An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Programs Fiscal Year 1993 (1994) / Chapter Skim
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6 CHEMICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY
6 CHEMICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY
Pages 87-112
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From page 87... ...
The Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory's mission statement is appropriately ambitious and comprehensive but too general to stand alone. It must be coupled to more specific strategies and operational plans.
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From page 88... ...
. Division Analytical Sensors and Automation Gas Metrology Research Mass Spectrometry Separation Science FIGURE 6.1 Organization and structure of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory.
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From page 89... ...
contracts, 7 percent was from the MIST director's fund for competence building, 17 percent was from reimbursements for services, and 5 percent was from a variety of nonbase research and miscellaneous reimbursements. CSTL's mix of base and reimbursable funds is appropriate but is not uniform across CSTL divisions and groups, causing financial stress in some organizational entities.
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From page 90... ...
· The Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory should tax its contracts for solving national problems at a rate that will help support the development of the technical underpinning for the contracts and the laboratory's traditional services. · The Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory must attempt to ensure that funding mechanisms have appropriate phase-in and phase-out funding formulas.
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From page 91... ...
For example, NIST's data and standards programs must rely on sales income and outside agencies for financial support, and the organizational level of the Standard Reference Data and Standard Reference Materials programs has been lowered. Responses by CSTL's divisions to specific 1992 panel recommendations are addressed in detail in the following section.
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From page 92... ...
As the nation moves to establish highly efficient, effective, high-volume, and rapid communications networks for data and images, it is imperative that federal agencies meet their responsibilities for providing information through these modern communication tools. For example, NIST has a major health-related technology initiative in the fiscal year 1995 budget for which the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory is expected to play a major role.
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From page 93... ...
Group-related Activities The Experimental Chemical Kinetics Group is well focused and productive, as evidenced by the high level of support from outside agencies. The Kinetics Data Center is innovative and productive, having spearheaded NIST's efforts to produce modern and comprehensive computerized databases.
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From page 94... ...
A combination of permanent staff, guest workers, part-time employees, and students accomplishes much on OA funding and reimbursement for their products e The division's work in experimental chemical kinetics also contributes directly to the division's outstanding data programs. The data activities in the Kinetics Data Center cover not only rate parameters, but also related topics in atomic and molecular structure and spectroscopy.
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From page 95... ...
The Mass Spectral and Chemical Kinetics databases led NIST's sales of database products. Other significant Kinetics Data Center activities included the preparation and publication of specialized evaluated data compilations for propellant combustion, atmospheric chemistry, and plasma etching.
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From page 96... ...
· The Kinetics Data Center should prepare computerized databases for on-line service on future "electronic highway networks" and develop efficient data estimation algorithms for on-line prediction of data when no measured or calculated data are available. Inorganic Analytical Research Division The Inorganic Analytical Research Division improves the accuracy of inorganic analyses and certifies standard reference materials.
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From page 97... ...
Organic Analytical Research Division The Organic Analytical Research Division's research and development in analytical sensors, measurement automation, gas metrology, mass spectrometry, and separations of organic pollutants develops a wide variety of measurement methodologies and standard reference materials used by its industrial and governmental clientele. Morale seems high, perhaps because of anticipated major changes in NIST's role.
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From page 98... ...
Division-level and Group-related Recommendations -- Fiscal Year 1993 · The organic Analytical Research Division, along with CSTL's Thermophysics Division, should focus on the emerging supercritical fluids technology. Supercritical fluid extraction is an increasingly important technique for sample preparation and analysis because it is faster and generates fewer waste solvents than do technologies using conventional solvents.
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From page 99... ...
CSTL supervisors make frequent visits to both sites. The consortium programs (Intelligent Processing of Rapidly Solidified Metal Powders and Flow Meter Installations are well conceived.
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From page 100... ...
~ Total quality management should be incorporated into the management of all of the Process Measurements Division's programs. · Outside funding, such as participation in Advanced Technology Program projects, should be incorporated strategically rather than on an ad hoc basis.
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From page 101... ...
activity has increased within this division and within CSTL. The group has developed an exceptional facility for separating carbon species and preparing them for accelerator mass spectrometry, has applied total quality management concepts to the accelerator mass spectrometry project, and has substantially improved the precision of accelerator mass spectrometry-based isotopic composition measurements through collaboration in the World Ocean Circulation Experiment at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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From page 102... ...
The molecular mapping with secondary ion mass spectrometry is particularly impressive. This molecular method is complemented by the secondary ion mass spectrometry-depth profiling with focused ion beams and the elemental mapping with field-emitted electrons.
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From page 103... ...
Recommendations-Fiscal Year 1993 · Core microelectronics processing competence and nanofabrication facilities should be developed to support NIST's semiconductor processing and nanostructured materials initiatives. · The Surface and Microanalysis Science Division should acquire access to scanning tunneling and atomic-force microscopy instrumentation in order to participate in NIST's nanostructured materials initiative.
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From page 104... ...
Together with the Fluid Science Group, the Properties of Fluids Group has taken the national leadership role in the collection, evaluation, correlation, and publication of thermophysical property data for alternative refrigerants. Work in the Fluid Science Group on the investigation of supercritical water oxidation of hazardous chemicals can be combined with other NIST activities in supercritical flow technologies to develop a new competency in response to recognized environmental problems.
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From page 105... ...
Activities of the Fluid Science Group in alternative refrigerants and supercritical water oxidation, as well as fundamental constants and properties, are excellent and responsive to national need.
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From page 106... ...
Theory and modeling by the Fluid Mixtures Data Center should be better coordinated with other efforts in the division. · The potential impact of supercritical fluids projects should be evaluated.
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From page 107... ...
that apply particularly to CSTL. Data Programs Data Programs, General Comments The inadequacy of NIST's support of CSTL's Standard Reference Data and Standard Reference Materials programs was a major panel concern in its fiscal year 1992 assessment (p.
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From page 108... ...
Panel Assessment and Recommendation. While CSTL should maintain an appropriate balance among standards development, generic technology development, fundamental research, and data programs, the panel wishes to emphasize that CSTL has a unique capability in the standard reference data area.
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From page 109... ...
Furthermore, increasingly agile theoretical algorithms should be incorporated into data programs to provide computed data where measured or previously computed data are not available e The on-line nature of future databases will enhance this built-in data estimation capability. Research Balance The CSTL panel strongly endorses NIST's development and maintenance of traditional and unique basic and secondary measurement standards, physical science data evaluations, reference sample materials, and fundamental constants.
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· Are there needs for standard reference data, standard reference materials, and calibration services that are not being addressed? Panel Response.
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Up to 10 percent of the funds of the Advanced Technology Program can be allocated for NIST's internal support of ATP activities. NIST's data programs are of great value to U.S.
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