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A biweekly news digest from the
National Institute of Standards and Technology
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MARCH 29, 2022
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NIST Finalizes Recommendations on Removing Barriers for Voters With Disabilities
The new publication, a response to a White House executive order, discusses ways to remove specific barriers such as technology limitations and lack of training for poll workers.
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Ultraviolet Light Can Clean N95 Masks for Reuse Without Hindering Performance, NIST Study Shows
The results provide an encouraging step toward devising UV standards that could have far-reaching benefits for health and safety.
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 NIST’s Investigations of Structural Disasters: What We Do and Why They Can Take Years to Complete
Finding the technical cause of a building failure in an investigation can be quite complex and involve many steps, as buildings themselves are complex systems, explains the director of NIST's Disaster and Failure Studies program.
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NIST Seeks Donations of Microbial Strains for Research
NIST's Microbial Strain Collection program supports research on the human microbiome. Learn more about the program and the kinds of microbial strains researchers would like to collect.
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In this LinkedIn post, NIST's Christie Canaria reflects upon the encounters with women in the highest levels of science policy who offered her reassurance in her career.
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EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS |
In April, NIST is hosting two virtual workshops to engage with stakeholders across the microelectronics innovation ecosystem to identify the optimal approaches in measurement science, standards development and measurement services to support the U.S. semiconductor industry, in response to the CHIPS Act. Learn more and register now.
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MORE NEWS FROM NIST |
With the help of NIST's new design, tiny computers made of DNA could revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat a slew of diseases.
Researchers at NIST have discovered a potential source of error when using acoustic waves to measure the properties of fluids such as blood.
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 In our latest news video, learn how NIST researchers determined how ultraviolet light can adequately disinfect N95 masks without altering them in undesired ways. Watch it on YouTube!
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For Good Measure
We use sunscreen to protect our skin from ultraviolet (UV) light — and for good reason. UV is a high-energy form of light that can damage the DNA in cells, including the cells in microbes, so it’s being used increasingly to disinfect everything from smartphones to the air circulating through aircraft cabins. In this issue, we learned how UV can effectively disinfect N95 masks, and it’s the latest example of NIST’s investigations of UV applications. Check out our earlier news stories on using this form of light to disinfect drinking water and even detect drug contamination in a forensics lab, and a recent blog post on how research on light in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) part of the spectrum has led to the latest computer chips and stronger satellites.
—Ben P. Stein, Managing Editor
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