T he National Institute of Standards and Technology1 was established by an act of Congress on March 3, 1901. The Institute's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Institute conducts research to assure international competitiveness and leadership of U.S. industry, science and technology. NIST work involves development and transfer of measurements, standards and related science and technology, in support of continually improving U.S. productivity, product quality and reliability, innovation and underlying science and engineering. The Institute's technical work is performed by the National Measurement Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory, the National Computer Systems Laboratory, and the Institute for Materials Science and Engineering. |