National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

If doctors want to see inside human muscle, they must remove a sample during a procedure called a biopsy.?? ? However, by using a technique a NIST researcher is developing, it’s possible that in the future, a doctor could use specialized lasers called frequency combs to look deep inside your muscles without cutting.?? ? This could benefit research on conditions such as strokes or muscular dystrophy. The same technique could help surgeons someday illuminate muscles (similar to X-rays) and immediately know which parts of the muscle are healthy and which are not.? ? We shine a light on this exciting science in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/eKXjs9y2

This summer, a NIST intern researched the role that human error, such as weak passwords, plays in cyberattacks. His work may help organizations better protect their networks.??? ? If this kind of work sounds interesting and you’re an undergraduate student, apply to join us as a NIST intern next summer. The deadline is Jan. 31.?? ? Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gRztBVzp? ? #Intern #Internship #SummerInternship #Undergraduate

Congratulations to Melissa Midzor, who has been named the new director of NIST’s Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL).? ? Melissa has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives such as the National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network and the Advanced Wireless Test Platform.? ? Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gUVENixB ? #Wireless #PublicSafety?

Is your heart in the right place? Check out our latest roundup of position openings at NIST: Director of Legislative Affairs: https://lnkd.in/em8yyWNd Biological Science Technician: https://lnkd.in/evk_T_z5 Maintenance Mechanic: https://lnkd.in/e_YUc4cD IT Specialist (AI): https://lnkd.in/eD7UKpYN Electronics Engineer: https://lnkd.in/e_VkBrFP? ? Browse our full listing of current openings at NIST: https://lnkd.in/d6KBevq? ? #NISTjob #JobOpening #JobOpportunities?

Lithium batteries are everywhere, from smartphones and laptops to e-bikes and electric cars. They’re so widely used because they pack a lot of energy into a small space. But, under the right conditions, a lithium battery can get as hot as a blowtorch in about a second. That speed makes them difficult to detect in time with ordinary smoke alarms. Researchers at NIST have come up with a concept for a new fire detector designed specifically for battery explosions. About a minute before a battery is about to explode, built-up gases escape and make a small noise. Using machine learning, the NIST team developed a program that can identify that sound with 94% accuracy.? ? Take our quiz and see if you can detect the tell-tale sound better that the AI: https://lnkd.in/eJQ_Yycm? ? #Fire #LithiumBattery #MachineLearning?

Recycling is a valuable final step in a cyclical process by which materials can be manufactured into products, used, reused, and recycled. We call it the circular economy, as opposed to the linear, throwaway model of the past.? ? NIST has a program committed to the circular economy, which includes materials science research into plastics, textiles, e-waste, batteries, alloys, and food waste: https://lnkd.in/eHPRDVzr ? In a recent workshop report, the team identifies standards needs specifically for textiles (which can include everything from clothing to bedding and shoes). This involves extending the life of garments and then recycling their material components at the products’ end of life. ? Read the full technical report: https://lnkd.in/en9prMTh? ? P.S. There are other pathways beyond recycling to circularity! Consider reuse and repair as options, too.? ? #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Recycling #NationalRecyclingDay?

Transistors, chips and fabs, oh my! It takes a bit of reading to decipher the language of the semiconductor industry. Bookmark our little glossary: https://lnkd.in/g44DnuSu ? #Semiconductor #Manufacturing #Electronics

Manufacturing is critical to our way of life. Without it, we would not have the supplies, food, clothing, electronics and other things we use every day. However, manufacturing also produces waste that often ends up in landfills or oceans.? ? Nature, however, has very little waste. So, what if we could use nature to inspire an arrangement where companies share resources? Some companies are already doing this, and it’s called industrial symbiosis.?? ? For this practice to expand, we need to study it and see what works. A NIST postdoctoral researcher recently did just this. Learn about what he found in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/eKkq294Q

NIST researchers Jun Ye and Tara Fortier are part of the "wild ride through the quantum world” in this video from PBS. Take the 54-minute-long journey: https://lnkd.in/gRQQbbKU ? #Quantum #ScienceAndTechnology #Physics?

NIST researchers Jun Ye and Tara Fortier are part of the "wild ride through the quantum world” in this video from PBS. Take the 54-minute-long journey: https://lnkd.in/gRQQbbKU ? #Quantum #ScienceAndTechnology #Physics?