(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- On Dec. 2, Vice President Joe Biden, and U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gary Locke, presented three U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest honor for innovation and performance excellence.

(FMA: Rockford, IL) -- Despite assertions from manufacturers that they will need a new breed of highly skilled workers in the years ahead and job opportunities will abound for today’s youth, U.S. teenagers in large numbers want to wear white collars, not blue, when they launch their careers.

(SenGenuity: Hudson, NH) -- SenGenuity, the sensors division of Vectron International, announced that its TempTrackr Wireless Temperature Measurement System Kit is now capable of reading six independent, passive, wireless temperature sensors.

(Cognex: Natick, MA) -- Cognex Corp. announces VisionPro 6.0, a new release of the company’s popular, hardware-independent vision software. VisionPro 6.0 has more acquisition options, higher accuracy calibration, and expanded ID reading capability. 

(Artel: Westbrook, ME) -- The ARTEL Multichannel Verification System (MVS), an objective performance assessment and optimization tool for automated liquid handlers, will be launched at LabAutomation2010, in Palm Springs, California, on Jan. 24–26.

(Qioptiq: Rochester, NY) -- Qioptiq announces the introduction of a new line of high-performance vision metrology systems designed for streamlined user interface and maximum productivity in noncontact dimensional measurement.

(IQPC: New York) -- The sixth annual "LSS & Process Improvement Canada" summit, to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Feb. 22–24, 2010, will feature in-depth presentations, case studies, perspectives, and conversations on how to:

(ISO: Geneva) -- An international standard to prevent the development and marketing of products which could present health and safety risks to consumers is the goal of a new project committee (PC) from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

(Bytewise Measurement Systems: Columbus, GA) -- Bytewise Measurement Systems explains why the affordable CrossCheck laser profile sensors are perfectly suited to monitor and control web-based and extruded materials.

(ASQ: Milwaukee) --  In spite of the current economic turmoil, there is positive news for the quality profession. According to the American Society for Quality’s Annual Salary Survey, the average quality job salary went up 3 percent from 2008 to 2009, to just under $84,000.