VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY (VCAT)

MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 23-24, 2017 MEETING

GAITHERSBURG, MD 

ATTENDANCE:

Visiting Committee 

Members Attending

Adler, Allen 

Brooks, Rodney

Colwell, Rita 

Folena-Wasserman, Gail

Garvey, Michael (Mike)

Holt, William (Bill)

Ishak, Waguih 

Prafullchandra, Hemma

Sizer, Theodore (Tod)

Vasko, David

Designated Federal Officer 

Shaw, Stephanie 

NIST Leadership Board 

Boehm, Jason 

Brockett, Del

Dimeo, Rob

Dowell, Marla

Fangmeyer, Bob

Fasolka, Mike

Harary, Howard

Jenkins, George

Kayser, Rich 

Kimball, Kevin 

Kushmerick, James 

Molnar, Mike

Olthoff, Jim

Porch, Susanne 

Rochford, Kent 

Romine, Chuck

Royster, Cecilia 

Schiller, Susannah

Singerman, Phillip

Thomas, Carroll 

Vaughn, Robert (Skip)

Wixon, Henry 

NIST Staff 

Antonishek, Brian

Barbosa, Nicholas

Barnard-Feeney, Allison

Beall, Kellie

Benkstein, Kurt

Brady, Mary

Brown, Hannah

Cavanagh, Richard

Coraggio, Mary-Deirdre

Dohne, Kirk

Evans, Heather

Feulner, Patricia

Fitzgerald, Ryan

Fowler, James

Garris, Michael

Gayle, Frank

Glenn, Robert

Goldstein, Barbara*

Golmie, Nada

Greene, Gretchen

Greer, Chris 

Gundlach, David 

Hacker, Christina

Hanisch, Robert

Hanna, Nancy

Hooker, Stephanie

Hughes, Colleen

Ivy, Nahla

Jillavenkatesa, Ajit*

Kaiser, Debbie

Kitching, John*

Liddle, James

Lu, Yan

Makar, Susan

Martinez, Serena 

Migler, Kalman

Miner, Laurel 

Ouimette, Mylene

Porter, Gail 

Pratt, Jon

Pritchett, Jeanita

Przybocki, Mark

Rogers, Kelley

Satterfield, Mary

Schlatter, Katie*

Schlenoff, Craig

Schufreider, Jim

Schuur, Stacy

Scott, John

Seiler, David

Silcox, Barbara

Sokol, Annie

Spitalniak, Vicky

Spurrier, Mark

St. Pierre, Jim

Staymates, Jessica

Stolorow, Mark

Stoughton, Jason

Strouse, Gregory 

Strychalski, Elizabeth

Tarlov, Mike

Teske, Michael

Thorne, Roger

Trost, Amy

Tryka, Kimberly

Vanek, Anita

Warren, Jim

Wavering, Al

Williams, Carl

Wilkinson, Richard

Wollman, David

Zangmeister, Rebecca

Others

Copan, Walter

Milliken, Lindsey - Lewis-

 Burke Associates LLC

*Participated Remotely
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Monday, October 23, 2017

Call to Order - Dr. Rita Colwell, VCAT Chair

Dr. Colwell called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and reviewed meeting logistics. Dr. Colwell introduced and 

welcomed Dr. Walter Copan, the confirmed nominee to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 

Technology and NIST Director.

Dr. Copan introduced himself and provided an overview of his priorities. His first goal the expansion of the 

NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework across all US industries. Second is advanced manufacturing innovation and 

quality. Third is using NIST’s role in federal technology transfer to enable the highest achievable returns on 

investment from federally funded research. Fourth, NIST will work seamlessly across its organization and with 

government and private partners to achieve the highest levels of organizational performance and effectiveness 

while operating at speeds demanded by the American economy.

SESSION I: NIST UPDATE

NIST Update – Dr. Kent Rochford, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director

Dr. Rochford provided an update on NIST’s safety culture, personnel changes, program highlights, and a 

discussion of budget and alignment. Beginning with safety, Dr. Rochford showed that there had been a 

significant increase in recordable cases in FY17. This is particularly driven by slips, trips, and falls, which can 

be attributed to inattention. 

Dr. Rochford then provided a brief update on personnel changes. These included Dr. Walter Copan, the soon 

be sworn in the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director; Mr. Del 

Brockett, the Associate Director for Management Resources; and Dr. Marla Dowell, the Director of the 

Communications Technology Laboratory and the NIST Boulder Laboratory Director. Dr. Rochford then 

mentioned that Dr. Dave Wineland, whose work in quantum science and quantum computing was awarded the 

2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, is retiring from NIST. Dr. Rochford briefed the VCAT about NIST’s new employee 

onboarding program, which was launched this fiscal year.

Dr. Rochford then described recent highlights of NIST’s programs. NIST scientists developed a threedimensional (3D) clock, which leads to better clock stability. Next, Dr. Rochford provided an update about the 

Head Health challenge. NIST and its partners - GE, Under Armour, and the NFL – announced the winners of 

the third round of the challenge: Dynamic Research of Torrance, California and 6D Helmets of Brea, California. 

Dr. Rochford briefed the VCAT on efforts by NIST’s programs in response to the recent hurricanes. The 

Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program issued specialized, 2-year grants to centers in 

each state affected by Harvey and Irma. These grants allowed the manufacturers to get back up to speed more 

quickly. In addition, the NIST Labs deployed preliminary reconnaissance teams to Texas and Florida to 

document damage from the hurricanes and will use the data to help inform the improvement of building codes.

He then provided updates on NIST’s programs supporting two executive orders. First, the MEP program has 

been supporting progress on EO 13806, the Presidential Executive Order on Assessing and Strengthening the 

Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States. Through the 

network of MEP centers, NIST can lead information gathering from small and medium manufacturers to support 

the interagency task force developed by that EO. Second, NIST is continuing to make progress against its 
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responsibilities for EO 13800 on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical 

Infrastructure. To improve the cybersecurity of federal networks, NIST issued draft guidance on federal use of 

the Cybersecurity Framework, as well as draft updates to two NIST special publications. NIST has developed 

a draft report to provide input to help the nation understand the need for cybersecurity workforce and 

education. Finally, working with others, NIST issued a discussion draft to look at security needs in the Internet 

of Things (IoT) and botnets.

Dr. Rochford then described NIST’s coordinated efforts across multiple programs in cybersecurity. The Baldrige 

Performance Excellence Program developed a self-assessment tool based on the Cybersecurity Framework to 

help organizations better understand effectiveness of their cybersecurity risk management. The MEP program 

provides tools based on NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework to support cybersecurity of small and medium 

manufacturers. These include guides and workbooks in easy-to-understand layman's language to help improve 

the security of their systems.

Dr. Rochford provided the Committee with a brief update on the progress of the redefinition of the SI. The CIPM 

(International Committee on Weights and Measures) agreed to proceed with redefinition, which is a major 

milestone in the process. 

Lastly, Dr. Rochford provided an update on the status of the FY2018 budget. The budget is now in congress, 

and both the House and Senate have published their separate marks of NIST’s appropriations. NIST is 

currently in a continuing resolution until December 2017. 

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- Communication/promulgation of NIST’s significant role in medical devices, standardization, and 

biosecurity areas. 

- Zero tolerance for actions that undermine the culture of inclusiveness and diversity, specifically with 

regard to sexual harassment. 

- The onboarding program and how to attract and keep young scientists.

- Concerns about reallocation of funding from science to construction.

For more information, see Dr. Rochford’s presentation.

NIST Americium-241 (Am-241) Safety Incident – Dr. Richard Kayser, NIST Chief 

Safety Officer

Dr. Kayser briefed the VCAT on a radiation exposure incident involving Am-241. Dr. Kayser began his update 

by asking Dr. Jim Olthoff, Director of Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) to describe NIST’s role in 

Radiation Physics program. Dr. Olthoff provided a few highlights of how the program interacts with society to 

demonstrate the impact to the United States, including traceability for mammograms, radionuclides used for 

treatment and diagnoses, manufacturing, mangos, and homeland security.

Dr. Kayser next described the scope of NIST’s license to work with radioactive material, issued by the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NIST Director is responsible for the safety and regulatory compliance in 

the Radioactive Material program, supported by NIST’s Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). Finally, there is an 

Ionizing Radiation Safety Committee (IRSC) that reports directly to the NIST Director. This committee oversees 
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the effectiveness of the implementation of the Radioactive Materials program and approves all proposed uses 

of radioactive material and all source users.

Next, Dr. Kayser briefed the Committee on the recent unplanned contamination event. On August 16, 2017, 

elevated levels of radiation were discovered during a semiannual leak test in one of the NIST facilities. Access 

was restricted to the facility, and particularly the room with elevated levels. An investigation revealed that an 

ampoule containing high-levels of activity of Am-241 had shattered inside a plastic vial, which was stored in a 

lead container, which itself was stored in a lead cave. 

NIST filed a formal event report to the NRC on August 19, 2017 and followed up with communication to the 

NRC Region 1, Congress, and the Department of Commerce. The RSO and Acting Director of PML had a 

meeting with source users after the incident to determine who may have been exposed to radiation. NIST 

engaged the Department of Energy Radiation Emergency Assistance Center / Training Site (REAC/TS). 

Several tests were run to assess the dose to individuals with potential exposure. 

Contamination was discovered in unrestricted areas, so access was restricted to Building 245 on September 

11th, and additional studies were performed. The Department of Energy’s Radiological Assistance Program

team found no Am-241 outside of the restricted areas. The NRC conducted a special team inspection, which

characterized NIST’s response effort to this incident as "textbook."

Offices in Building 245 were reopened on September 18th. Before each laboratory space was reopened, 

sources in the space were identified, evaluated for safety, and NIST assessed whether they were critical to 

mission delivery. The RSO and line management, including the NIST Director, had to approve opening the 

building to staff. 

Dr. Rob Dimeo, Director of NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), briefed the VCAT on the status of the

incident investigation performed by a subcommittee of the IRSC chaired by Dr. Dimeo and including three 

experts from across NIST. The charge given to the IRSC was to determine the circumstances leading to the 

breach of the ampoule, contamination of areas with Am-241, and personnel exposure to Am-241.

The subcommittee collected data, including health physics survey records, hand and foot monitor data, written 

statements, and interviews, among others. The subcommittee will then perform an analysis to identify causal 

and contributing factors, and will develop recommended corrective actions. The subcommittee’s final report to 

the IRSC will be accompanied by individual reports by external experts Dr. Sean O'Kelly, Idaho National Lab; 

Dr. Timothy Jorgenson, Georgetown University; and Dr. Dan Strom, retired staff scientist from Pacific 

Northwest National Laboratory.

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- Long-term program for those exposed to Am-241.

- Risk versus benefit analysis and costs associated.

- How to possibly strengthen the glass material of the ampoule to prevent shattering

- Corrective actions, procedural changes and lessons learned.

For more information, see Dr. Kayser’s presentation.
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SESSION II: NIST LABORATORY PROGRAMS STRATEGIC VISION

Strategic Vision Status Update – Dr. Kent Rochford, Acting Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director

Dr. Rochford provided an update to the VCAT about the progress of NIST’s efforts to develop a strategic vision 

for the Laboratory Programs. A draft of the strategic vision was provided to the VCAT as read-ahead material. 

He began by reminding the VCAT that in the reauthorization for NIST, the NIST Director, through the Associate 

Director for Laboratory Programs, was directed to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the Laboratory 

Programs. Dr. Rochford described the process for identifying four high-level priorities to best position NIST in 

ten years

These four areas were grouped into two themes: provide a foundation of trust in new industries and apply new 

technologies to revolutionize commerce through quantum measurements. The first theme included two 

“vertical” programs: enabling the future bio-economy through engineered biological systems and unleashing the 

economic potential of the IoT. The second theme focused on “horizontal” capabilities, which include AI and 

Data and Quantum SI.

Dr. Rochford asked the Committee to consider and provide input on the following:

• Are these the right priorities?

• Is NIST approaching each priority the right way?

• What are the important considerations in implementation?

• How to balance with the legacy programs?

For more information, see Dr. Rochford’s presentation.

Working Session 1: Bio-economy – Dr. Laurel Miner, Program Analyst, PCO

Dr. Miner provided the VCAT with the NIST Laboratory Program’s vision in engineering biology. This vision was 

developed by a team of scientists and experts from across the NIST laboratories with expertise ranging from 

biology and biochemistry to physics to modeling. She began by highlighting recent advances in technology

including next-generation DNA sequencing, ‘omics’ technology, and targeted gene-editing tools such as 

CRISPR/Cas9. NIST should provide the measurement tools and standards to establish predictable system 

design and confidence in the products of those systems. Doing so will build on NIST’s current capabilities in 

genomic measurement assurance, imaging technologies, sensors and nanoscale devices, and data and AI 

technology, as well as existing partnerships in industrial biomanufacturing, with academic laboratories, and 

stakeholder communities across biopharmaceuticals and synthetic biology.

Dr. Miner then outlined the vision and strategies for NIST in the bio-economy. The NIST expert team 

envisioned a future where biological systems can be intentionally and efficiently engineered to produce robust, 

safe, and trusted outcomes, enabling a growing bio-economy. To enable this vision, NIST will develop a 

measurement toolkit to quantitatively define critical attributes and performance metrics for engineered biological 

systems and associated bio-manufactured products; and support the development of foundational knowledge 

of enabling engineering principles that harness the controlling forces of biological systems. Dr. Miner 
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emphasized that these two aspects are fundamentally intertwined. Dr. Miner concluded by stating this is an 

ambitious vision, and that it will be important that NIST is judicious about particular areas of focus.

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- Overlap with other government agencies, such as the National Institute of Health.

- Engineering a biological system and how it interacts with other systems and measurements.

- How to optimize the system and make it reproducible and consistent.

- How to find areas of focus, for example road maps from the National Institute for Innovation in 

Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals and other partners.

- Ensure NIST is not doing just marginal changes but, best-in-the-world research initiatives. 

For more information, see Dr. Miner’s presentation.

Working Session 2: AI & Data – Dr. Heather Evans, Senior Program Analyst, PCO

Dr. Evans briefed the Committee on the vision for artificial intelligence (AI) and data science developed by a

team of researchers from across the NIST Laboratory Programs. Increased interest in AI is driven by an 

increase in big data sources, better machine learning algorithms, and the improved capabilities of computers.

AI and data are essential to the future of research and scientific discovery, and will therefore be critical assets 

to NIST’s technical programs. In addition, AI and data promise to support industrial competitiveness, which is 

central to the NIST mission. Therefore, NIST’s roles in AI and data include both an internal role supporting 

NIST research, and an external role supporting trust in these technologies.

The vision developed by the AI and Data team was that NIST’s investigation and deployment of data and AI 

technologies builds confidence and trust that drives new measurement research outcomes and an expanded 

commercial marketplace. The strategies that will support this include efforts to build expertise, data and 

analysis, and infrastructure. 

NIST must grow its expertise in data engineering, data science, AI/machine learning methods, and improve its 

ability to match the appropriate analysis methods to different research domains. This expertise should be built 

both in-house and through partnering with academic, government, and industry leaders. NIST must also

increase cross-collaboration and centralized resources. A culture change within NIST is essential to make data 

usable across space and time, from acquisition to storage, access, and use of data. Finally, NIST needs a 

robust infrastructure to support faster data transfer, centralized storage, and shared computational resources 

for the application of modern tools for data analysis and AI algorithms. 

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- How to access the right talent from the right partners.

- Best practices and culture change from a corporate experience perspective.

- How to integrate advanced data analysis techniques into NIST’s programs.

- Develop a measurement of trust model for machine learning.
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- Determining trust for a system not familiar with.

- Keeping data sets and metadata in an appropriate standard form.

For more information, see Dr. Evans’ presentation.

Working Session 3: Quantum SI – Dr. David Gundlach, Rotating Program Analyst, 

PCO

Dr. Gundlach summarized for the Committee NIST’s vision for the Quantum SI (International System of Units). 

The vision of the Quantum SI rests on the planned redefinition of the SI, which, when coupled with NIST’s 

leadership in quantum science, will enable NIST to transform how metrology is disseminated. Quantum SI 

devices provide a true value or no value at all, and have intrinsic traceability. In addition, these quantum 

measurement technologies will advance other fields of quantum science like computing and communications.

NIST’s vision for Quantum is to revolutionize commerce through quantum measurement by leading the 

transition to the Quantum SI paradigm. This will yield transformational benefits in industrial efficiencies, safety, 

healthcare, and security. The three strategies that will enable this vision are to realize practical quantum SI 

devices and enabling technologies; improve foundational quantum science and metrology; and create new 

pathways for technology transfer and Quantum SI adoption. 

To develop practical Quantum SI devices and enabling technologies, NIST will need to invest in building 

quantum sensors from new materials, as well as expertise in interfacing classical systems with quantum 

technologies. To ensure further leadership in the foundational quantum science necessary to advance the 

Quantum SI, NIST must develop understanding and control methodology for harnessing the benefits of 

quantum many-body and entangled systems. NIST also needs to engage external stakeholders at early stages 

of R&D to understand what will matter to industry. Finally, to ensure that these Quantum SI technologies are 

used, NIST needs to develop a spectrum of new dissemination methodologies. This will include new methods 

and partnerships for technology transfer of Quantum SI devices. 

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- How to isolate any quantum devices from impurities or temperature effect that would disrupt the 

quantum phase.

- Discovering what is the best measurement that can be done with complete confidence away from 

NIST.

- What is NIST doing in the area of quantum memory.

For more information, see Dr. Gundlach’s presentation.

Working Session 4: IoT – Dr. Ajit Jillavenkatesa, Senior Policy Advisor, PCO

Dr. Jillavenkatesa briefed the committee on the vision for NIST in the Internet of Things (IoT), developed by an 

interdisciplinary team of experts from across the NIST laboratories. IoT’s impact on the economy is growing, in 

areas ranging from medical devices and supply chains to retail environments to the factory setting. The 

reasons for the trend are two-fold; a reduction in the cost of getting connected and the global growth of the 

middle class, which will be a big consumer of IoT technologies. 
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The vision developed by the expert team is that NIST is recognized for developing measurement solutions, and 

implementation practices that will expedite large-scale adoption of interoperable and trustworthy IoT solutions, 

helping realize the full potential of connecting humans, systems, and devices. NIST can reduce the time to 

market and catalyze more reliable and trusted applications of the IoT. 

The three key elements of NIST’s approach in IoT are connectivity, interoperability, and trust (security and 

privacy), which are all underpinned by data for control and analytics. For connectivity, how can NIST help 

ensure networks have the capacity to connect to the potentially billions of new devices and will the devices 

work as they are designed to. NIST’s interest in interoperability is focused on technical barriers, rather than 

business-level interoperability. NIST’s strategies focus on the measurements and research for development of 

IoT systems; the tools that can support the deployment and the operation of the IoT systems; and, the strategic 

collaborations and partnerships to understand stakeholders needs and drive standards development.

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- Aspects to consider given the exponential differences between industry investments in IoT 

technologies and applications as well as NIST’s current and future investments.

- How to support industry with externalities that are out of NIST’s control.

- NIST’s role in creating classifications for IoT systems.

For more information, see Dr. Jillavenkatesa’s presentation.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

SESSION III: MANAGEMENT RESOURCES SERVICE DELIVERY

NIST Service Delivery Plan – Mr. Del Brockett, Associate Director for Management 

Resources

Mr. Brocket briefed the VCAT on his plans to improve the delivery of services provided by the management 

resources directorate to ensure more efficient and effective delivery of the NIST mission. He began by 

describing how NIST approaches and structures its services within the Management Resources (MR)

directorate. MR, which provides services to both campuses, has about 1,100 staff or contractors and a budget 

of approximately $175 million annually. MR includes finance, acquisitions, safety, security, facilities, human 

resources, and information technology, as well as offices that provide for civil rights and diversity, the NIST 

library function, and fabrication. 

The agility and flexibility demanded by NIST’s mission are not being met by the performance of the MR 

services. NIST will invest in a service management framework to become a transparent data-driven 

organization, which will enable MR to not only align to the NIST mission, but to also benchmark with industry 

leaders. This improvement will require more data about the current performance of those services. MR’s 

strategic approach will also include efforts to strengthen partnership and governance models between 

programmatic and service organizations, as well as better risk appetite alignment with the NIST mission. 
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Ideally, service management involves engineered processes, which requires understanding what those 

processes are, and ensuring that they are optimized and standardized. That process engineering must be 

focused on the customer need. 

Mr. Brockett next described the three current capabilities that MR has in place to improve service management:

service teams that engineer and deploy internal services, an online service portal, and a walk-in service desk.

Next, Mr. Brockett shared a examples of where service management have decreased process time, costs, and 

downtime across IT, reimbursable agreements, and hiring. 

Mr. Brockett next summarized the next steps for implementing service management at NIST. MR must still 

demonstrate that service management can transform customers’ experiences; make it easier for external 

customers to interact and collaborate with NIST; and create a sustainable model that can react to 

organizational changes and create competitive advantages.

To improve the customer experience, MR plans to align processes to match customer needs. Mr. Brockett 

would like to develop process packages that automatically and transparently guide customers through common 

actions. NIST’s external customers will experience the same benefits of improved processes as internal

customers. In addition, there are plans for new e-commerce storefronts for NIST’s measurement services and 

improved processes that include external parties.

Last, Mr. Brocket outlined the components of his plans to create a sustainable model. Since a critical 

component is improving understanding of customer needs, MR service organizations are creating a set of 

advisory boards as a pilot effort. The advisory boards will be composed of internal stakeholders and are asked 

to identify priorities in service areas. The data obtained would be rolled into an annual process, with the goal of 

improving the understanding of customer needs, evaluating performance objectively, improving the 

understanding of services, and then focus on making additional improvements.

Discussion: 

The group discussed the following topics:

- How the VCAT pursues alignment between mission and support organizations.

- How the VCAT approaches service delivery strategically within their organizations.

- Importance of embedding service providers within programs.

- What if any are shared challenges and opportunities.

- Group staff meetings verses a pilot of advisory boards

For more information, see Mr. Brockett’s presentation.

SESSION IV: NEXT STEPS AND ADJOURN

Administrative Business

Dr. Colwell mentioned the elections or the VCAT Chair and Vice Chair will take place as part of the February 

2018 meeting. Both positions will be elected for a two-year term beginning April 1, 2018, and ending March 31, 

2020. As a reminder, members cannot serve on the Committee for more than two consecutive terms. If the 

elected Chair or Vice Chair is a member whose second term on the VCAT ends before the end of the term of 

the Chair or Vice Chair, the VCAT will hold interim elections to select a member to complete the remainder of 

the term. Candidates must be willing to serve and be familiar with NIST and VCAT operations. 
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Lastly, Dr. Copan officially took the reins as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology 

and NIST Director. 

There were no public comments offered.

In closing, the VCAT members thanked Dr. Rochford for his leadership of VCAT and as the Acting NIST 

Director.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 AM. 

I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge; the forgoing minutes are accurate and complete.

Stephanie Shaw, Designated Federal Officer, NIST Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology

Dr. Rita Colwell, Chair, NIST Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology