Skip to main content

An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Material Measurement Laboratory Fiscal Year 2014 (2015) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

8 Key Findings and Recommendations
Pages 66-70

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 66...
... Standards for such products will not only promote innovation and expedite development of manufacturing processes but will also facilitate evaluation and quality control for commercialization and interaction with regulatory organizations. The knowledge, technology, reference standards, and data developed by MML teams will contribute to quality assurance tools for addressing problems of national importance such as climate change, renewable energy, health care, infrastructure, food safety and nutrition, forensics, and homeland security.
Read the entire page →
From page 67...
... The staff publishes in refereed journals at a reasonable rate, with occasional papers published in tier 1 journals, but most of the publications are more archival in nature and can be found in specialty journals where they will reach an application-specific audience. The patent process is not well developed at NIST, and this is problematic for the development of intellectual property, which might be useful for expanding the scope of the MML mission by encouraging commercialization of MMLdeveloped measurement technologies and production of standard reference materials.
Read the entire page →
From page 68...
... Personnel exchanges with industry would be very useful: MML staff would better understand the development-to-product process and industrial partners could provide input for standards selection. For example, industry fellows could spend time at the MML, and MML staff could spend short sabbaticals learning industrial production processes.
Read the entire page →
From page 69...
... They are enthusiastic about the opportunity to contribute to national innovation and competitiveness by producing better measurement methods and standards. Staff reported that productivity is clearly hampered by slow responses and multiple levels of administrative oversight external to the MML, especially in the areas of contracting for purchases of supplies and equipment and for legal approvals for industry interactions, work for other government agencies, and use of clinical materials.
Read the entire page →
From page 70...
... The MML should establish clear and uniform approaches for creating individual performance plans and reviews; should ensure that reviews are administered using the same process; and should provide supervisor training for all supervisors who have not already taken such training.
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • mml staff
  • material measurement
  • measurement laboratory
  • standard reference
  • complex data

  • reference data
  • mml divisions
  • project coordinators
  • industrial production
  • legal review

  • external queries
  • funnel external
  • extract meaningful
  • staff reported
  • broader spectrum

  • nuclear magnetic
  • bad policy
  • measurement science
  • controlling priority
  • academic beneficiaries

  • nist expert
  • mml activities
  • leveraging external
  • spend short
  • assurance tools

  • contracting procedural
  • biological materials
  • industrial competitiveness
  • facilitate evaluation
  • measurement methods


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.