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A biweekly news digest from the
National Institute of Standards and Technology
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MAY 10, 2023
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Researchers Pin Down PFAS Prevalence in Firefighter Gear
A NIST report suggests that selecting optimal combinations of fabrics for each layer could significantly reduce firefighters' exposure to a potentially dangerous class of chemicals.
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NIST Develops New Nondestructive Method for Assessing Bioengineered Artificial Tissues
Engineering organs to replace damaged hearts or kidneys may seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the building blocks for this technology are already in place. A new method of measurement could help bring it to life.
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NIST/JILA Physicist Ana Maria Rey Elected to National Academy of Sciences
As a theoretical physicist, Ana Maria Rey leads a team that develops new ways to control quantum systems, opening the way to new applications in measurement, quantum information and quantum simulation.
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Being a Mom Helps Me Protect Our Communication Infrastructure
Jeanne Quimby's kids are the reason she came up with her team’s idea for how to detect cybersecurity events on our U.S. critical communication infrastructure.
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This art-deco-esque device combines two competing personalities in order to trap and watch ions for potential quantum computers in the future. Learn about it on Facebook.
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MORE NEWS FROM NIST |
The new revision aligns the publication’s language with NIST’s other cybersecurity resources for federal contractors.
The strategy will strengthen U.S. leadership and competitiveness in advanced technologies critical to economic and national security.
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 More than 100 years ago, Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity proposed that the gravity of large objects like Earth distorts the flow of time. NIST’s newest clock finds that Einstein’s theory works on a millimeter scale, narrowing the gap between quantum physics and our larger understanding of our world and the universe. See more on YouTube.
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For Good Measure
Multiple NIST projects in recent years have focused on measuring “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. First made in the 1930s, these artificial compounds can persist in the environment for centuries, and some are now suspected carcinogens. In this latest issue, we describe how NIST researchers are exploring the presence of PFAS in firefighters’ gear as a first step at protecting these emergency responders from this potential health hazard. See also an earlier news story in which we helped to measure the amount of PFAS in Great Lakes sediment and our Taking Measure blog posts on measuring PFAS in contaminated meat, addressing measurement challenges for PFAS chemicals, and finding new ways to track PFAS compounds in the environment.
—Ben P. Stein, Managing Editor
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