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An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Programs: Fiscal Year 1997 (1997)
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications (CPSMA)

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An Assessment of the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS: Fiscal Year 1997

The Board on Assessment of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Programs and its constituent panels were asked by the director of NIST to focus on certain topics in the fiscal year 1997 assessment:

  • The technical merit of the programs relative to those of other institutions worldwide;

  • The appropriateness of each laboratory's programs relative to NIST's mission to promote U.S. economic growth by working with industry;

  • The effectiveness with which these programs are carried out and the results disseminated;

  • The adequacy of each laboratory's planning process;

  • The adequacy of each laboratory's human resources and physical facilities;

  • The appropriateness of the other-agency funding of each laboratory 's programs, both in level of funding and types of activities;

  • The industrial impact of each laboratory's programs and NIST's assessment of this impact; and

  • The integration of each laboratory's mission into NIST's mission as a whole.

In addition, when the Board met on January 10, 1997, the acting NIST director asked that particular attention be paid to assessing the adequacy of the NIST physical plant and the specific effects of its condition, if any, on the scientific programs.

The Board's report (presented in this chapter) addresses the technical quality and appropriateness of the NIST laboratories as a whole. It is organized into four sections: Merit of Programs, Impact of Programs, Resources, and Planning. More detailed assessments of programs in individual laboratories are found in chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7 through chapter 8.

MERIT OF PROGRAMS

In assessing the merit of NIST's programs, the Board considered the inherent technical merit of each program, its merit relative to other institutions worldwide, and its concordance with NIST's mission.

The overall technical merit as assessed by the panel members was excellent; much of NIST's work is world class, and many of its research groups represent national resources. Each of the seven laboratories of NIST has a number of technical achievements that distinguish its contributions to the worldwide technical community.

NIST's primary mission is to promote U.S. economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards.1 In general, the activities of the laboratories are in keeping with NIST's mission as a national standards institute and with each laboratory 's missions. The laboratories have established their focus as the development of new metrology expertise in anticipation of emerging technology needs; this focus is appropriate and laudable. Projects are progressing toward their objectives and generating measurable results.

1  

U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Guide to NIST, NIST Special Publication 858, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md., 1996, p. 4.
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