Recent News
Animal Tranquilizer Floods Illicit Drug Markets in Maryland
An animal tranquilizer has flooded the illicit drug market in Maryland, according to a new study by NIST and the Maryland Department of Health. When injected, the tranquilizer, xylazine, causes wounds at the injection site, in some cases so severe that people need to have their arms or legs amputated.
The study, which analyzed residues from illegally purchased drugs to determine the chemical compounds the drugs contained, found xylazine in 80% of samples that included the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The residue samples were collected from empty bags and paraphernalia voluntarily provided by people who used illegal drugs in Maryland during the 11-month period from October 2021 through August 2022.
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NIST Launches New Trustworthy and Responsible AI Resource Center: Includes First Version of AI Risk Management Framework Playbook
NIST announced the launch of the NIST Trustworthy and Responsible AI Resource Center (AIRC), a one-stop-shop for foundational content, technical documents, and toolkits to enable responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The AIRC offers industry, government, and academic stakeholders knowledge of AI standards, measurement methods and metrics, datasets, and other resources.
The AIRC is part of NIST’s continued effort to promote a shared understanding and improve communication among those seeking to operationalize trustworthy and responsible AI.
For more information, please visit the NIST Trustworthy and Responsible AI Resource Center.
NEHRP Releases FY 2022-2029 Strategic Plan
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) has released its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022–2029. In this Plan, NEHRP established four coordinated strategic goals and eighteen supporting strategic objectives that reflect congressional requirements in the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended, or relevant legislation and executive orders. NEHRP also identified eight focus areas to address general responsibilities outlined by the strategy. The Plan is intended to guide the development and implementation of programmatic activities by the Program agencies to support seismic risk reduction. Attaining these strategic goals will enable increased earthquake resilience throughout the nation by improving life safety, reducing economic losses, and minimizing security, mission, or functional disruptions resulting from future earthquakes.
A PDF version of the Strategic Plan can be downloaded.
Hearings
On March 29, 2023, Jim St. Pierre, Acting Director for the Information Technology Laboratory testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce. The hearing was entitled Login.gov Doesn't Meet the Standard. The purpose of the hearing was to examine the technical and operational capabilities of Login.gov, a sign-on service provided by the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services.
Additional Witnesses Included:
- Carol Fortine Ochoa, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General General Services Administration
- Sonny Hashmi, Commissioner, Federal Acquisition Service General Services Administration
You can view a copy of Mr. St. Pierre’s testimony or video of the hearing.
Funding Announcements
NIST’s Small Business Innovation Research Program Announces Funding Opportunity
NIST has announced its fiscal year 2023 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I funding opportunity. NIST’s SBIR program encourages domestic small businesses to engage in federal research and development that has the potential for commercialization with funding of up to $100,000 per project.
Application details can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. See the NIST website for more information on the NIST SBIR Program and Phase II funding opportunities. The closing date for Phase I applications is May 22, 2023.
Final CommanDING Tech Prize Challenge Awards Announced
NIST recently announced the final winners of the CommanDING Tech Challenge and awarded $313,500 in prizes, bringing the total challenge awards to $1,000,000. The four final teams showcased their incident command dashboards at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis.
Stage 2.2 Winners Announced in 2022 First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge
NIST announced Stage 2.2 winners of the 2022 First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge. Ten teams were awarded $7,500 each, totaling $75,000 in prizes. All of the teams are invited to compete in the final stage of the challenge, during which they will participate in a live, in-person competition to include scored capability demonstrations.
Events
Registration open for 5x5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit
NIST and the FirstNet Authority have launched registration for 5x5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit. The summit will take place June 28-30, 2023 in San Diego, California. This event will bring together public safety, academia, government, and industry leaders to discuss the current state of public safety communications technology and drive advancements in research, development, and deployment. Learn more and register today!
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