National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Over 100 direct air capture (DAC) facilities designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are in various stages of development worldwide. They’re meant to play a critical role in the fight against global warming. The first DAC plant opened in the U.S. last fall in Northern California. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is funding four more regional DAC hubs with billions of dollars in seed money. Now NIST has developed a high-precision test method for benchmarking the performance of the materials, called sorbents, used in DAC plants to trap and remove carbon from the air. The agency is also developing an early-stage reference material using sorbents to aid the DAC research and development process. Learn more in our news story: https://lnkd.in/dn8PehcB #Environment #Climate #Manufacturing #Sustainability #Standards

Congrats to our NIST researchers Angela Hight Walker and Jonathon Phillips for being elected 2023 AAAS Fellows! Angela was elected for her work in advancing the physics of quantum-confined materials through innovations in Raman spectroscopy and for her distinguished leadership at NIST. Jonathon was elected for his contributions to the field of computer vision and pattern recognition, in particular the areas of face recognition, biometrics and competitions. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gUd2_fhY #Physics #InformationTechnology #Quantum #Biometrics #AAASFellow

In the digital age we live in, there are different ways of enabling security on our devices. One increasingly common approach is through biometrics – like when you use your fingerprint or face ID to log into your smartphone.    But sometimes, these systems fail and the wrong person is granted access or the right person is denied access. These are called false positives and false negatives. Check out this video to learn more about why it’s important to reduce these inaccuracies.   #Biometrics #Cybersecurity #Security #InformationTechnology

When NIST researchers took a closer look at the pulse tube refrigerator – commonly used in both research and industry and capable of achieving temperatures as cold as the vacuum of outer space – they found that manufacturers had built the device to be energy efficient only at its final operating temperature of 4 kelvin (K). The team found that the efficiency of the refrigerator could be greatly improved if they continually adjusted a series of valves that control the amount of helium gas flowing from the compressor to the refrigerator. This modification reduces the time and energy required to chill materials to temperatures near absolute zero and will benefit quantum computing, astronomy, superconductors and much more. Check out the news story to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eRM6z65h #Quantum #Energy #Physics #Standards #Materials

When you picture a thermometer, you may imagine having your temperature checked at the doctor’s office. But did you know there are photonic thermometers, which measure temperature using light?    NIST researchers designed a way to combine these photonic thermometers – which are faster and smaller than traditional thermometers – using a dual frequency comb system. The latter has been used for measuring small amounts of greenhouse gases.     This combined system allows researchers to test these photonic thermometers, or sensors, 10 to 1,000 times faster than current methods. This feat brings this type of technology a step closer to commercialization.     Because these sensors measure data like strain and humidity, they can be embedded into the building materials, like concrete, as a building or bridge is built. As the concrete sets, the sensors measure these properties about the structure, giving engineers important information about how the structure formed.     This could ultimately help with predicting how these structures will fare over time. Learn more about this technique: https://lnkd.in/gTEJqR4U   #Physics #Photonics #Sensors #BuildingMaterials #Measurement 

Keep your eye on the prize! Check out our latest roundup of position openings at NIST:    Electronics Engineer: https://lnkd.in/erYb7tCA Supervisory IT Specialist: https://lnkd.in/eby6hqRm Biological Science Technician: https://lnkd.in/eb9HHSUX Social Scientist: https://lnkd.in/eWhPeHtj  Physicist: https://lnkd.in/ePcKGC_3   Browse our full listing of current openings at NIST: https://lnkd.in/d6KBevq    #NISTjob #JobOpening #JobOpportunities 

21 years at the U.S. Army Watertown Arsenal, 19 years as a full-time NIST employee, and he’s still going! George Quinn, NIST guest researcher and expert in fractography, has a resume that speaks for itself.     With a robust career under his belt, George has a little advice for young researchers following in his footsteps:    FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY    George’s professional career started with a cooperative education job in the Army Research Lab’s ceramics division, where he worked on five unique projects and exposed himself to the different facets of the field.    According to George, that exposure can both round you out as a researcher and provide direction for what interests you. From there, let your curiosity take the lead and pick up skills along the way!    Curious about what George is up to? Check out his recent collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass to study fracture resistance in ancient Roman glass: https://lnkd.in/dUwnf9h   #CareerTips #Researcher #ProfessionalDevelopment U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

New rules limit the concentration of certain forever chemicals in drinking water to a few drops in an Olympic-size swimming pool. But how do you measure so little of something? To accurately detect forever chemicals — also known as PFAS — in water, food and other materials, chemists have had to get creative. They’ve developed a one-two punch of powerful chemistry techniques to separate, identify and weigh these compounds. Check out our website to learn more about how scientists measure these tricky chemicals: https://lnkd.in/gieTZhdK #Chemistry #AnalyticalChemistry #Environment #Health #PFAS

If we want to address microplastics, we need to understand them and measure them properly.     NIST researcher and University of Maryland student George Caceres is working to develop instruments that can help measure the tiniest of microplastics. How small? How about a fraction of the width of a single human hair?    His research is in the early stages, but understanding plastic pollution is critical to protecting the planet and human health. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/dE-NYS2H    #EarthDay #Microplastics #Plastics #Chemistry #AnalyticalChemistry 

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the expansion of the executive leadership team that leads the NIST-administrated U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI). Meet the new team members: ▪️ Head of AI Safety Paul Christiano will design and conduct tests of frontier AI models, specifically focusing on model evaluations for capabilities of national security concern. ▪️ Acting Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff Mara Quintero Campbell will lead staff and decision-making coordination, execution and oversight of the AISI operations and activities. ▪️ Chief Vision Officer Adam Russel will implement the vision and strategy for the AISI and communicate that vision externally. ▪️ Senior Advisor Rob Reich will advise the AISI and ensure that AISI efforts reflect feedback and input from a diversity of stakeholders. ▪️ Head of International Engagement Mark Latonero will lead AISI’s international collaboration to achieve globally aligned approaches to guidance, testing and standards development. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eWW8a2ps #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Leadership #Safety