(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded $34.12 million in grants for measurement science and engineering research. The NIST Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program, made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will fund 27 projects at higher education, commercial, and nonprofit organizations in 18 states.
“While we’ve seen some recent signs of progress, we cannot rest until every American looking for a job finds one,” says U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke. “These new projects will create high-tech jobs and spur economic growth while supporting U.S. world leadership in science.”
The 27 projects will receive one-time funding ranging from $408,996 to $1.5 million to carry out research programs that last three years. The projects will advance the state of knowledge and practice of measurement science in six identified research areas of critical national importance:
NIST received more than 1,300 proposals for the grants. The proposals underwent exhaustive administrative and technical review by more than 300 NIST scientists and engineers working intensively on an accelerated time frame.
Within the manufacturing category, three projects are worth noting:
Development of Metrics, Metrology, and a Framework for Product-Process Ontology for Interoperability in Model-Based Sustainable Manufacturing
University of Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky)
• Project duration: 3 years
• NIST funding: $1,499,935
Establish a framework to measure, quantify, evaluate, and communicate the sustainability of manufactured products and manufacturing processes.
Read more…
Development of Accurate Metrology for Free-Form Surfaces
University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
• Project duration: 3 years
• NIST funding: $1,348,643
Develop rapid and accurate measurements of free-form shapes, such as those used in solar reflectors for energy and astronomical applications, for improved manufacturing of these surfaces.
Read more…
Measurement and Characterization of Nanometer-Scale Magnets for Post-CMOS Electronics
Colorado State University (Fort Collins, Colorado)
• Project duration: 3 years
• NIST funding: $962,440
Develop two measurement techniques for nanometer-scale magnets (nanomagnets), which have great potential for improving existing technologies, such as data storage, and may become the basis of faster, smaller electromagnetic devices that may replace conventional components of computer chips.
Read more…
Click here for a complete list and description of all 27 projects.
Founded in 1901, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a nonregulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, NIST’s mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
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