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NIST Update and Agenda Review

Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology

October 7, 2014

Dr. Willie E. May

Acting NIST Director 

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
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Safety Update

Recordable case (RC)

• To a first approximation, an injury that 

required medical treatment beyond first aid

DART case

• An OSHA recordable that resulted in 

employee Days Away, Restricted duty, or job 

Transfer

Goal = Zero
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NIST Update – Discussion Topics

• NIST organizational update

– Budget

– Leadership

• Recognition of exceptional achievements by staff and our programs

• Programmatic updates

• Operational policy updates
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Budget Update

• President’s Request: $900M, includes +$29M for the Labs, 

+$13 for MEP and +$5M for coordinating the NNMI 

• House Mark: $856M

• Senate Mark: $900M

• US Government on Continuing Resolution through Dec. 11

FY 2015 Request

• DOC Request to OMB submitted in September

FY 2016 Request

• Planning has started

FY 2017 Request
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My Priorities as Acting Director

Fill key leadership vacancies (e.g., Directors of PML, EL, MEP, and the Standards Coordination 

Office)

Work with the Senior Leadership Team in: 

 Continuing to strengthen the NIST Safety Culture

 Completing the successful implementation of programs that NIST has initiated in 

response to pressing national needs

 Enhancing current and developing new capabilities needed to enhance mission 

delivery

 Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal operations –

• becoming an organization known and looked up to for our “Operational 

Excellence”

 Addressing long-term sustainability of the Baldrige Program

 Supporting the Secretary in the execution of the Department’s Strategic Plan

• personally leading/coordinating the Plan’s Innovation Goal Activities
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Priority: Filling Key Leadership Positions

Laboratory Director Positions Filled

- Dr. Howard Harary, Engineering Laboratory

- Dr. James Olthoff, Physical Measurement Laboratory

Will compete the positions for three other key leadership vacancies

- Associate Director for Laboratory Programs 

- Director, Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership

- Director, Standards Coordination Office
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Willie E. May Nominated .....

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 24, 2014

President Obama Announces More Key 

Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama 

announced his intent to nominate the following 

individuals to key Administration posts: 

• Tom Frieden – Representative of the United States 

on the Executive Board of the World Health 

Organization 

• Perry L. Holloway – Ambassador to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Department of State 

• Willie E. May – Under Secretary for Standards and 

Technology, Department of Commerce (and 

Director of NIST)

• Therese W. McMillan – Federal Transit 

Administrator, Department of Transportation

• Pamela Leora Spratlen – Ambassador to the 

Republic of Uzbekistan, Department of State

Dear NIST Team:

I am pleased to announce that yesterday President Obama nominated 

NIST’s own Willie May to be the next Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Standards and Technology and Director of NIST. Dr. May has had a long and 

distinguished career at Commerce, beginning in 1971 at the National Bureau 

of Standards and rising to the top of NIST, most recently as the Associate 

Director for Laboratory Programs. NIST is fortunate to have a leader who has 

dedicated his career to helping make it the world class institution it is today.

I look forward to working with Dr. May to ensure that NIST continues to be 

a leading scientific and technical institution that addresses some of our 

Nation’s most pressing challenges, including innovation, advanced 

manufacturing, and cybersecurity.

Please join me in congratulating Willie on this tremendous honor.

Sincerely,

Penny Pritzker

U.S. Secretary of Commerce
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NIST Director Requires Senate Confirmation

Presidential 

Nomination

•Nominated to be U/S for 

Standards and Technology 

on July 24, 2014

Senate Commerce, 

Science and 

Transportation 

Committee 

Deliberation

•Referred to Committee on 

July 28, 2014

•Hearing dates TBD

Full Senate Vote

•Following Committee 

outcome

•Date subject to Senate and 

Hill dynamics
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NIST Reauthorization

Recent movement in both the House 

and the Senate to reauthorize NIST

• House bill: NIST Reauthorization Act of 2014. 

Passed House in July.

• Senate bill: America Creating Opportunities to 

Meaningfully Promote Excellence in 

Technology, Education, and Science 

(COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2014. 

Referred to the Committee

Notable components of the reauthorization bills:

• Authorizes NIST Director to serve as the President’s principal advisor on standards 

(House and Senate)

• Lowers minimum cost share for MEP Centers to 50-50 (House and Senate)

• Lowers minimum VCAT membership to 11 (House) and 9 (Senate)

• Authorizes the National Institute for Standards and Technology Foundation (Senate)

• Removes requirement for NIST to work with National Security Agency in developing 

information systems standards (House)

Credit: Architect of the Capitol
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Deborah Jin Awarded 2014 Isaac Newton Medal

• The Isaac Newton Medal is awarded annually for 

“outstanding contributions to physics”

• The first woman to ever win this international award, 

Jin was cited for:

− "pioneering the field of quantum-degenerate Fermi 

gases“

− her ground-breaking work on ultracold atomic gases

Deborah Jin in her lab at JILA in 

Boulder, CO. (Courtesy: JILA)

"Jin is an outstanding, clever, creative scientist ... Her incredibly 

complex experiments have significantly advanced our 

understanding of the behaviour of electrons in materials." 

Ed Hinds of Imperial College London

(who also works with ultracold atoms) 
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Three NIST Scientists among the “World’s Most Influential Scientific 

Minds”

NIST and JILA (NIST/University of Colorado joint research institute)

• Dr. Debbie Jin

• Dr. Jun Ye 

Dr. Jin and Dr. Ye perform research on new forms of ultracold matter, barely 

above absolute zero, including the world’s first human-controlled chemical 

reactions, which could eventually lead to new designer materials that would 

not form in nature. 

Dr. Ye also performs world leading research on atomic clocks and new types of 

lasers.

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)

• Dr. Jeffrey Lynn 

Dr. Lynn develops unique neutron instruments at the NCNR and uses them to 

learn about the fundamental properties of materials used in superconductors, 

magnetic storage devices, and many other applications.

The list of Influential Scientific Minds was compiled by Thomson Reuters who analyzed how many times 

papers written by scientists across the world were cited by other researchers from 2002-2012. 
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Congratulations

Laurie Locascio 

Meritorious Service Award, American National Standards 

Institute 

Her leadership skills, technical expertise, and diplomatic 

demeanor have made her an excellent representative of the US 

while leading nanotechnology-related standard-setting 

committees of the ISO

Terry Lynch 

Harold Metcalf Award, Federal Laboratory Consortium for 

Technology Transfer 

For sustained and significant service in technology transfer.
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Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility Exceeds Goal

• The Net-Zero Energy Residential Test 

Facility ended its one year study 

period with:

• Savings of over $4300/year or 

$364/month in electricity bills, 

by the home’s virtual residents

• Plus, a net positive energy 

balance of 491 kwh, enough 

energy to drive an electric car 

1440 miles.

• Moving forward, this facility will be 

used to provide the scientific basis for 

tests and standards for building 

energy efficiency and environmental 

performance
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NIST Researchers produce ultra-enriched Si28 (99.99996%)

• Silicon-based quantum computing technologies 

require isotopically pure 28Si in order to achieve 

the coherence times necessary to succeed.

• Nearly all existing 28Si was manufactured in a 

repurposed plutonium enrichment plant in St. 

Petersburg, which is prohibitively expensive to 

commission for research endeavors

• PML researchers use common lab equipment in 

a mass spectrometric technique to enrich 28Si to 

99.99996% and deposit crystalline films (see 

STM image at right)

• As the electrical properties of the enriched 28Si 

are refined, NIST will use this unique material to 

build and measure the fundamental qubit 

devices that will form a Si quantum computer 100 nm 

28Si film
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NIST Megacities Carbon Project named “Project to Watch”

The Megacities Carbon Project was 

launched in 2012 to determine how to 

measure the greenhouse gases that 

cities produce. 

• Includes support by NIST, NASA, NOAA, 

and the Keck Institute for Space 

Studies

• Has expanded to include DOE labs, 

universities, California Air Resources 

Board, and international partners

• Pilot started in Los Angeles, second 

observing system now in Paris, France 

and potential to expand to Sao Paulo, 

Brazil

Sensor networks in the Megacities Carbon 

Project generate huge amounts of data. This 

data drew accolades in the Big Data Climate 

Challenge, hosted by U.N. Global Pulse and 

the U.N. Secretary General’s Climate Change 

Support Team.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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New MEP Strategic Plan

 Significant planning effort in FY14

 Several areas of focus include:

• Technology Acceleration

• Supply Chain

• Manufacturing Ecosystems

• Data as Intelligence

MEP System Competition

 Full recompetition of MEP system over three years

 First Federal Funding Opportunity – Published August 1; Closes Oct 15

 Round 1 includes 10 States (Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New 

Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia)

 Selection of Proposed Awardees anticipated mid-December

Program Update: Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership
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Program Update: National Network for Manufacturing 

Innovation (NNMI)

• Five institutes have been established 

through executive action. At least two 

more are planned for the coming months

• Enabling legislation – the Revitalizing 

American Manufacturing Innovation Act –

in process; authorizes NNMI at $300M

 Passed House on September 16, 2014

 Passed Senate sub-committee on August 

26, 2014, has 16 sponsors

• National Network for Manufacturing 

Innovation Day on the Hill held September 

18, 2014 – with almost 200 attendees

Photos from NNMI Day on the Hill
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Program Update: NIST Centers of Excellence

NIST FY2014 appropriations include $8M to 

expand the Centers of Excellence program. We 

will establish new COEs in:

• Disaster Resilience

o Develop integrated, systems-based computational 

models to assess community infrastructure 

resilience and guide community-level resilience 

investment decisions

o Received strong response (closed Sept. 12, 2014)

o Expect to make award in early 2015

• Forensic Science

o Develop probabilistic methods to support the 

forensic science disciplines, focusing Pattern 

Evidence and Digital Evidence

o Proposals due by December 13, 2014

Jace Anderson/FEMA

Credit: NIST
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Helping Strengthen the “Science” in Forensic Science

A landmark forensics report by U.S. National Research Council 

of the National Academies was issued in Feb. 2009.

“With the exception of nuclear DNA analysis, no forensic method has been 

rigorously shown to have the capacity to consistently, and with a high degree of 

certainty, demonstrate a connection between evidence and a specific individual 

or source.”

New Role for NIST:

• With US DoJ, establish a National Commission on Forensic Science 

- to help improve the reliability of forensic science data/information and to develop policy 

recommendations for the U.S. Attorney General.

- to be comprised of forensic science practitioners, academic researchers, prosecutors, 

defense attorneys, judges, and other relevant stakeholders

• Administer Guidance Groups of subject-matter experts for specific forensic disciplines

• Conduct Laboratory-based Research to:

- Validate select existing forensic science methods and guidance

- Develop and critically evaluate new methods 
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Program Update: Forensics and OSAC

• Under DOJ-NIST MOU, NIST is responsible for developing the Organization of Scientific 

Committees (OSAC), which is the practice-focused organization of the National Commission on 

Forensic Science.

• OSAC organizational structure consists of:

SAC = Scientific Area Committee

Sub = Subcommittee

Firearms & Toolmarks Sub 

Questioned Documents Sub

Friction Ridge Sub

Blood Stain Pattern Analysis 

Sub

Footwear & Tire Tread Sub

SAC

Physics/Pattern

SAC

Biology/DNA

DNA Analysis Sub1

Wildlife Forensics Sub

DNA Analysis Sub2

SAC 

Chemistry/ 

Instrumental Analysis

Controlled Substances Sub

Fire Debris and Explosives 

Sub (lab)

Materials (Trace) Sub

Toxicology Sub

Geological Materials Sub

Gunshot Residue Sub

SAC

Crime Scene/ 

Death Investigation

Anthropology Sub

Disaster Victim Identification 

Sub

Medical/Legal Death 

Investigation Sub

Dogs and Sensors Sub

Fire Scene and Explosives 

Sub 

Odontology Sub

SAC

IT/Multimedia

Imaging Technologies Sub

Facial Identification Sub

Speaker Recognition Sub 

Digital Evidence
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Program Update: National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence 

(NCCoE)

• In February 2014, NIST, Maryland, and Montgomery County signed an Agreement to:

− Enable further collaboration

− Expand programs 

− Identify a facility to serve as NCCoE’s permanent home

The Montgomery County Executive and MD Governor have requested $4.5M in 

each of their respective budgets to support renovation and leasing of the facility.

• NCCoE will be a Federally Funded Research and Development Center – the first 

FFRDC in DOC. 

• Use cases/building blocks include:

Health Sector: IT Mobile Device

Energy Sector: Identity and Access Management

Situational Awareness

Financial Services: Access Rights Management

IT Asset Management

Building Blocks: Trusted Geolocation in the Cloud

Software Asset Management

Attribute Based Access Control

Mobile Device Access Control

Credit: Kauffman/NIST

NCCoE Partners include: 

Akamai 

Intel 

redhat

CA technologies 

Juniper Networks 

Splunk

Cisco 

Lumeta

Symantec

HP

McAfee

Tripwire

Hytrust

Microsoft

Vanguard

I/DW

paloalto networks

Venafi

RSA
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National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE)

• On Sept 23rd, NIST awarded FFRDC 

contract to MITRE, a not-for-profit 

company that operates multiple FFRDCs 

for DOD and FAA.

• MITRE has existing expertise in 

cybersecurity, as well as systems 

engineering and advanced technologies

• First task orders include:

• Use Case Development and Implementation 

($6M over 2 years)

• Building Block Development and 

Demonstration ($5.5M over 2 years)

• Operations Management and Facilities 

Planning Support ($17.6M over 5 years) 
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Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

Raising awareness, encouraging use, and 

gaining feedback about experiences with the 

framework

• Working with stakeholders, domestic and 

international, to encourage use of the framework 

and achieve critical mass

• Gathering information about use, challenges, and 

gaps to inform future iterations of framework

• Issued an RFI on August 26, 2014 for experience 

implementing the Framework

Advancing areas identified in the 

Cybersecurity Framework Roadmap

• Authentication

• Automated Indicator Sharing

• Conformity Assessment

• Cybersecurity Workforce

• Data Analytics

• Federal Agency Cybersecurity 

Alignment

• International Aspects, 

Impacts, and Alignment

• Supply Chain Risk 

Management

• Technical Privacy Standards
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Cyber-Physical Systems Global City Teams Challenge 

• Cities around the world are turning to advanced technologies to improve services, 

promote economic growth, and enhance the quality of life – to become Smart 

Cities

• NIST is launching the Global City Teams Challenge to encourage collaboration and 

standards for interoperability in smart cities

• The Global City Teams Challenge:

• Expands on the success of the NIST SmartAmerica Challenge 

• Facilitates partnerships among city planners and technology innovators

• Gives participants the chance to contribute to the NIST Smart Cities Framework

• Includes ARM, Cisco, Extreme Networks, GE, IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks, and 

Qualcomm

• Kick-off Workshop – Sep 29-30

• TechJam – Feb 2015

• Summit/Expos – Jun 2015
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NIST Partnering with NFL in Head Health Challenge

In September, NIST signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate 

with the National Football League, Under Armour, Inc., and General Electric 

Company 

• Will launch a prize challenge focusing on research and technologies to 

develop advanced energy absorbing materials

• Will utilize NIST expertise in materials testing and assessment 

Activity is highly aligned with the NIST efforts under the 

Administration’s Materials Genome Initiative
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NIST Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Program

This new program will accelerate the development and commercialization of new 

technologies and grow new business opportunities around the NIST campuses 

As highly trained scientists and engineers, NIST postdoctoral researchers are an 

underutilized resource for spin-offs and development of new products

• Entrepreneurial Training

• Program participants will take advantage of 

approved entrepreneurship training activities

• Entrepreneurs-in-Residence will serve as 

valuable consultants

• Research & Development Awards

• Competitive program for NIST post-docs 

completing their research program

• Focus on directed R&D to ready a 

technology for commercial application
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NIST Plan for Managing Public Access

1: Data 

Management 

Plans

•NIST laboratory directors 

are managing this 

implementation

• Plans describe what data is 

being generated, how it will 

be stored and accessed 

•DMP required for data 

generated starting October 

1, 2014

2: NIST 

Metadata 

Catalog

• Currently NIST is posting 

limited data sets to an 

inventory

•Q2 FY15: Pilot phase of 

enterprise data tool

•Metadata will be required 

for applicable data 

generated starting October 

1, 2015

3: NIST 

Publications

• Publications will be publicly 

accessible (PubMed, GPO)

•NIST-authored publications 

dated after October 1, 2015 

must be deposited within 

12 months of publication 

• Similar policy applies 

starting October 1, 2016 for 

awardees from non-NIST 

organizations

NIST is initiating new activities in support of 

several recent White House directives on 

public access to federally funded data. 

• These plans utilize a new taxonomy for 

describing NIST research data.

• Three phases: 
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Enhancing Mission Delivery –

Use of Human Subjects in Research

Background

• Many unethical studies and atrocities in the late 20th Century led to the need to protect 

humans who were subjects of research.

• The current rules and regulations governing such research are captured in the “Common 

Rule” which applies to NIST and DOC

• NIST current interpretation and implementation of these regulations has led to significant 

delays for both internal and external work.

Process

• Program Coordination Office led a team from MR, Labs, and IIS to revise the current policy 

specifically addressing:

• Lack of awareness of responsibilities

• Unclear processes and procedures

• Lack of full time staff to keep process running efficiently 

Results

• Team has drafted a new policy and procedures (undergoing clearance) in line with best 

practices at other agencies and universities

• Working to recruit dedicated Human Subjects Protection Professionals to manage and run 

process
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Enhancing Mission Delivery –

Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal operations 

• Effective Mission Delivery requires Operational Excellence in Key Functions:

- Acquisitions

- Agreements

- Human Resources

- Legal Services

• “Task Forces” have been established where each is to provide me and the ADs with 

input as to:

- What success might look like in their area?

- What is currently working well?

- What is currently hindering success?

- What should we be doing to fix these barriers?

Each Task Force will:

- Involve customers from across NIST and Management Resource 

process owners

- Challenge the status quo

- Recommend process improvement solutions

- Report back to me every 30 days with completion by first of 2015
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VCAT Meeting Agenda

Session I: Overview and Safety

Session II: Cryptographic Review

NIST’s Response to VCAT Recommendations, Anticipated Actions

Chuck Romine, Director, Information Technology Laboratory

Session III: Disaster Resilience Plan

Context Setting

Willie May

Overview of Disaster Resilience Plan Changes, Framework, and Community Resilience Center of Excellence

Jason Averill, Acting Division Chief, Materials and Structural Systems Division, Engineering Laboratory

Howard Harary, Director of Engineering Laboratory

Session IV: Healthy NIST: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Scientific and Technical Talent

Context Setting

Willie May

Ensuring a Healthy NIST for the Future: The People Perspective

Susanne Porch, Director, Office of Human Resource Management

Session V: Advanced Communications

Context Setting

Willie May

NIST’s Programmatic Approach to Advanced Communications

Kent Rochford, Director, Communications Technology Laboratory

NTIA’s Programmatic Approach to Advanced Communications

Glenn Reynolds, Chief of Staff, National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Stakeholder Perspective

Sue Swenson, Chair, First Responder Network Authority Board of Directors

Tom Taylor, Department of Defense

Session VI: Close and Administrative Business