Director’s Update

Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology

October 18-19, 2011

Dr. Patrick Gallagher

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and 

NIST Director
Changes at Commerce: Leadership

John Bryson has been nominated as new Secretary

– Chairman and CEO Edison International 

– Co-founder, Natural Resources Defense Council

– Board Member Walt Disney, Boeing, other corporations

– Nomination has moved to Senate Floor

Rebecca Blank, Undersecretary for Economic 

Affairs, is currently the acting Secretary
Changes at NIST: Leadership

Willie May

AD for Laboratory

Programs

Michael Molnar

Chief Manufacturing

Officer

George Jenkins

Chief Financial

Officer
Standards policy

• NSTC Subcommittee on Standards Report on Federal Engagement 

in Standards Activities to Address National Priorities released Oct. 

2011.

- Provides an overview of current legal and policy frameworks for 

government engagement in private-sector standardization and 

conformity-assessment activities

- Summarizes stakeholder observations in response to the Dec. 2010 RFI 

issued by NIST

- Outlines policy recommendations to supplement existing guidance to 

agencies.

• Report illustrates the role of government in the development of 

private sector standards in cybersecurity, smart grid, health IT, and 

public safety communications, which are key to broad deployment of 

advanced technology in these sectors.
Budget Control Act

• Agreement immediately enacted 10-year 

discretionary spending caps, resulting in 

$1T in deficit reduction (balanced 

between domestic and defense 

programs).

• Bipartisan committee tasked with 

identifying and recommending an 

additional $1.5T in deficit reduction to be 

phased in beginning in FY13, will be 

considering entitlements and tax reform.

• If committee is unable to agree to deficit 

reductions, automatic spending 

reductions (balanced between domestic 

and defense programs) will be triggered 

in FY13.
Budget Control Act

0.90

0.95

1.00

1.05

1.10

1.15

1.20

1.25

1.30

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21

President

Compromise

Non-defense Discretionary Spending ($T) Comparison
NIST Budget Trends FY 2006 – FY 2012

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Request

Appropriation

House Mark

Senate Mark

NIST Appropriations History ($M)

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

$M

FY
NIST FY 2010 – FY 2012 Budget Summary

FY 2012 FY 2012

FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 House Senate

Enacted Enacted Request Mark Mark

STRS $515.0 $497.4 1/ $678.9 $517.0 $500.0 2/

Laboratory Programs 494.9 463.2 630.2

Baldrige Perf. Excellence 9.6

Corporate Services 16.8 18.8 19.5

Stds Coord. and Spec. Prgs. 15.4 29.2

Δ from FY 2011 Enacted 181.5 19.6 2.6

ITS $194.6 $182.8 1/ $237.6 $128.4 $120.0

Advanced Manu. Tech. Consort. 12.3

Technology Innovation Prg. 69.9 44.8 75.0

Baldrige Perf. Excellence Prg. 9.6 7.7

Hollings Manuf. Ext. Prg. 124.7 128.4 142.6 128.4 120.0

Δ from FY 2011 Enacted 54.8 (54.4) (62.8)

CRF $147.0 $69.9 $84.6 $55.4 $60.0 3/

 Const. & Major Renovations 22.0 12.0 25.4 25.4 0.0

Saf. Cap., Maint., Maj. Repairs 58 57.9 59.2 30.0 60.0

Competitive Const. Grant Prg. 20

Congressional Projects 47

Δ from FY 2011 Enacted 14.7 (14.5) (9.9)

Total, NIST Discretionary 856.6 750.1 1,001.1 700.8 680.0

Δ from FY 2011 Enacted 251.0 (49.3) (70.1)

PSIF $0.0 $0.0 $100.0 $0.0 $0.0

Public Safety Innovation Fund 100.0

Total NIST $856.6 $750.1 $1,101.1 $700.8 $680.0

1/ Adjusted transfer of Baldrige Perf. Excellence Prg. from STRS to ITS after the approval of NIST reorganization in FY 2010.

2/ Senate report language stipulates $10M for National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCOE) and $24M for National Strategy for Trusted Identities 

 in Cyberspace.

3/ Report language says the $60M is for both highest-priority construction and SCMMR.
24th General Conference on Weights and Measures

(CGPM)

• CGPM is held in Paris every four years to discuss and examine 

issues related to the propagation and improvement of the 

International System of Units (SI), including new fundamental 

metrologies.

• Technical Issues for this meeting:

- Setting the stage for a future revision of the SI

- Placing measurements for monitoring climate change on an SI 

traceable basis

- Revision of the mise en pratique of the meter and development 

of new optical frequency standards

- Adoption of a common terrestrial reference system
NIST and the new SI

• Efforts are underway to switch from an artifactbased definition of the kilogram to one based on a 

fundamental constant.

• Two different approaches are in progress at NIST:

- International Avogadro Project: Redefinition of 

Avogadro’s Number (NA) on the basis of number of 

atoms in a silicon crystal sphere; total relative 

uncertainty must be ≤ 1 x 10-8 to be relevant to 

realization of the kilogram.

- Watt-balance experiment: Calculation of Planck’s 

constant, h, by balancing gravity with an 

electromagnetic force.
Recognition of NIST Staff

Dr. John Cahn

2011 Kyoto Prize for Fundamental 

Contributions to Materials Science

Dr. Dan Shechtman

2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry