Media
Contact:
Michael
E. Newman, (301) 975-3025
![[Back to Top]](/peth04/20041105102225im_/http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/update/upyellow2.gif)
Smoke Research
NIST
Airflow Software Featured in Smoke Management Guide
Being
able to simulate how pollutants, smoke and contaminants are transported
throughout a building and predict the effects that building design
changes will have on airflow is becoming increasingly important
to building designers and operators. Software known as CONTAM, developed
several years ago by researchers in the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL),
can do just that. Now, CONTAM is featured in a new version of Principles
of Smoke Management, a widely used publication issued by the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE). The ASHRAE publication explains how CONTAM can
be used to design and analyze smoke control systems in applications
including elevator shafts, stairwells and exhaust systems.
In
addition to CONTAM’s traditional application to the design
or renovation of buildings, the software took on an unexpected role
in the fall of 2001 when NIST engineers used it to understand how
anthrax spores may have spread throughout the Hart Senate Office
Building in Washington, D.C. The results of the modeling aided the
development of decontamination strategies for the structure.
For
more on CONTAM, go to www.bfrl.nist.gov/IAQanalysis/CONTAMWdesc.htm
or contact Andrew Persily, (301) 975-6418, andrew.persily@nist.gov.
To order Principles of Smoke Management, go to www.ashrae.org and
click on “Bookstore.”
Media
Contact:
Jan
Kosko, (301) 975-2767
Program Assessment
NRC Report Praises
NIST Labs for Science, Service and Staff
The
seven laboratories of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) received high marks for technical merit, responsiveness to
customer needs and staff capabilities in a recently published report
by the National Research Council (NRC) Board on Assessment of NIST.
The report, which documents a process of assessment that began in
December 2001, details the board’s conclusions on the overall
state of the laboratories as a unit, as well as in-depth reviews of
each individual lab.
In
its report, the NRC board states that “the technical merit of
the laboratories’ work remains high ...” and that “the
breadth and depth of the laboratories’ technical talent allow
NIST to respond to customer needs, whether anticipated or unanticipated.”
On the latter, the board specifically noted the agency’s efforts
in the area of homeland secur-ity, praising NIST’s “ability
to direct resources to technical investigations required by the terrorist
attacks of fall 2001.”
Highest
praise went to the NIST technical staff, whom the board called “NIST’s
most impressive resource.” The board stated that it “...
is continually impressed by the exceptional technical capabilities
of NIST researchers, by their dedication to their work, and by the
good morale generally evident throughout the institution.”
The
board addressed a number of opportunities for improvement for the
NIST Laboratories, including recommendations for more use of strategic
planning, increased sharing of best practices among the labs, and
better resource planning to ensure the skills and equipment to meet
future customer needs.
An
Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Measurement
and Standards Laboratories: Fiscal Year 2002 is available from
the National Academies Press at www.nap.edu.
Quality
Help
Wanted: Experts Needed for 2003 Baldrige Award Applications
It’s
a tough, demanding job—yet every year, thousands of people apply
to be one of approximately 400 examiners who review applications for
the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Why is the position so
desirable?
According to Kay
Kendall, vice president of corporate quality, Brooks Automation, and
member of the Board of Examiners for more than six years, “Being
a Baldrige examiner has been the most rewarding experience in my career.
… the opportunity to support competitiveness in American industry
is very gratifying. The addition of the health care and education
sectors represents the spirit of continuous improvement demonstrated
by the award program itself as it has expanded beyond a focused view
of quality to performance excellence throughout an entire organization.”
Examiners evaluate
applications for the award and prepare feedback reports to applicants
citing strengths and opportunities for improvement. In the process,
examiners learn how leading organizations achieve performance excellence,
network with some of the nation’s foremost quality professionals,
and help improve America’s competitive position.
Qualifications
include expertise in business, education or health care management
processes and results, as well as knowledge of practices and improvement
strategies that lead to organizational excellence. The board consists
of about 400 members, including nine judges and about 60 senior examiners.
Applications for
the board will be available in November 2002 by calling (301) 975-2036
or at www.quality.nist.gov/exampage.htm.
Media
Contact:
Jan
Kosko, (301) 975-2767
