent with rapid corrosion over a short time period.      Neutron imaging methods can also assist conservation efforts by determining the amount and locations of corrosion in authentic coins, suggesting areas of the coins that need a protective coating, for example. #Neutrons #Corrosion #Imaging #Authentication

Most people jetting around the globe in foul weather or overnight have no idea that NIST is behind their safe landing. In the 1930s, NIST researchers developed the blind landing system, a radio beacon scheme that marked a landing path for airplanes traveling in limited-to-no visibility situations.  Almost a century later, we’re still working to support air travel by calibrating the special scales that measure the thrust of rockets and jet engines.  Fly over to our latest Taking Measure blog post to learn more about NIST’s role in transportation history: https://lnkd.in/gbUYjbxt #Transportation 

New data on the Moon’s brightness will help Earth-observing satellites get reliable measurements of our planet’s surface, helping industries from agriculture to meteorology to mining. The new data represents a tenfold improvement over the data that satellite sensor engineers used previously. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e-D3TdXR  #Satellite #Space #Sensors #Moon

On this World Metrology Day, we have something extra special to celebrate it’s the 150th anniversary of the Meter Convention! On May 20, 1875, the United States and 16 other countries agreed on international definitions for the unit of length (the meter) and the unit of mass (the kilogram). These first common measurement units for international trade and science later evolved into the International System of Units, or the SI, which includes agreed-upon definitions for other units such as the second, mole and ampere. The SI has continued to evolve, as recently as May 2019. That’s when the scientific community officially updated the definitions of the basic SI units so they were no longer tied to physical objects, but to universal constants of nature, furthering the dream of making our worldwide measurement system “for all times, for all people.” The Meter Convention also established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in France, where a prototype kilogram and meter bar were stored. BIPM, which is also celebrating its birthday today, continues to serve as the international organization where NIST and other national measurement institutes work together to advance measurement science. And exciting advances are on the horizon. BIPM is considering proposals to redefine the second around 2030, in a way that would enable even more precise timekeeping, facilitate new scientific discoveries, and improve technologies such as GPS. A century and a half after the Meter Convention, we celebrate how far humanity has come with measurement science and what the future may bring. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e9aBfR7D #History #MetrologyDay #Metric

When physicist Vladislav “Vladi” Gerginov arrived at NIST in early 2020, he was handed a daunting task: Restore NIST’s cesium fountain clock to operation as a primary frequency standard.      Over five years, Vladi and his colleagues rebuilt, refined and thoroughly tested NIST-F4, NIST’s newest fountain clock, so it can once again contribute to international timekeeping. It wasn’t easy. “I would describe NIST-F4 as stubborn,” Vladi said. Compared to other clocks he’s worked on, “it gave me a lot more headaches.”      As Liz Donley, director of the NIST Time and Frequency Division, puts it: “It takes a special person with a lot of grit to not give up.”     Learn how Vladi and the NIST team have restored American leadership in primary frequency standards.    https://lnkd.in/eNf5FMwt #Time #AtomicClock #Innovation #Clocks #Career