Inside this Issue

The Office of Weights and Measures

Welcomes Douglas Olson 1

Testing Software Lumber 2

Training and Events Calendar 2

Outreach: Education Outreach Thrives

within the Office of Weights and 

Measures 3

Announcement: USMA/Blake Family 

Metric Scholarship Award! 6

1

Volume 8 Issue 1

February 14, 2017

OFFICE OF WEIGHTS

AND MEASURES

General Inquries: (301) 975‐4004; 

e‐mail: owm@nist.gov

Chief: Douglas Olson; 

e‐mail: dolson@nist.gov

Newsletter Editor: Linda Crown;

(301) 975‐3998;

e‐mail: linda.crown@nist.gov

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

ON WEIGHTS AND

MEASURES

102ND ANNUAL MEETING

JULY 16 ‐ 30, 2017

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Registration and lodging information for the

July meeting is available online at:

https://www.ncwm.net/sems/event_de‐

tail/2017‐annual‐pa

The meeting schedule, and supporting docu‐

ments will also be located at this web location

when they become available.

The Office

of Weights

and 

Measures

Welcomes

Douglas

Olson

Douglas Olson is a career employee of the National Institute of Standards

and Technology (NIST) and has taken over a new role as the Chief of the Of‐

fice of Weights and Measures (OWM). The office is excited to have his lead‐

ership and looks forward to working with him.

Doug started at NIST in 1987 after receiving his Ph.D. in mechanical engi‐

neering. He grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, is married, and has two grown

sons. He has spent most of his career in scientific metrology and through

2014 was the leader of the high pressure standards project. In that capacity,

he established NIST as a world leader in pressure metrology, developed new

pressure standards and measurement methods, and published widely in the

field. He has represented NIST nationally and internationally in pressure

working group activities. In collaboration with National Voluntary Labora‐

tory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), he developed a proficiency testing pro‐

gram for pressure standards for which he and colleagues received the NIST

Judson C. French Award. Doug has been a training instructor for the Meas‐

urement Science Conference (MSC), Sistema Interamericano de Metrologia

(SIM), and NIST. 

Prior to becoming Chief of the OWM, he spent two years on detail to the

International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France, as

the executive secretary of the Joint Committee of the Regional Metrology

Organizations and the BIPM Joint Committee of the Regional Metrology Or‐

ganizations (JCRB). In this capacity, he administered the system for which

calibration and measurement capabilities of the National Metrology Insti‐

tutes (NMIs) are peer‐approved for inclusion into the Key Comparison Data‐

base. While at the BIPM, he was instrumental in establishing a training

program for NMIs to become more effectively engaged in the mechanisms

of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) Mutual

Recognition Arrangement.
W&M Connection 2 Volume 8 Issue 1

Training and Events

Calendar 

2017

Registration for training in the NIST Office of

Weights and Measures is handled by Yvonne

Branden at yvonne.branden@nist.gov.

Course descriptions can be viewed on the Of‐

fice of Weights and Measures website at ‐ 

http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/calendar.c

fm and clicking on the name of the course. 

February 13 ‐ 17 (5 days)

Fundamentals of Metrology

Class No. 5434

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

February 16 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Conducting an Effective Management

Review

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5416

February 23 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Basic Uncertainty Concepts

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5446

March 2 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5420

March 13 ‐ 17 (3 days)

Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Contents of

Packaged Goods” ‐ Basic 

Class No. 5461

Springfield, IL

March 13 ‐ 24 (10 days)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5435

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

March 21 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Lab Metrology Info. Hour ‐ Risk Assess‐

ments for the Essentials of Traceability 

2:00 p.m. ‐ 3:00 p.m.

Class No. 5482

March 27 ‐ 29 (16 hr)

Administrators Workshop

Class No. 5495

NIST/Gaithersburg

March 27 ‐ 31 (4.5 days)

Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Content of

Packaged Goods” ‐ Basic

Class No. 5471

Raleigh, NC

March 28 ‐ 30

NTEP Lab Meeting

Annapolis, MD

Contact: info@ncwm.net

(continued on pg 3)

Testing Softwood Lumber

By David Sefcik

Over the last couple of years, several states have requested guidance on

how to test softwood lumber. Currently, there is no test procedure for soft‐

wood lumber in NIST Handbook 133, “Checking the Net Contents of Pack‐

aged Goods,” although a method of sale does exist in NIST Handbook 130,

“Uniform Laws and Regulations,” under Section 2.10. Softwood Lumber.

Method of Sale

2.10.3. Quantity. – Representations shall be in terms of:

(a) the number of pieces; 

(b) the minimum dressed width and thickness or actual width and

thickness, except that the use of nominal dimensions shall be al‐

lowed as long as:

(1) The term “nominal” or “nom” is also used, and

(2) The actual or minimum dressed sizes are prominently dis‐

played to the customer either by means of a table or label.

(c) either the length of individual pieces or the lineal footage.

(Amended 2016)

The method of sale for Section 2.10. Softwood Lumber was recently revised

(as reflected above) with language adopted at the National Conference on

Weights and Measures (NCWM) Annual Meeting in July of 2016. The revi‐

sions are now aligned with the NIST Voluntary Product Standard PS 20‐15, ”

http://gsi.nist.gov/global/docs/vps/approved%20PS20‐

15%20SSD%20final%202‐25‐15_dfa%20April%201st_wCover.pdf.

The role of the NIST Voluntary Product Standards Program (VPS) in the es‐

tablishment of a Voluntary Product Standard for “American Softwood Lumber

Standard” is to act as an unbiased coordinator in the development of the

standard, provide editorial assistance in the preparation of the standard, sup‐

ply assistance and review as is required to assure the technical soundness,

and to seek satisfactory adjustment of valid points of disagreement. This

standard is published as a public document.

During the week of August 22 to 26, 2016, the NIST Office of Weights and

Measures taught a course at the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus on

NIST Handbook 133 (Chapter 4), which focused on products primarily sold by

linear measure, length, width, area, and thickness. 

In recognizing the need for a NIST Handbook 133 test procedure for softwood

lumber, the NIST Office of Weights and Measures worked closely with the

American Lumber Standards Committee and the California Division of Meas‐

urement Standards (who have taken a leadership role in the development of

test procedures for their state). A draft of the test procedure was introduced

during the August training class to participants from the NIST “Train the

Trainer” program, who assisted in providing valuable feedback. The eight

participants represented Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, West Vir‐

(continued on pg 3)
W&M Connection 3 Volume 8 Issue 1

CHECK OUT THE NEW CLASSES ADDED TO THE

TRAINING AND EVENTS

CALENDAR FOR 2017

April 3 ‐5 (3 days)

Southeastern Measurement Assurance

Program (SEMAP)**

Class No. 5464

Raleigh, NC

April 24 ‐ 27 (4 days)

Caribbean Measurement Assurance Pro‐

gram (CaMAP)**

Class No. 5465

Bayamon, PR

April 24 ‐ 28 (4.5 days)

Handbook 130, Uniform Packaging and

Labeling Regulations

Class No. 5483

Dallas, TX

May 1 ‐ 4 (4 days)

Western Regional Assurance Program

(WRAP)

Class No. 5466

Helena, MT

May 2 ‐3 

Multiple Dimension Measuring Devices

(MDMD) (May 2)/MDMD and Software

Sector Meeting (May 3)

Columbus, OH

Contact: info@ncwm.net

May 15 ‐ 18

Northeastern Weights and Measures As‐

sociation (NEWMA)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Contact: James Cassidy

E‐mail: jcassidy@cambridgema.gov

May 15 ‐ 26 (10 days)

Mass Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5436

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

May 22 ‐ 25 (4 days)

Central Weights and Measures Associa‐

tion (CWMA) Annual Meeting

Lincoln, NE

Contact: Sherry Turvey 

E‐mail: sherry.turvey@ks.gov

May 22 ‐ 25 (4 days)

Medium‐Capacity Scales

Class No. 5463

Held in conjunction with CWMA Meeting

Lincoln, NE

June 5 ‐ 9 (4.5 days)

Fundmentals of Metrology

Class No. 5487

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

June 12 ‐ 16 (5 days)

Volume Metrology Seminar

Class No. 5441

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

June 19 ‐ 30 (10 days)

Metrologia de Masas

Class No. 5448

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

(continued on pg 4)

Education Outreach Thrives within the

Office of Weights and Measures

[POC: Elizabeth Gentry, elizabeth.gentry@nist.gov, x3690, PML OWM]

The Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) is well known for their International

Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) accredited technical train‐

ing program, but you may not have heard about their ongoing education outreach

efforts. Increasing knowledge and use of the International System of Units (SI) is a

primary focus of OWM’s Metric Program. Ms. Elizabeth Gentry, Metric Coordinator,

champions these efforts as part of the OWM Operations Plan, which includes an an‐

nual service goal of conducting at least 10 outreach sessions and 500 contacts. 

Since 2011, staff have participated in over 130 events reaching over 28,000 students,

parents, and teachers (Figure 1). The transfer of metrology and SI information is

conducted in a variety of venues, including national conferences, local school dis‐

tricts, and NIST programs. Hands‐on activities are aligned with the audience,

whether it’s a classroom enrichment activity for K‐12 students or teacher profes‐

sional development. 

Figure 1. OWM has conducted outreach for over 28,000 participants since 2011.

ginia, and Wisconsin. With their input and feedback, NIST OWM will be able to sub‐

mit (in 2017) a proposal to NCWM for a NIST Handbook 133 test procedure for Soft‐

wood Lumber. 

For more information, please contact David Sefcik at david.sefcik@nist.gov, or

(301) 975‐4868. You may also contact Lisa Warfield at lisa.warfield@nist.gov,

(301) 975‐3308. 

(continued on pg 4)
W&M Connection 4 Volume 8 Issue 1

June 20 ‐ 22 (24 hr)

Handbook 130, Uniform Packaging and Labeling

Regulations, short course

Class No. 5460

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

June 20 ‐ 21

Handbook 130, Uniform Packaging and Labeling

Regulations, short course

Class No. 5460

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

July 11 ‐ 14 (24 hr)

Balance and Scale Calibration and Uncertainties

Class No. 5474

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

July 16 ‐ 20 (5 days)

National Conference on Weights and Measures

Annual Meeting ‐ 102nd Annual Meeting

Pittsburgh, PA

Contact: info@ncwm.net

http://www.ncwm.net/meetings

August 16 ‐ 17 (2 days)

NTEP Grain Analyzer Sector Meeting

Kansas City, MO

Contact: Karl Cunningham

E‐mail: karl.cunningham@illinois.gov

August 17 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Contract Review

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5421

August 21 ‐ 31 (10 days)

Advanced Mass Seminar (Rev. 2015)

Class No. 5437

NIST/Gaithersburg, MD

August 22 ‐ 23 (2 days)

NTEP Weighing Sector Meeting

Houston, TX

Contact: Rob Upright

E‐mail: rob.upright@vishaypq.com

August 31 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Document Control and Recordkeeping

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5422

September 14 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ State Laboratory Annual Submission

Process

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5454

September 18 ‐ 21

Northeastern Measurement Assuarance Program

(SWAP)**

Class No. 5467

Charleston, WV

September 24 ‐ 28 (5 days)

Western Weights and Measures Association

(WWMA) Annual Meeting

Scottsdale, AZ

Contact: Jeri Kahana

e‐mail: jeri.m.kahana@hawaii.gov or

Michelle Wilson

E‐mail: mwilson@azda.gov

(continued on pg 6)

OWM staff volunteer at events in the local community, especially those held

on the NIST campus. Hosting sessions for Take Our Daughters and Sons to

Work Day, Adventures in Science, Science Get Psyched primarily focus on mid‐

dle school aged students (Figure 2). However, hands‐on activities are also

adapted for kindergarten aged students from the NIST Child Care Center. 

F

Figure 2. Tina Butcher (OWM) volunteers at NISTs Take Our Daughters and Sons

to Work Day (April 2016). 

OWM partners with American Society for Quality‐Measurement Quality Di‐

vision (ASQ‐MQD) and NCSL International (NCSLI), State Weights and Meas‐

ures and industry metrologists to promote Metrology Careers at several

national events, including the American Society of Engineering Education

(ASEE) Annual Conference and annual Science Technology and Engineering

Partnership (STEP) Conference (Riverside, CA). At partnership events, a vari‐

ety of additional NCSLI and ASQ resources are also distributed, including Joe

D. Simmons Scholarship resources, MetrologyCareers.com postcards and

color changing pencils, and professional certification body of knowledge fliers

(e.g., Calibration Technician, Quality Auditor, and Quality Engineer). 

American Society of Engineering Education Conference (ASEE)

New Orleans, LA (June 2016)

OWM has hosted a collaborative Metrology Careers exhibit with ASQ‐MQD

and NCSLI at the ASEE Conferences since 2007. Presenting papers and inter‐

acting in technical sessions has allowed for the exchange of ideas and oppor‐

tunities to collaboration between local metrology ambassadors and

universities. In June 2016, the 4‐person exhibit team of Ms. Isabel Chavez

(OWM), Ms. Elizabeth Gentry (OWM), Mr. Benjamin Jack (JM Test Systems),

Ms. Heather Wade (ASQ‐MQD, NSF International) addressed a wide variety

of questions from conference attendees, including 81 individuals who partic‐

ipated in the 3 textbook drawings and 35 NIST publications requests. Mr.

Benjamin Jack, a local NCSLI metrology ambassador, has been collaborating

with Dr. Jafar Al Sharab, Northwestern State University (NSU, Natchitoches,

LA), to develop a measurement science course. NSU engineering students

visited the exhibit to share their interest in measurement science and learn

more about metrology careers (Figure 3).

(continued on page 5)
W&M Connection 5 Volume 8 Issue 1

Figure 3. Isabel Chavez, Heather Wade,

and Benjamin Jack exchange ideas with

Dr. Jafar Al Sharab and Northwestern

State University of Louisiana engineering

students at ASEE in 2016. 

Science and Technology Education Partnership (STEP) Conference – Riverside, California 

(October 2016)

This year was OWM’s 7th year participating in the three‐day STEP Conference, held at Bourns Technology Center,

Riverside, CA. Attendees included over 5,500 K – 12th grade students, teachers, and parents who were 

excited to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career opportunities 

(http://myscienceeducation.com/).

The conference kicked off with the teacher professional development program, Sea Change ‐ Expanding the Role

of Curiosity in Teaching & Learning, designed to enhance STEM engagement with K‐12 educators from the region.

Ms. Gentry facilitated 3 hands‐on Metric Estimation Game training sessions, which provided 180 teachers with

a model activity designed to enable students to become familiar with metric system (SI) by practicing estimation

skills using everyday household items (Figure 4). 

Figure 4. Elizabeth Gentry facilitates a hands‐on

metric estimation activity during the STEP Con‐

ference teacher professional development event. 

The next two days of the conference were devoted to hosting an interactive exhibit, where Ms. Lina Ng (Los Angeles County

(continued on pg 6)
October 2 ‐ 5

Southwestern Assurance Program (SWAP)**

Class No. 5468

Topeka, KS

October 8 ‐ 11

Southern Weights and Measures Association

(SWMA) Annual Meeting

Little Rock, AR

Contact: Tim Chesser

E‐mail: tim.chesser@aspb.ar.gov

October 10 ‐ 11

Handbook 130, Price Verification

Class No. 5476

Held in conjunction with the SWMA Meeting

Little Rock, AR

October 19 (2 hr)

Webinar ‐ Internal Auditing Best Practices

2:00 p.m. ‐ 4:00 p.m.

Class No. 5423

*State W&M labs only or invitation only.

**Regional Measurement Assurance Pro‐

gram “MEMBERS” (State and Industry RMAP

member laboratories.)

W&M Connection 6 Volume 8 Issue 1

Announcement

Announcing the USMA/Blake Family

Metric Scholarship Award

The U.S. Metric Association (USMA) has announced a new scholarship op‐

portunity for U.S. high school seniors. The $2500 USMA/Blake Family Met‐

ric Scholarship Award has been established in an effort to help increase

International System of Units (SI) awareness and usage in the United

States. The scholarship award may be applied to two or four‐year under‐

graduate degree tuition for the 2017‐2018 academic year. Students are

asked in the application to explain their efforts to promote the SI in the

United States (Deadline: March 15, 2017, http://www.us‐metric.org/wp‐

content/uploads/2016/11/USMA_Blake_High_School_Senior_Student_Applica‐

tion.pdf). The U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc., is a national non‐profit

organization that was founded in 1916 and advocates completing the U.S. conversion

to the SI (http://www.us‐metric.org/).

Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures) and Mr. Dilip Shah (ASQ‐MQD, E=mc3 Solutions) distributed SI resources,

metrology career publications and discussed weights and measures, metrology and quality career opportunities (Figures 4

and 5). Over 100 requests for NIST SI education resources were received during the 2016 STEP Conference.

Figure 5 (left) – Metrology Careers exhibitors, Lina

Ng, Dilip Shah and Elizabeth Gentry at the Science

and Technology Education Partnership Conference

(STEP 2016).

Figure 6 (right) – LA County metrologist Lina Ng explains local legal measurement sci‐

ence career opportunities (STEP 2016).