An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Programs Fiscal Year 1997 (1997) / Chapter Skim
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6 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
6 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
Pages 121-148
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Chapter 6 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
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PANEL MEMBERS James E Nottke, E.:.
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One example of successful implementation of this process is the recent reinvention of the Materials Reliability Division, which has made a complete transition. This division has shifted from a focus on cryogenic materials to a broad and balanced array of materials programs, such as the current work on ultrasonic characterization.
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production, and other miscellaneous expense and income. Funding sources for the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory excluding the Reactor Radiation Division (in millions of dollars)
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The dependence on OA funding has declined and is at roughly 1 5 percent of total budget, a level laboratory management considers appropriate. The overall MSEL budget is adequate but tight, with the exception of the Metallurgy Division, where funding is extremely tight.
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Technical Merit and Appropriateness of Work The Ceramics Division has a strong reputation for excellence and is now one of the largest ceramics research groups in the United States. Nonetheless, NIST cannot be a leader in all areas of ceramics research.
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Because there are so many interesting materials and variables in this field, no single organization could hope to gather a complete and useful set of information in a reasonable period. By coordinating research activities through the consortium, the Ceramics Division has had a major impact on improving industrywide understanding of ceramics machining.
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: Fiscal Year 1996 Fiscal Year 1997 (estimated) NIST-STRS 9.6 9.6 ATP 0.8 0.7 OA/Reimbursable I.3 1.6 Total ~ I.7 ~ I.9 The staff of the Ceramics Division includes 63 FTP positions, of which 53 are for technical professionals.
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Throughout the division, integrating mocleling efforts with experiments watt also be emphasized in the coming year. Materials Reliability Division Mission The Materials Reliability Division stated that its mission is to clevelop measurement technology ant!
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found that the projects undertaken by the division generally are of high technical merit. These efforts include the extension of ultrasonic measurement technology to the characterization of material microstructure features such as texture, grain size, strain, dislocations, and recrystallization; the use of electron microscopy for nanoscaTe measurement of flaws in electronic packaging; and development of measurement technologies required for realtime control of welding and thermomechanical processing of structural materials.
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NIST-STRS 3.8 3.8 ATE 0.7 0.7 OA/Reimbursable 0.9 0.8 Total 5.4 5.3 The staff of the Materials Reliability Division includes 32 FTP positions, of which 28 are for technical professionals. There are ~ 0 non-FTP/supplemental personnel, including full-time temporaries, postdoctoral students, faculty, and other part-time workers.
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For example, information about a new measurement technique or a standard sample might be packaged as a recommendation, a how-to report, or a video demonstration. Polymers Division Mission The Polymers Division stated that its mission is to provide the measurement methods, standards, and concepts of material behavior needed for the efficient processing and use of polymers by those U.S.
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The scientists in this group have developed several novel measurement systems that provide NIST with unique capabilities in blend and process research. Program objectives are further enhanced by the development of new measurement tools, including those involving light and neutron scattering; neutron reflectivity; x-ray scattering; birefringence; rheology; and atomic force, transmission electron, and phase contrast microscopy.
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The accompanying efforts using optical and atomic force microscopy balance the program and provide valuable parallel evaluations of the Cryo-TEM techniques with differing or identical polymeric materials. The Dental and Medical Materials Program is a cooperative effort involving researchers from the Polymers Division, the American Dental Association Health Foundation, the National Institute of Dental Research, and the dental materials industry, as well as guest scientists from the U.S.
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There are not enough ways for the staff to keep the community informed about Polymers Division programs or to get feedback on which issues of concern to industry could be most appropriately tackled by NIST. The present list of collaborators is limited, because it is unclear which companies would benefit from current programs and which people at these companies have the authority and technical knowledge to develop partnerships with NIST.
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NIST-STRS 6.9 7.2 ATP 0.9 0.9 OA/Reimbursable 1.1 1.4 Total 8.9 9 i The staff of the Polymers Division includes 47 FTP positions, including 41 for technical professionals. There are 1 3 non-FTP/supplemental personnel, such as full-time temporaries, postdoctoral students, faculty, and other part-time workers.
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In the Polymer Characterization Program, the mechanism of identifying, choosing, and launching new projects is quite challenging, but the task appears to be receiving the appropriate attention from the director's office and the senior staff. Melallurgr Division Mission The Metallurgy Division stated that is mission is working closely with materials suppliers and users to develop the measurement and standards infrastructure needed in diverse technological areas.
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As mentioned earlier, many of the leading companies in the electronics, automotive, jet engine, and dental materials industries depend on the core competencies established within the Metallurgy Division.
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NIST-STRS 7.6 7.8 ATE 0.7 0.8 OA/Reimbursable 2.3 2.5 Total 1 0.6 1 1. 1 The staff of the Metallurgy Division includes 55 FTP positions, 50 of whom are technical professionals.
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. The technical merit of the Materials Science and Engineering programs was generally excellent, and the goals of the projects viewed by the panel were consistent with the laboratory's mission and called on the unique strengths ofthe laboratory staff.
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Mission The Reactor Radiation Division stated its mission as: (~) to operate the NIST research reactor in a safe, cost-effective manner in order to meet critical national needs while protecting the safely of the general public and NIST staff; (2)
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A conspicuous success is the vertical refiectometer, which was recently moved from the confinement building to the guide hall. Last year's reactor upgrade, which installed a new H2 cold neutron source and increased the neutron flux by a factor of 6, further enhanced the power ofthis reflectometer.
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One research project presented to the subpanel involves diffusion of proteins through cell membranes, a basic biological process that is still not completely understood. A team of scientists from the Reactor Radiation Division and the Biotechnology Division of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory has performed successful studies on a model system in which the protein melittin is shown to have partially penetrated a hybrid bilayer membrane.
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Since that 1 995 assessment, NIST has developed a plan for this database incorporating three elements: To focus the database on metals and inorganic chemicals, areas consistent with the current scientific emphases within the Reactor Radiation Division; To establish a redirected Cr.vstal and Electron Diffraction Data Center involving both the Reactor Radiation Division and NIST Technology Services; and To plan for a future database including the inorganic chemical properties data already available at NIST, and to pool information and software with an inorganic database in Germany and a metallurgical database in Canada. A new commercial product developed from these plans should be available in about 2 years.
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Furthermore, the engineering staff have identified a series of improvements in the geometry of the cold source that could double the cold neutron output. These upgrades in the source wall provide a significant enhancement to neutron scattering capabilities.
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NIST-STRS 12.8 13.4 ATP 0.3 0.2 OA/Reimbursable 1.9 1.8 Total 15.0 15.4 The staff of the Reactor Radiation Division includes 78 full-time permanent (FTP) positions, 73 of whom are technical professionals.
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The ~ 995 subpanel also noted that the Reactor Radiation Division did not have enough theorists. Two scientists from other institutions have since become active in theoretical efforts at the reactor.
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The reactor has returned to the licensed level of 20 MW and has operated reliably since it was restarted. The panel recognizes and supports the division's emphasis on planning for the orderly replacement of the three key members of the Reactor Radiation Division leadership over the next decade.
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