Taking Measure Blog: Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy

Isabelle Rivera poses smiling at a computer with two monitors, one showing a spreadsheet and the other multiple file icons.

Reaching for the Stars: My Summer Internship Learning About Spectroscopy in Space and on Earth

October 4, 2023

As a summer high school intern at NIST, I got to take a deep dive into one of the ways scientists study space — the absorption and emission of light by matter

Christine McGinn wears safety glasses as she handles plastic bottles and other materials in the lab.

My Science Project Collapsed, but My Science Career Was Just Getting Started

June 7, 2023

Representation and mentors are key to promoting diversity in America’s science and technology workforce into the future.

Benchy the Boat, Irradiated Mangoes, Quantum Window: A Sample of Stories on NIST Social Media

May 31, 2023

NIST’s research can range from the complex to the downright whimsical, but all the papers published here can trace back to a benefit for everyone in the U.S.

A neon sign that reads Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas is lit up in neon in front of a sunset scene.

When Neon Was New: How NIST Researchers Helped America Discover the Iconic Neon Sign

April 26, 2023

While it’s now largely faded into history, NIST researchers helped America discover the wonders of the neon sign.

Atlantic Salmon Hormones, Trapping Molecular Ions, Lasers for Greenhouse Gas Measurements: Postdocs Share Their Stories on NIST Social Media

January 19, 2021

As the Feb. 1, 2021 deadline approaches for early-career researchers to join the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Research Council

graphic showing scientist in her lab interacting with computer screen and chemicals. There is a parrot on a perch to her right.

A Bird’s Eye View: Finding New Ways to Track Synthetic Chemicals in the Environment

September 23, 2020

I’m not a scientist. I’m not sure if that admission will turn the editorial overlords at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) against me

Shaping the Future of the NIST Mass Spectral Library

July 7, 2020

When one thinks of mass spectral libraries — well, let’s be honest here, the very idea of mass spectral libraries will never cross most people’s minds, even

The Long Road from Nobelists' Invention to LongPath Technologies

May 7, 2019

On October 23, 2015, workers discovered a massive natural-gas leak at California’s Aliso Canyon storage facility in Los Angeles County. Over the course of the

Chasing Paper: Adventures in Fiber Analysis

March 19, 2019

Growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, I had no scientific aspirations as a child. I do remember being entertained by science, relishing public television

Chemist Savelas Rabb is bent over slightly, using a tool to check on the settings inside of a large instrument known as a mass spectrometer.

Defining Ourselves Through Science

February 28, 2019

A few months ago, in November 2018, I experienced one of the most significant moments in my scientific career—the international ceremony ratifying the

Taking Measure