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Safety

Law Grants NIST New Authorities to Investigate Building Failures

On Oct. 1, 2002, President Bush signed into law legislation giving the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) authorities—modeled after those of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for investigating transportation accidents—to investigate major U.S. building failures.

The National Construction Safety Team Act gives responsibility to NIST to dispatch teams of experts within 48 hours, where appropriate and practical, after major building disasters. The law gives the teams a clear mandate to: (1) establish the likely technical cause of building failures; (2) evaluate procedures used for evacuation and emergency response; (3) recommend specific changes to building codes, standards and practices; (4) recommend any research or other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings, and/or changes in emergency response and evacuation procedures; and (5) make final recommendations within 90 days of completing an investigation.

In order to conduct investigations, the act authorizes NIST and its expert teams to:

    • access the site of a building disaster;
    • subpoena evidence;
    • access key pieces of evidence such as records and documents; and
    • move and preserve evidence.
A standing advisory committee will be created to advise the NIST Director on all aspects of investigations. Where appropriate, NIST will consult with other federal agencies in carrying out the act.

The new law specifically applies to the NIST World Trade Center building and fire safety investigation that was initiated formally on Aug. 21, 2002 (go to http://wtc.nist.gov for more information).


Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman, (301) 975-3025

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Quality

Eleven Organizations in Final Running for 2002 Baldrige Award

Starting Oct. 20, 2002, teams of business, health care and quality experts will visit 11 organizations—two manufacturers, two service companies, three small businesses, and four health care organizations—as the final review stage for the 2002 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Forty-nine organizations applied for the 2002 award, including eight manufacturers, three service companies, 11 small businesses, 10 education organizations and 17 health care organizations. None of the education applicants were selected for a site visit.

Each of the organizations will be visited by one of 11 teams of experts to verify information in the award application, examine each organization’s records, conduct interviews, and clarify any issues or questions raised by earlier reviews. The site-visit teams are comprised of six to eight members of the Baldrige Award’s private-sector board of examiners. The board’s panel of judges will review the site-visit findings and recommend award recipients to the Secretary of Commerce. All 49 applicants receive an extensive feedback report that highlights strengths and opportunities for improvement.

The 2002 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be announced in November.

Media Contact:
Jan Kosko, (301) 975-2767

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Computer Security

Four New NIST Guides Help Counter Cyberattacks

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published four new computer security guides that are the latest in a continuing series designed to provide the federal government with timely information in countering cyberattacks.

While the NIST computer security guides are intended primarily for federal agencies, the information also can be beneficial to private-sector and non-federal businesses and organizations.

The newest additions to the NIST cybersecurity resources list are guides covering interconnecting systems (NIST Special Publication 800-47); procedures for handling security patches (NIST Special Publication 800-40); telecommuting and broadband security (NIST Special Publication 800-46); and the use of the Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) vulnerability naming scheme (NIST Special Publication 800-51).

Computer scientists in NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory are charged with providing technical advice to other federal agencies under the Computer Security Act of 1987. To meet this mission, NIST’s computer security guides address the information needs of systems administrators and other IT professionals. The guides cover topics ranging from how to protect a public Web site from computer hackers to steps agencies can take to make electronic mail systems more secure.

The guides are available for downloading from NIST’s Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC) at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications; click on “Special Publications.” In addition, the CSRC Web site (http://csrc.nist.gov) provides access to a wealth of information, tools, programs and services in the areas of 1) security policies, standards and guidelines; 2) security validated products; 3) training and education; and 4) collaborative work and services.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

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Physics

NIST Researchers Open Door for Making Cold Antihydrogen

Lasers have been used for more than two decades to achieve cryogenic temperatures and high densities with atomic ions stored in traps. However, laser cooling can be directly applied only to a few types of atomic particles. By simultaneously trapping more than one type of atomic particle, researchers make the particles that are directly laser cooled sympathetically cool and compress those next to them.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Time and Frequency Division are the first to demonstrate sympathetic laser cooling and compression of positrons (positively charged antielectrons) to cryogenic temperatures lower than 5 Kelvin (minus 268.15 degrees Celsius or minus 450.67 degrees Fahrenheit) and densities 50 times greater than the highest positron density previously achieved.

One of the most interesting applications for cold, dense reservoirs of positrons is in making antihydrogen—the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen—which consists of a positron and a negatively charged antiproton (which is the reverse of a normal hydrogen atom with a positively charged proton and a negatively charged electron orbiting it). Researchers at the CERN facility in Switzerland recently announced that small quantities of cold antihydrogen have been created (see Nature, Sept. 18, 2002). A dense reservoir of positrons could significantly improve the creation rate of antihydrogen.

In small quantities, antihydrogen is useful for fundamental physics tests. In large amounts, it could be used for making efficient rocket fuel.

The NIST research was supported by the Office of Naval Research.

For more information on the sympathetic cooling and compression of positrons, contact John J. Bollinger,
(303) 497-5861, john.bollinger@boulder.nist.gov.



Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder), (303) 497-7000

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Interagency Agreement

NIST, MBDA Team Up to Assist Minority Businesses

Two Commerce Department agencies, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), have announced a partnership to improve the competitiveness of minority-owned businesses by promoting greater access to technology and business expertise.
The agreement calls for both agencies to leverage their expertise, service delivery and networks; share knowledge; and develop strategies to increase the number of minority businesses participating in NIST programs, services and contracting opportunities.

Activities include familiarizing MBDA partners with standards and technology components of the global economy through the NIST Office of International and Academic Affairs, and providing selected MBDA staff with training on the principles and guidelines of the Baldrige National Quality Program, a public-private partnership to improve performance in US organizations. Other NIST programs that will be key to the partnership include the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nationwide network of local centers offering technical and business assistance to smaller manufacturers, and the Advanced Technology Program, which accelerates the development of innovative technologies by co-funding research and development partnerships with the private sector.

The agreement may be found at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/nistmbdamou.htm.

Media Contact:
Jan Kosko, (301) 975-2767 (NIST)

Kristie Meave, (202) 482-2204 (MBDA)

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Biometrics

NIST Director Says ID Technologies Need Standardization

Accelerated development and implementation of biometrics—such as fingerprinting and facial recognition—require the establishment of formal national and international standards, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Arden Bement Jr. told attendees at a recent conference. Systems using biometrics—automated methods of recognizing a person based on physiological or behavioral characteristics—are being used increasingly to verify identities and restrict access to buildings, computer networks and other secure sites.

Speaking at the Biometric Consortium Conference on Sept. 24, 2002, Bement said, “One of our [NIST’s] most important goals is to ensure that US technologies and US companies are not hampered in world markets by ill-considered or restrictive standards. And we want to make sure that different companies’ products and services are interoperable.”

For biometrics, this is especially important, Bement said, because “we recognize that open consensus standards for biometrics, and associated testing, are critical to providing higher levels of security through automatic personal identification systems. These technologies also can play an important role in preventing identity theft.”

Bement said that government and industry have to work together to bring about biometric standards, pledging NIST’s full cooperation. He noted that NIST is a co-chair (with the National Security Agency) of the Biometric Consortium, which serves as the federal government’s focal point for research, development, testing, evaluation and application of biometric-based personal identification and verification technology. The consortium now has more than 800 members, including 60 government agencies.

Additionally, NIST has worked in partnership with industry and other federal agencies to establish formal groups for accelerating biometric standardization. These include the Technical Committee M1 on Biometrics, started in November 2001 by the executive board of the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), and a new subcommittee on biometrics, begun in June 2002, by the International Organization on Standardization (ISO).

The text of Bement’s remarks at the 2002 Biometric Consortium Conference is available at www.nist.gov/speeches/bement_092402.htm. A fact sheet detailing NIST’s involvement in biometrics may be found at www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/factmain.htm.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

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Editor: Michael E. Newman

Date created: 10/03/2002
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov