VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY 

National Institute of Standards and Technology

2008 Annual Report 

  

Visiting Committee on Advanced 

Technology  

of  the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

February 24, 2009 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Preface

The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) of the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) was established in its present form by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 

1988 and updated by the America COMPETES Act. The VCAT charter includes reviewing and making 

recommendations regarding general policy for NIST, its organization, budget and programs within the 

framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the president and the Congress. In addition, the 

America COMPETES Act calls for the VCAT to comment on NIST’s three-year programmatic plan in its 

annual report to Congress This 2008 annual report covers March 2008 through the February 2009 

meeting. 

The Committee reviews the Institute’s strategic direction, performance and policies, and provides the 

Secretary of Commerce, Congress, and other stakeholders with information on the value and relevance 

of NIST to the U.S. science and technology base and to the economy. Over the past year, the Committee 

has been active in assessing NIST’s progress in the following areas: 

• Agency efforts to promote and support U.S. technological innovation and industrial 

competitiveness 

• Strategic planning and performance 

 

The Committee reviews a significant portion of NIST programs through direct discussion with NIST 

leaders, scientists, and engineers. Reactions and observations are presented candidly to the NIST senior 

management and other attendees at each meeting. This feedback encourages continuous improvement 

in key areas in the overall operation. The Committee also visits various NIST laboratories and satellite 

facilities to discuss the research projects directly with the technical staff. These laboratory tours help the 

committee assess the impact of NIST research, determine their progress towards meeting the goals of 

the strategic plan, and the efficacy of the facility infrastructure. 

The charter of the Committee provides that the Director of NIST shall appoint the members of the 

Committee. Members shall be selected on a clear, standardized basis, in accordance with applicable 

Department of Commerce guidance. Members shall be selected solely on the basis of established 

records of distinguished service; shall provide representation of a cross-section of traditional and 

emerging United States industries; and shall be eminent in fields such as business, research, new 

product development, engineering, labor, education, management consulting, environment, and 

international relations. No employee of the Federal Government shall serve as a member of the 

Committee. Members are appointed for staggered three-year terms. 

Four new members were appointed to VCAT during 2008: Dr. Peter F. Green (University of Michigan), Dr. 

Alan I. Taub (General Motors Corporation), Dr. Pradeep K. Khosla (Carnegie Mellon University), and Dr. 

Ruzena Bajcsy (University of California, Berkeley). 

This report highlights the Committee’s observations, findings and recommendations. Detailed meeting 

minutes and presentation materials are available on the NIST web site at www.nist.gov/director/vcat. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

ii

VCAT Members During the Period Covered by this Report

Dr. James W. Serum, Chair 

Scitek Ventures 

Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Vice Chair 

Google 

Dr. Thomas M. Baer 

Stanford University 

Dr. Ruzena Bajcsy 

University of California, Berkeley 

Dr. Paul A. Fleury 

Yale University 

Dr. Peter Green 

University of Michigan 

Dr. Lou Ann Heimbrook 

Senior Business and Scientific Executive 

Dr. Pradeep Khosla 

Carnegie Mellon University 

Dr. Elsa Reichmanis 

Georgia Institute of Technology 

Dr. Alan I. Taub 

General Motors Corp. 

Mr. Robert T. Williams 

Caterpillar, Inc. 

Table of Contents

VCAT Focus in 2008 ................................................................................................................................. 1

NIST Enabling Partnerships .................................................................................................................... 1  

NIST Role in Economic Growth in the United States .......................................................................... 3

NIST Role in Technological Innovation and Industrial Competitiveness ......................................... 4

NIST Strategic Planning and Performance ........................................................................................... 5

NIST Three‐Year Programmatic Plan .................................................................................................... 8

NIST Management, Leadership and Staffing ....................................................................................... 8  

NIST Budget .............................................................................................................................................. 9  

Safety at NIST ..........................................................................................................................................  9
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

VCAT Focus in 2008

In 2007, the VCAT activities were primarily focused around three critically important industrial segments, 

namely Bioscience, Nanotechnology and Information Technology. The VCAT created three 

subcommittees and discussions included both VCAT member experts, members of the NIST staff, and at 

times representatives from these industries. The 2007 Annual Report describes the results of those 

reviews. Although these topics remained important for NIST, this past year (2008) the VCAT was asked 

to participate in a “dialog” on several important questions being considered by the NIST management. 

The overarching NIST question to be addressed by VCAT in conjunction with NIST staff was: 

“How can NIST best prepare for, deal with and adapt to changes in the scientific 

and technological enterprise and in the global economy and society in order to 

continue to effectively meet our mission?” 

Relative to this general question, VCAT was specifically asked to work with the NIST team during its 

meetings to address the following questions: 

• What are the most productive kinds of interactions and relationships between NIST and other 

institutions – including industry, academia, and state/regional organizations -- in a time of 

change? 

• What steps can NIST take to guard against technological surprise and to ensure that we 

continually identify and work on novel areas of technology? 

• Considering recent developments in science, technology and global conditions, what changes 

should NIST consider in order to best support the nation’s needs in: 

• manufacturing, 

• the service sector, including healthcare, 

• sustainability, including energy and the environment? 

Our 2008 VCAT Annual Report addresses our observations, findings and recommendations for these 

topics as well as some comments about the NIST budget, management and staffing, and NIST’s 

approach to strategic planning. 

NIST Enabling Partnerships

NIST has developed a wide array of approaches for creating, transferring, and encouraging the effective 

use of the technical knowledge needed for innovation. Many of the discussions of the Committee this 

year were directed at creating effective partnerships through diversity, focused purpose, and careful 

selection of partners. The Committee notes that NIST continues to create productive new or continuing 

technology partnerships including: 

• The Joint Quantum Institute 

• Technology Innovation Program (TIP) 

• Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 

• Program for Regional Innovation: Nanoelectronics Research Initiative Model 

• A revised Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) agreement with University of 

Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) 

• Hollings Marine Laboratory (with NOAA) 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST has been lauded by the University of Colorado for its successful and longstanding JILA partnership 

and by the Semiconductor Research Corporation for its technical and financial contributions to the 

Nanoelectronics Research Initiative partnership. The Committee encourages NIST to continue this 

tradition of innovative partnering while being careful not to overextend and to ensure the geographic 

diversity of its partners (i.e., not be too limited by proximity). 

NIST has done a good job of leveraging its 2,800 employees, using resources across the nation. NIST is 

applauded for its efficient and national level of interactions and use of local, state, regional, and national 

experts and partners (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1

People: NIST Staff and Partners in 2007 (over 12,000)

(Includes NIST Employees, Associates, Facility Users, MEP Field Staff, Co-authors, NQP Examiners 

and Others, NVLAP Assessors, and Weights and Measures Officials)

# of NIST Staff and 

Partners

Copyright © and (P) 1988–2006 Microsoft Corporation and/or its suppliers. All rights reserved. http://www.microsoft.com/mappoint/

Portions © 1990–2005 InstallShield Software Corporation. All rights reserved. Certain mapping and direction data © 2005 NAVTEQ. All 

rights reserved.

9 Recommendation: NIST has a highly respected and successful program to bring in researchers 

to NIST facilities. This has a significant impact on outside organizations learning about NIST 

and leveraging their internal facilities for the benefit of U.S. industry. We would encourage 

the management team to also consider the reverse, sending its own resources to industrial 

facilities. The benefit to the organization is that the individual is able to work with many of 

his/her peers in industry rather than gaining insight from one individual coming to NIST. 

9 Recommendation: Although NIST is highly leveraged with many successful partnerships, it is 

the general view of VCAT members that the partnerships are often created because of 

proximity to a NIST facility or based on some other factor. We encourage NIST to seek out 

the “best” partner (academic, industrial, government) in the country regardless of geography 

or other association. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Role in Economic Growth in the United States

In this time of rapid technological change and economic distress, the VCAT believes that NIST has a very 

important role to play in the economic well-being of the nation. NIST is the only Federal research agency 

specifically focused in its mission on promoting U.S. economic competitiveness and that has U.S. industry 

as its primary stakeholder. NIST strives to provide a comprehensive and highly productive toolkit of 

products and services in support of technological innovation. It is technological innovation that has been 

responsible for about half of the growth in U.S. GDP since WW II. The need for economic growth through 

innovation has never been greater. 

Furthermore, NIST provides the framework to perform high quality, accurate measurements which are an 

essential ingredient for supporting U.S. innovation. NIST is uniquely charged with developing 

measurement standards to support and promote U.S. competitiveness. NIST also plays a crucial role in 

helping to develop physical standards and voluntary consensus documentary standards to benefit 

industry and the work of the Federal government. 

NIST’s portfolio of products and services include technology research, the development of advanced 

measurements, the creation of standards, and programs that promote quality, enhance manufacturing 

efficiency, growth and technological innovation. The NIST Laboratories, Technology Innovation Program, 

Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and Baldrige National Quality Program are uniquely 

positioned to: 

• Increase the speed and breadth of economic growth by delivering research results at the cutting 

edge of technology and providing the tools needed to develop and fully exploit opportunities for 

new and improved products in manufacturing and service industries 

• Increase industrial productivity and lower service costs by attacking some of the largest 

inefficiencies in the economy from improvements in the quality of most technology sectors in the 

U.S., from health care to energy efficiency. 

Figure 2

NIST Laboratory Budget Relative to 

Industry-Funded R&D

0.00%

0.05%

0.10%

0.15%

0.20%

0.25%

0.30%

0.35%

0.40%

0.45%

1970

1973

1976

1979

1982

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

2000

2003

2006

The VCAT believes that support for a 

vibrant NIST is critical to developing and 

maintaining a stronger economy and a 

more competitive U.S. industry. Federal 

support for NIST has been falling relative 

to U.S. GDP and industry research for 

many decades (see Figure 2). As 

technology has become more and more 

important to the U.S. economy, the 

federal infrastructural support that NIST 

provides has been severely challenged 

for lack of funding. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Role in Technological Innovation and Industrial Competitiveness

The Committee examined the function and impact of many NIST programs. These programs cover a 

broad spectrum of technologies, industrial segments and NIST services: 

• The NIST Laboratories continue to be the premier measurement and standards laboratory in the 

world with the highest level of expertise. The measurement science performed at NIST is 

considered by VCAT as “state of the art” in many areas and this provides the foundation to 

enable many new technical innovations. NIST believes that it is only through measurement that 

one can see that an innovation is of real value and the level of true contribution. It is only through 

measurements that an innovation can be understood, improved, and made effective. We, the 

VCAT, strongly agree with this perspective. The advanced measurements and standards 

developed by NIST enable innovations to work in the framework of existing technology allowing 

new products to be commercially successful. The Committee believes that the NIST laboratories 

are the technical core of the whole agency and researchers are “world class” as evidenced by 

their awards both nationally and internationally, their publications, and their alliance partnerships. 

Their contribution has also been corroborated by economic impact studies to measure the 

effectiveness of their programs. A selected set of 19 economic studies show an average 44:1 

return on investment. While not all programs exhibit the same returns, some exceed this average 

and indicate the potential value of well-chosen efforts. 

• The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) is a new program this year and a significant departure 

from its predecessor. The new TIP program was formed as part of the America COMPETES Act 

for the purpose of assisting U.S. businesses and institutions of higher education or other 

organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutions, to support, 

promote, and accelerate innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research 

in areas of critical national need. TIP has implemented a system to identify and fund high-risk, 

high-reward research in areas of critical national need to address societal challenges. We 

commend TIP’s process including the use of the National Academies and the Science and 

Technology Policy Institute for identifying critical national needs. Their prescient selection of 

research to support infrastructure monitoring and inspection technologies matches the new 

Obama Administration’s priorities and economic incentive approaches. 

• The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which serves approximately 28,000 

clients, continues to focus on helping small and medium manufacturers in critical ways during this 

time of extreme economic duress. MEP programs on both improving the efficiency and growth of 

manufacturers positively impacts the employment and profitability of this important part of the 

U.S. economy. 

• The Baldrige National Quality Program encourages, educates, and rewards performance 

excellence in manufacturing, service, education, health care, small business, and nonprofit 

organizations. This NIST program provides an integrated approach towards delivering everimproving value to customers and stakeholders, which is a key driver of U.S. competitiveness and 

innovation. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Strategic Planning and Performance  

NIST has long participated in planning exercises with industry, federal agencies, measurement science 

and standards organizations and other stakeholders, and within NIST using economic planning studies. 

NIST has developed many excellent planning tools in recent years and they have done a good job of 

annual planning. We observe an ever increasing orientation toward gaining customer and industry 

segment input for helping to evaluate program priorities. This is fundamental to a good foundation for a 

comprehensive strategic plan. 

The VCAT is pleased to observe 

the beginnings of good strategic 

planning processes in various 

departments and labs. We 

commend the Deputy Director for 

embracing the importance of doing 

strategic planning throughout the 

organization and we understand 

that the implementation will take 

time. 

Figure 3

NIST Addresses National Priorities

Priorities in President Obama’s Agenda

NIST 

Investment 

Priority Areas

Economy Technology Energy and

Environment

Homeland 

Security

Defense

Energy zz z

Environment zz z

Manufacturing zz z zz

Health Care z z

Infrastructure zz z z

Information 

Technology zz z zz

Priorities in President Obama’s Agenda

NIST 

Investment 

Priority Areas

Economy Technology Energy and

Environment

Homeland 

Security

Defense

Energy zz z

Environment zz z

Manufacturing zz z zz

Health Care z z

Infrastructure zz z z

Information 

Technology zz z zz

We support the work in 2008 to 

establish clear priorities for the 

organization and to evaluate how 

these priorities fit with the priorities 

of the new Administration (see 

Figure 3). 

9 Recommendation: We encourage NIST management to begin the process to incorporate an 

Institute-wide integrated vision, to prioritize the industrial segments they will service, identify 

clearly NIST’s core competencies and areas of weakness, and to develop appropriate 

implementation plans and budgets that are incorporated into a NIST Strategic Plan. 

We applaud the efforts of the Director of the Chemical Sciences and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) for 

his leadership and implementation of a Bioscience plan that provides the foundation for a Bioscience 

strategic plan. In collaboration with the VCAT Bioscience subcommittee, the CSTL Director organized a 

process to identify customer and industry segment “critical measurement needs” for bioscience 

applications. This effort was launched by the recent bioscience international conference that was jointly 

hosted with UMBI titled, “Accelerating Innovation in 21st Century Biosciences: Identifying the 

Measurement, Standards, and Technological Challenges." The proceedings from this joint conference 

will provide an excellent foundation for developing a more comprehensive strategic plan. An initial draft of 

a document “Measurement Challenges to Innovation in the Biosciences: Critical Roles for NIST” has 

already been produced. The organization plans to use this to continue its interaction with technology and 

industry experts to further refine their determination of the most critical needs in Bioscience. We support 

this approach for NIST program prioritization, given the complexity and breadth of possible bioscience 

applications and emerging technologies. 

9 Recommendation: We urge the organization to continue its work on Bioscience strategic 

planning and to use this excellent work as a model for expanded work throughout the NIST 

laboratories. 

As indicated in the NIST Three-Year Programmatic Plan section, the Committee supports the new 

investment priorities of Energy, Information Technology, Health Care, Environment, Manufacturing, and 

Physical Infrastructure. NIST has established these priorities based on urgent, compelling national 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

needs; demonstration of a compelling innovation or competitiveness issue; presence of a coordinated 

national policy focus; and clear alignment with the NIST mission and goals. 

9 Recommendation: NIST does not have the resource bandwidth or technological expertise to 

address all of these areas with equal emphasis nor do they have equal potential for 

contribution in all areas. We recommend that the organization evaluate its competencies in 

each area; determine its intended role as leader, coordinator, or facilitator; and then develop 

a plan for each area based on this assessment. We consider this an integral part of a 

normal strategic and programmatic planning activity. 

 Specific planning comments for previous areas of prioritization are listed below. 

Bioscience – The Committee finds that the Bioscience and Health Care planning process was productive, 

and the VCAT strongly supports NIST’s plans to incorporate the International Conference results into a 

bioscience/health care strategic plan and to discuss their proposed plan extensively with companies in 

the Bioscience and Health Care sector. 

9 Recommendation: It should be recognized that Bioscience as it has been discussed represents 

only one segment of health care. We encourage the organization to expand its strategic 

thinking and to incorporate other segments, technologies and applications into an overall 

Health Care Plan. For example, Health care IT is recognized both by the President’s 

priorities and industry issues as a critical priority. NIST has an excellent opportunity to make 

a major contribution in this area both for technological leadership as well as documentary 

standards coordination. 

Nanotechnology – NIST’s plan is to understand the measurement challenges and opportunities in a wide 

variety of energy related nanotechnology areas, such as fuel cells, storage batteries, and photovoltaics. 

The Committee congratulates NIST on the successful creation of the Center for Nanoscale Science and 

Technology (CNST) and for bringing coherence to the rapidly growing and multidisciplinary field of 

nanotechnology. The Committee also strongly supports the nanotechnology environmental health and 

safety research program that was launched last year. Feedback from external sources has verified the 

critical importance of this research for enabling nanotechnology to continue to evolve and mature while 

assuring its safe use. VCAT also endorses the ground-breaking efforts by NIST to facilitate research into 

and standards for assessing the biological hazards of nanomaterials. 

The CNST NanoFab facility has been structured and staffed with the goal of providing broad and diverse 

nanofabrication capability to external and internal government users. To accomplish this, it is necessary 

to develop a portfolio of robust processes that can be customized to meet the needs of particular users. 

We are pleased that the CNST has adopted a “flexible” fabrication structure that is well suited to meet the 

goal of serving a diverse customer base. 

9 Recommendation: Although the CNST NanoFab facility has nearly doubled its “customer” base 

in the past year, we encourage the CNST group to continue a vigorous outreach program to 

external customers. 

9 Recommendation: Last year, we encouraged the team working on Nanotechnology 

environmental health and safety to align with a partner that has toxicology application 

expertise. NIST has accepted the VCAT’s advice to focus on external partnerships to 

address nanotoxicity issues. To our knowledge, they have not yet completed these 

partnerships. We encourage them to do so as soon as is practical in order to appropriately 

leverage resources within NIST. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Information Technology – NIST has many roles and some mandates in Federal cybersecurity technology 

and policy, which also affect the broader national information technology infrastructure, and NIST has 

growing programs in health care information technology. NIST also conducts world-class research in new 

information technology areas such as quantum measurement, cryptography and communication. It is 

becoming clear that current standards for digital signatures and communication security are at risk in the 

face of potential quantum computing developments as well as revealed weaknesses in earlier standards. 

Cybersecurity and health care information technology are priorities for the new Administration. NIST work 

is productive and effective in these areas, but is significantly under-resourced for the magnitude of the 

national needs. The Committee also strongly supports NIST requests for additional resources to support 

information technology programs. 

9 Recommendation: The Committee encourages NIST to continue its strategic planning efforts in 

information technology to address the most critical national needs with limited resources and 

to strengthen its productive interactions with industry and other Federal agencies. 

9 Recommendation: The Committee notes that NIST has key roles in coordinating and in some 

cases leading the development of documentary standards. These are enablers for assuring 

the interworking of competitive products and services. The Committee strongly encourages 

NIST to continue efforts to clarify and define its roles in national and international 

documentary standards development. 

Manufacturing – The mission of NIST is "To promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by 

advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security 

and improve our quality of life." The pace by which change is occurring today in our global economy 

makes one wonder how competitive U.S. industry remains. This rapidly changing environment is an 

appropriate time to assess "how competitive manufacturing and U.S. industry are in this global economy." 

To help NIST focus its core competencies in the areas that U.S. industry requires for the future, it is an 

appropriate time to assemble manufacturing industry representatives and establish a current baseline. 

NIST, through its collaborative efforts, is in a unique position to assist industry in determining where it 

needs to apply the most focus to obtain the most benefit. 

9 Recommendation: Since NIST has established a priority for enabling innovation in U.S. 

manufacturing, we encourage NIST to establish a benchmark for ways to measure current 

“competitiveness” in U.S. manufacturing relative to the global industrial environment. 

Facilities – NIST managers provided the Committee 

with several convincing examples where critical 

research has been delayed due to the poor 

condition of the facilities. 

The Committee believes that the funds for 

maintaining the facilities at NIST are currently 

inadequate and encourages the Department of 

Commerce and Congress to increase Safety, 

Capacity, Maintenance and Major Repairs funds 

(see Figure 4). 

The Committee notes that NIST proactively 

outsources research as a solution to inadequate 

facilities. Given the current state of its facilities, the 

Committee encourages NIST to continue its 

external collaborations, but in addition to seek 

support for significant facilities construction, 

refurbishing and repair. 

7

Figure 4

NIST Safety, Capacity, Maintenance and 

Major Repair Funding ($ in millions)
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Three­Year Programmatic Plan

The Committee has read and reviewed the latest draft NIST three-year programmatic plan (“Plan”) as of 

February 3, 2009 and commends NIST management for its preparation. While not intended as a 

substitute for a strategic plan, the committee finds that the Plan provides useful input to that process and 

is a very useful vehicle for reporting NIST’s near term intentions to VCAT, Congress and the 

Administration. 

The Committee found it important to keep in mind the ongoing programs at NIST while reading about the 

new ones emphasized in the Plan. Perhaps a brief programmatic view of NIST (i.e., “NIST at a Glance”) 

would aid readers less familiar with the full scope of ongoing NIST programs. 

The Committee was struck by the wide range of roles played by NIST. It is a facilitator responding to 

business needs; it is a leader, pursuing programs in anticipation of need or in response to Administration 

or Congressional mandates; and it is a coordinator of standards and standards-related development in 

intra-governmental and multi-stakeholder environments. Broader appreciation for this dynamic range of 

roles might increase the effectiveness and impact of NIST’s work. 

NIST has an important role in catalyzing both the domestic and international competitiveness of 

America’s businesses. The Committee found it helpful in reading and discussing the Plan to keep in mind 

the international aspects of NIST’s work. 

The Committee strongly supports the priorities outlined in the Plan. They are broad in scope and the 

Committee found it valuable to recall that the effectiveness of the NIST programs depends on NIST’s 

careful choice of specific work to pursue in each priority area. 

The Committee also recognizes the centrality of measurement and standards in the NIST portfolio of 

activities and would like to emphasize the enabling power of NIST’s basic research projects and the 

necessity for the associated infrastructure required for its support. 

In considering the new areas of focus outlined in the Plan, the Committee believes it will be very helpful 

for NIST to review and evaluate the skills that will be needed to carry out the Plan, especially in the new 

areas of focus. Such a review will inform NIST planning with regard to full-time employees, visiting staff, 

and partnership or collaboration plans. 

In summary, the Committee concurs with the three-year programmatic plan and encourages NIST 

management to pursue further development of a longer-term strategic plan to provide a framework for 

organizational evolution, and selection and prioritization of its work. 

NIST Management, Leadership and Staffing  

The Committee finds that the recent frequent changes in leadership at NIST have produced significant 

strain in the management, long-term planning and implementation of important programs. 

From the founding of NIST in 1901 (then NBS) to 1990, the average tenure of the Presidentiallyappointed NIST Director was approximately 11 years. From the year 2001 until present, the average 

tenure of the Presidentially-appointed NIST Director has been approximately 2.5 years. Since 2000, the 

tenures of Presidentially-appointed NIST Directors have been interrupted by relatively lengthy tenures of 

Acting NIST Directors, with those Acting tenures averaging about one year. Since 2000, the Acting 

Directors have been NIST Deputy Directors (members of the civil service, not politically appointed). For 

various reasons, each of the Acting Directors basically lost his or her job at the conclusion of the Acting 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

tenure. Since 2000, if both the tenures of the Presidentially-appointed and Acting NIST Directors are 

averaged together, the average tenure has been approximately 1.5 years. Such a short tenure – either for 

the Presidentially-appointed Director or for the Acting Director – makes it very difficult for the Director to 

establish and implement strategic directions for the organization. 

The Committee recommends that the Department of Commerce and Congress help define a more stable 

approach to key NIST leadership positions. We commend the NIST Deputy Director, Dr. Pat Gallagher, 

for establishing an organizational structure that is more conducive to this stability and for his proactive 

behavior in seeking out VCAT input on important issues recognized by NIST as priorities. 

NIST Budget

NIST management once again faced the difficult challenge in 2008 to accomplish their goals and 

commitments under the budget pressure of a “Continuing Resolution Budget”. We applaud the team for 

maintaining a strong positive spirit and a “can do” attitude throughout this difficult year. The VCAT is 

encouraged that the America COMPETES Act, intended to double the NIST budget in ten years remains 

a goal priority. We should emphasize, however, that a budget that doubles in ten years represents only 

approximately 7% per year increase. This growth is not enough beyond inflation to produce significant 

technological advances in new programs. 

9 Recommendation: We believe that NIST has achieved major accomplishments both in 

standards activities and in technological innovation given its constrained budget. However, 

even with a budget-doubling plan, we encourage NIST staff to leverage its resources 

through very proactive partnering in coming years, especially in areas where it does not 

have internal competencies. We are satisfied that NIST staff recognizes the importance of 

this and assume that they will make it an even greater part of their ongoing activities in the 

coming years. In addition, we encourage the NIST management to be proactive in deciding 

what programs should NOT be continued (sunset planning) based on changing need, lack of 

progress, or insufficient critical mass to achieve goals. 

Safety at NIST

Although the NIST management and employees have been safety conscious with numerous training 

programs for laboratory safety, it is evident from the Plutonium incident this past year that safety is not 

uniformly pervasive throughout the organization. The VCAT commends the NIST management for its 

aggressive approach to addressing this problem, including its transparency in communication of its 

findings, the creation of a Blue Ribbon Panel and its cooperation with the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission investigation team. Because there were many panels and experts assembled to investigate 

this safety incident, the VCAT did not see any utility in conducting its own study. However, it did provide 

input for identifying expertise and membership of the panels. 

The Committee members commend NIST for its renewed focus on safety. We strongly concur with Dr. 

Gallagher’s acknowledgement of the central role that leadership plays in integrating safety into the 

organization, as well as his recognition of the many benefits associated with becoming a high 

performance safety organization. We commend the NIST leadership for reacting quickly to the recent 

safety incident and also strongly encourage it to expand on the planned actions to increase safety 

consciousness within the culture of the laboratories. In recent discussions, the leadership planned a 

safety benchmarking exercise of comparable government and private laboratories. This is an excellent 

first step. 

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VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

10

9 Recommendation: The NIST management is constantly faced with providing facility and 

laboratory tours for outside organizations. Some laboratory environments may be 

considered “safe” for the experts that are working in the facility, but may not be considered 

safe for visitors who are not familiar with the lab surroundings or with good safety practices. 

We encourage management to evaluate the openness of some laboratories to outside 

visitors and to incorporate this consideration into their overall safety program.