National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

In honor of NIST’s 125th anniversary, we’d like to throw it back to one of our longest-selling standard reference materials: limestone.  Its official name is SRM 1D Argillaceous (meaning it contains clay) Limestone, and it was first sold in 1910. Each bottle contains 70 grams of limestone, and it’s useful for the construction industry. Why? Limestone is an important component in many types of building materials, but it’s a natural substance, which means its composition varies across different limestone deposits. Labs testing their own building materials need to know their composition, including the percentage of limestone versus other elements. To verify this, they run the SRM through their lab instruments to see if they obtain the correct values.  Despite being more than a century old, this SRM continues to meet industry’s needs today, just as it did back in 1910. #Construction #BuildingMaterials #Standards #Limestone  

March 3, 2026, will mark 125 years of NIST! Celebrate with us all year long and stay tuned for more. 🎉🥳

Congratulations to the organizations that will receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence. The honorees are: • Nor-Lea Hospital District (Lovington, New Mexico), which ensures access to high-quality care for rural communities. • Northwell Health Glen Cove Hospital (Glen Cove, New York), which advances community health through its inpatient, acute rehabilitation, emergency, and ambulatory surgical services. In addition to the award recipients, four organizations received Best Practice Spotlight recognition: • Meritus Medical Center (Hagerstown, Maryland) • El Paso County Colorado School District 49 (Peyton, Colorado) • Mary Greeley Medical Center (Ames, Iowa) • Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (San Antonio, Texas) Check out awardee details at our full story: https://lnkd.in/eDAsWUxC

When a patient gets an X-ray, they need to receive enough radiation to make a high-quality image for a diagnosis, but not too much to cause harm. A lab here at NIST calibrates devices (ion chambers) that measure the intensity of X-ray beams. The more intense the beam is, the higher the radiation dose. Our measurements give X-ray technicians confidence that they are getting that crucial measurement right, so they can get the image they need while keeping patients safe. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/eEBP9pvQ

NIST has released a new forensic DNA reference material, the first to include mixtures of high-quality and degraded DNA from different individuals. Genetic material at a crime scene often includes DNA from more than one person, making samples difficult to interpret. The new material provides laboratories with a reference that reflects the complex and challenging nature of the crime-scene evidence they now often analyze. Laboratories can use the samples to help train analysts and validate forensic tests. Decode the details at https://lnkd.in/eZEjCWFT

Roses are red, Violets are blue, My love is traceable, And calibrated to you.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. For all those who forgot or didn't have time to shop yet, we have something that might help. We made Valentine’s cards that you can share with that special someone in your life. https://lnkd.in/etXKdqtX

Are you curious about how NIST’s reference materials impact biopharmaceuticals? Join NIST researchers, Megan Cleveland and Katharina Yandrofski, on Feb. 17, 7–8 PM (EST) for the Rockville Science Cafe Lecture Series! Topic: The Biomanufacturing Toolkit: Inside the Science of NISTmAb and NISTCHO. Learn how scientists standardize the manufacturing and measurement of modern medicine. This talk is free and open to all! Register to get the Zoom link: https://lnkd.in/eAh-7NdR

NIST’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program allocated $3.19 million to eight small businesses advancing AI, medical diagnostics, biotechnology, semiconductors, quantum and more. These are Phase II SBIR awards, granted in September 2025, which fund R&D prototyping of innovative technologies proposed during Phase I. Learn more about the awardees: https://lnkd.in/eyym_vqF #SmallBusiness #AI #Biotechnology #Semiconductors #Quantum

Freeze-dried human liver tissue, house dust, and five other NIST reference materials are now orbiting in the International Space Station, 400 kilometers above Earth. When these samples return to Earth, scientists will analyze them to measure any changes caused by microgravity and cosmic radiation. The results will support future biomedical research, environmental monitoring, and manufacturing in space. Rhodium Scientific, Office of Space Commerce #ISS #InternationalSpaceStation Photo Credit: NASA