February 14, 2024

NIST Visiting Committee 

on Advanced Technology (VCAT)

Dr. Laurie Locascio

Under Secretary of Commerce 

for Standards and Technology 

and Director of NIST
Meeting Agenda

Session I: Programmatic Updates: NIST Director’s 

Overview and Safety

Session II: Programmatic and Operational Updates: DEIA 

and CHIPS R&D

Session III: Subcommittee on US International Standards 

Development Activity

Session IV: Working Session

February 14, 2024

2
NIST Leadership Changes

Credit: ITA Credit: NIST

Mr. Kevin Stine

Director, Information 

Technology Laboratory

DOC Pending 3

Credit: NIST

Dr. Melissa Midzor

Acting Director, 

Communication Technology 

Laboratory

Credit: NIST

Ms. Bethany Loftin

Director, Technology 

Partnerships Office

DOC Pending

Credit: NIST
U.S. AI Safety Institute

4

Ms. Elham Tabassi

Chief Technology Officer

Credit: NIST

Ms. Elizabeth Kelly

Executive Director

Credit: Linkedin
Thank You

5

Ms. Katharine Ku

Chief Licensing Advisor

Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and 

Rosati

Dr. Dana “Keoki” Jackson

Senior Vice President and 

General Manager,

MITRE National Security Sector

MITRE Corporation

Mr. George Fischer

Senior Vice President

T-Mobile for Business and

Head of Business Sales

Credit: NIST Credit: NIST Credit: NIST
Refined VCAT Expectations

• VCAT members are expected and strongly 

encouraged to attend all three scheduled 

meetings each year

• Piloting two single-day virtual meetings, one

two-day, in-person meeting each year

• Dates of upcoming meetings through 2026 

on the VCAT website

• VCAT members, NIST senior leadership, and 

guest presenters are expected to engage 

in active discussion so that NIST can 

receive advice and guidance to continue 

to meet our mission 6

Credit: Pixebay
I. NIST Programmatic 

Updates
Updates

Selected NIST Highlights

CHIPS PMT Announcements

Artificial Intelligence
Executive Order 14110

9

• Generative AI and dual-use foundation models

•Differential-privacy guarantee protections

•Red-teaming/testing

•Authenticity and provenance of synthetic content

Create Guidance

• Test environments for evaluating AI capabilities, including 

those that could cause harm

•Availability of testbeds supporting the development of safe, 

secure, and trustworthy AI technologies

Develop Evaluation & 

Testing

• Global engagement on AI standards

• Synthetic nucleic acid synthesis providers engagement 

•Minimum risk-management practices

Engage with 

Stakeholders & Develop 

Standards

The President’s Executive Order (E.O.) on Safe, Secure, and 

Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (14110) directs NIST to:
NIST’s Progress on E.O. Assignments

10

Request for Information (RFI) to inform 

NIST’s assignments

Draft Guidelines for Evaluating 

Differential Privacy

Secure Software Development 

Framework Workshop

Pre-release testing of NIST’s Dioptra

infrastructure 

Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
United States AI Safety Institute (USAISI)

11

The USAISI’s primary mission is to build the science 

necessary for safe development and use of trustworthy AI.

Research Implementation Engagement & 

Operations
USAISI Consortium

12

November 2023: Release of Federal Register Notice 

(FRN) asking for letters of interest– over 600 received!

February 2024: Official launch of Consortium with 

inaugural cohort of more than 200 member 

companies

February 2024: Begin working partners in five working 

groups

Credit: NIST
NIST AI Program Updates

13

NAIAC

• 4 Public Meetings

• 4 recommendation reports

• 2 non-decisional documents

Adversarial Machine Learning Taxonomy 

and Terminology Report

• Identifies vulnerabilities of machine 

learning and AI

• Establishes common language for 

understanding threats and mitigation 

methods

Image by naiac.gov

Image by N. Hanacek/NIST
What’s Next for NIST?

14

AI E.O. Deliverables

• Report on synthetic content

• Guidelines for red-teaming

• Generative AI companion resource

• Pilot program for test evaluations

USAISI

• Develop Consortium work plans

• Nationwide workshops in support 

of working group activities

Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Updates

Selected NIST Highlights

CHIPS PMT Announcements

Artificial Intelligence
CHIPS PMTs

• Preliminary memorandum of terms 

(PMT) reached with BAE Systems 

Electronic Systems

• $35 million in federal incentives

• Support modernization of 

Microelectronics Center in 

Nashua, NH

• Quadruples the production of 

chips necessary for critical 

defense programs including the 

F-35 fighter jet program
CHIPS PMTs

• Preliminary memorandum of terms 

(PMT) reached with Microchip 

Technology Inc.

• $162 million in federal incentives

• Modernize and expand facilities in 

Colorado Springs, CO, and 

Gresham, OR

• Significantly increases U.S. 

production of semiconductors 

critical to America’s automotive, 

commercial, industrial, defense, 

and aerospace industries

Credit: Courtesy HDR Architecture, Inc. / 

Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing
Updates

Selected NIST Highlights

CHIPS PMT Announcements

Artificial Intelligence
Creating Trust in Digital Technologies

19

• MEP and MxD Collaboration

• Cybersecurity Profile for Consumer 

Grade Routers December Forum

• Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 

release

• Post-Quantum Cryptography 

Standards 

Coming Soon in 2024

Recent Highlights

Image by NIST
Advanced Communications

Next G Wireless Gaps Report

National Spectrum Strategy

Credit: NIST
Biotechnology

• DOC Ron Brown Award • For Serial Cytometry • Greg Cooksey • Mathew DiSalvo • Anthony Kearsley • Paul Patrone • NIST-FDA workshop • Measurements and 

Standards for 

Advanced Therapy

21

Credit: B. Hayes/NIST
Climate

Upgraded Frequency Combs to 

monitor methane even in harsh 

field conditions

NIST’s multidisciplinary research continues to address climate 

change in impactful ways

Credit: K. Cossel 22/NIST

Tornado-resistant design 

provisions incorporated into the 

2024 International Building Code

Credit: B. Hayes/NIST
Contaminants of Concern

Major Reports 

Released

• Report to Congress on 

PFAS in Firefighter Gear

• National Emerging 

Contaminants Research 

Initiative (NECRI) 

Implementation Plan • Drinking water 

contamination

23

Credit: B. Hayes/NIST
NCNR Update

24

Reactor Status

• Despite extensive clean-up efforts, ≈ 1 gm of fissionable material remains near the core

• Plan developed to clean reactor internals further

o Underwater power washing: summer and fall of 2024

• Conduct reactor operations post-cleaning

• “Neutrons for the Future” held Oct. 2023

o 200+ scientists from across the U.S.

o Final report in preparation

New Neutron Source Workshop

Neutron Guide Upgrade

• Replace neutron guides 5, 6, & 7 (red) in 2024

o Improve performance of nine instruments 

from 1.5x to 10x
Select Public Engagements

• Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) Program

• Awarded nearly $3 million to 15 small 

businesses in 9 states

• Supports R&D and commercialization 

projects

• Curricula Development Cooperative 

Agreement Program

• Awarded $1.1 M to 8 universities to 

support standards education in 

undergraduate, graduate curricula

• Supported by the Standards 

Coordination Office

• Baldrige Reimagined 25

Credit: NIST

Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
Credit: R. Wilson/NIST

Credit: R. Wilson/NIST

Credit: A. Bayless/NIST Cake Talk

NIST Library Ribbon Cutting

NIST Community

New Telework Guidance 

Effective 1/1/24

• Designated Tuesdays and 

Thursdays as NIST 

Community Days 

• Clarified eligibility for up to 

2 or 4 days of telework per 

week based on position 

duties

• Clarified situations where 

remote work can be 

authorized as a strategic 

management tool 

Charleston Safety Day Picnic

NIST Awards Ceremony

Credit: NIST
Thank you!