NIST Tech Beat for February 3, 2015

A biweekly digest of science and technology research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Issue for February 3, 2015

Flip Out! Noncommittal Material Could Make For Hypersensitive Magnetic Direction Detector While the mysterious, unseen forces magnets project are now (mostly) well-understood, they can still occasionally surprise us. Thin films of cobalt have been observed to spontaneously switch their poles--something that typically doesn't happen in the absence of an external magnetic field. Physicists at NIST and the University of Maryland have measured this phenomenon on the largest scale yet.

New Best Practices Guide Shows Unit Pricing Is a Great Deal In an effort to help shoppers everywhere get the best value for their money, NIST researchers have produced a best-practices guide for the layout and design of unit price labels. Based on the results of a two-year collaboration among industry and consumer groups, the guide can help retailers and governments improve the accuracy and usability of unit pricing information offered in retail stores and ensure uniformity of unit pricing across participating retailers and states.

NIST Modeling Study Reveals the Lethal Dynamics of a San Francisco House Fire A new computer-based fire-dynamics study by NIST researchers has helped to clarify the circumstances and violent fire behavior of a lethal 2011 blaze in a San Francisco hillside home. The fire in the multi-story, single-family dwelling claimed the lives of two firefighters. The analysis, conducted using NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator, underscores the importance of ascertaining how heat and gases are likely to flow in a burning building before mounting an attack.

Weighing Gas with Sound and Microwaves NIST scientists have developed a novel method to rapidly and accurately calibrate gas flow meters, such as those used to measure natural gas flowing in pipelines, by applying a fundamental physical principle: When a sound wave travels through a gas with regions at different temperatures, the sound wave's average speed is determined by the average temperature of the gas. Accurate calibrations of gas flow meters issues are of urgent interest to meter manufacturers and calibration labs, and potentially impact all segments of the natural gas industry.

Neutron Beams Reveal How Two Potential Pieces of Parkinson's Puzzle Fit To understand diseases like Parkinson's, the tiniest of puzzles may hold big answers. That's why a team including scientists from NIST have determined how two potentially key pieces of the Parkinson's puzzle fit together, in an effort to reveal how the still poorly-understood illness develops and affects its victims. This puzzle is a tough one because its pieces are not only microscopic, but three-dimensional, and can even change shape.

NIST Requests Round Two Comments on its Cryptographic Standards Process NIST is seeking comments on a revised draft document that details the principles and processes it will follow to develop its cryptographic standards and guidelines. This second draft of of the process document provides more detail and identifies new policies and procedures that were not in the draft released for a two-month comment period in Feb. 2014. Comments will be collected through March 27, 2015.

NIST Security Guide Walks Organizations Through Mobile App Security Vetting Process A new NIST publication provides guidance for organizations to improve security as employees move to mobile devices such as phones and tablets, for their work. Smart phone and tablet users have access to a great number of mobile apps that are designed to make their lives easier, but an employee who downloads an unsafe app may unwittingly expose the organization's computer network to security and privacy risks.

NIST Announces New Center to Support Florida Manufacturers The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) will fund a new center in Florida dedicated to helping the state's small and medium-size manufacturers innovate and grow. The Manufacturers Association of Florida Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence (CAME) will operate the new center, called FloridaMakes, to offer manufacturers services that will help them develop new products and customers, expand into new markets, adopt new technologies and more. The center will join MEP's national network of 60 centers and more than 1,200 technical experts who help manufacturers solve their challenges and identify opportunities for growth.

NIST Forensic Science Standards Committees to Hold First Public Meetings NIST's Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) will hold its first set of public meetings in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 16 and 17, 2015. The meetings will include presentation and discussion of priorities for developing standards and guidelines for each forensic science discipline.

Other News from NIST —

President's FY 2016 Budget Request for NIST Seeks a Safer, More Secure and Smart Tech Future On February 3, NIST released details of the President's budget request for the research agency for fiscal year 2016. The total discretionary request for NIST is $1.1 billion, $255.8 million above the FY 2015 enacted level. The funding request highlights NIST's expertise in areas of economic importance such as advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, disaster resilience and "smart cities." "This budget request will support U.S. manufacturers both large and small, aid our communities in recovering from disasters, and improve the ways we connect to the world around usâ??from banking online to using technology to efficiently manage city resources," said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director, Willie May. "These funds will help NIST foster innovation that creates jobs and strengthens the U.S. economy." Read more ...

NIST Joins With NFL, GE and Under Armour on Head Health Challenge III On Jan. 29, 2015, the NFL, GE and Under Armour announced that they have joined with NIST to launch Head Health Challenge III, an open innovation competition to advance materials that better absorb or dissipate energy. These new materials could improve the performance of protective equipment for athletes, military personnel and those in dangerous occupations. The challenge, which will award up to $2 million for innovative materials, is part of the $60 million Head Health Initiative, a multiyear collaboration between GE and the NFL launched in March 2013. The Head Health Challenge III aims to support the discovery, design and deployment of advanced materials that can improve the protection of athletes, members of the military and others from brain injuries by better absorbing and mitigating force. Additionally, NIST will work to refine measurement approaches, convene the research and industry communities to assess the state of performance testing for impact energy absorbing/dispersing materials and identify gaps in these measurements. The ultimate goal will be to develop standard testing methods for these materials systems over the next several years. Read more ...