National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Recycling is expensive. Governments need to buy trucks, maintain facilities and hire people to collect and sort our recyclable items.      It can be cheaper to just put everything in a landfill, but that won’t get us closer to a circular economy – in which we reuse and recycle items indefinitely.      A NIST researcher is using AI and machine learning to develop a technique that can help identify plastics quickly and easily. So how can that reduce the cost of recycling?     One of the most expensive aspects of recycling is sorting and separating. Most manufacturers want recycled plastic that is almost as good as brand-new plastic, but that requires careful sorting by the recyclers to provide a consistent product. Recycling technology can make that more efficient by helping local governments sell more plastic back to manufacturers.     Ahead of World Metrology Day, learn more about this research in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/e5A8GhFv     #WorldMetrologyDay #Recycling #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Plastics 

Did you know that the visible light you see is made up of different frequencies that can be measured? Scientists can use specialized lasers, called optical frequency combs, that measure these frequencies very precisely.    Frequency comb technology is used in a variety of areas, from astronomy to atmospheric science. Researchers can identify specific atoms and molecules based upon the frequencies of light they absorb.    Frequency combs can be used to quickly study the quantity, structure and dynamics of molecules and atoms, which can be useful in studying air pollution and greenhouse gases.     Learn more about other uses of this technology: https://lnkd.in/eu9bTQg #LightDay2024 #Physics #Environment #Light

NIST’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has awarded $1.2 million to 12 R&D projects in cybersecurity, quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing and other critical technologies. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eag_pGqg 📸: Shutterstock #Manufacturing #Electronics #Semiconductors #Cybersecurity #Health

Contractors and other organizations that do business with the federal government now have clearer, more straightforward guidance for protecting the sensitive data they handle.  These organizations are required to follow NIST guidelines for safeguarding controlled unclassified information, such as intellectual property and employee health information. Systems that use this information often support government programs involving critical assets, such as weapons systems and communications systems, which are potential targets for adversaries.  NIST has updated these guidelines for consistency and ease of use. Check out the new versions: https://lnkd.in/emWRRggX 📸: Shutterstock/ACTS DATA STOCK #InformationTechnology #Cybersecurity #ComputerSecurity #RiskManagement

NIST researcher Sierra Miller grew up in a low-income, coal-mining town in Pennsylvania that offered limited career opportunities. Today, she’s working on cutting-edge medical research at NIST, but her journey here was not an easy one.  She loved animals, computers and being in nature, so Sierra started exploring zoology and physics as possible majors. But an opportunity to work in a biology lab — studying squid — got Sierra hooked on bioinformatics, a field that uses data to interpret information in biology and medical research. After seven years of working full-time at a car dealership and attending school part-time, Sierra earned her degree in molecular biology and biotechnology in 2019. She began working at NIST shortly after.  Today, Sierra’s expertise in data helps researchers working on genome editing — a type of technology that modifies DNA to help treat genetic conditions. This research generates reams of data, and Sierra creates control datasets to help researchers know they’re on the right track.  Sierra’s advice for others who may face similar struggles starting out in a science career? Take advantage of opportunities as they come, and build relationships. A professor offering her the opportunity to work with squid in her lab introduced her to a career field she now loves and thrives in. #Bioinformatics #Genomics #DNA #CareerAdvice  

For cities looking to reduce their climate impact, tracking their greenhouse gas emissions helps gauge their progress. One way to do that is to use accurate data and analysis to measure the emissions of these gases.    NIST is helping in these efforts by developing a low-cost sensor platform. It’s made up of three commercially available sensors, compact integrated circuit boards and a single-board computer, which acts as the brains of the device.    The sensors – originally designed for monitoring indoor air quality – measure concentrations of carbon dioxide. These measurements can then be used for numerical models to estimate what a city emits.    NIST researcher Tyler Boyle aims to reduce the uncertainty of these measurements compared to traditional methods and then deploy many of these units around the Baltimore-Washington area once they’re ready. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g6E9MyN2   #AQAW2024 #AirQuality #Environment #Sensors #Measurement

Congratulations to Jeffrey A. Sherman for being awarded the 2023 Arthur S. Flemming Award! Winners of the award are recognized for their outstanding service in a variety of fields. Sherman is recognized for his leadership and management over the atomic clock ensemble, which serves as the U.S.’s source of official time. The need for accurate time synchronization will become important for critical infrastructure systems such as the power grid and positioning/timing systems complementing the GPS constellation, supporting telecommunications and emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles. Sherman is leading the way with his group to meet these time synchronization requirements by providing high reliability signals with the smallest possible timing uncertainties. Learn more about the award and his accomplishments: https://lnkd.in/geyQ5WKU #Leadership #Management #Time

More than 1,2000 tornadoes touch down in the U.S. every year – causing dozens of deaths. Until recently, structural engineers thought tornadoes were simply too intense to design buildings to withstand them.     But that’s changed – thanks in part to the work of two NIST engineers who’ve been studying tornadoes’ impact on buildings for decades.   Now, international building codes are being updated to reflect this research and help us create safer buildings.     Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/gkpke8kU #Buildings #Construction #Infrastructure #Standards #Environment

The new era of feces-based medicine is fast approaching, if not already here. Fecal transplants are now routinely administered to people with a hospital-borne infection. The FDA recently approved two drugs derived from highly processed human stool samples. Human feces contain a sampling of microorganisms found in the gut microbiome. Researchers hope to use these microorganisms as treatments to restore the gut microbiome to full health. It may be possible to treat everything from inflammatory bowel disease to cancer. NIST will soon release a reference material or RM that aims to become the “gold standard” in human gut microbiome research and drug development. The RM is the most detailed and comprehensive microbiological and biochemical breakdowns ever produced for human feces. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/efKbaUaM #Microbiome #Health #Standards #Biomaterials #GutHealth

Congrats to Kate Beers who has been appointed NIST’s new director of the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML)! Beers joined NIST in 2000 and previously served as manager of the Circular Economy Program, which focuses on standards and technologies needed to support a more sustainable economy. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gPzHHRCS #Measurement #Materials #CircularEconomy