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nist-gov/www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/keepers-right-answer-why-measurements-nist-are-important-nation-and-world
Scott Williams 4063bef310 Initital commit.
2025-03-05 18:59:57 +00:00

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<h1 class="nist-page__title">Keepers of the Right Answer: Why Measurements at NIST Are Important for the Nation and the World</h1>
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<div class="daterange"><time datetime="2024-09-11T12:00:00Z">September 11, 2024</time>
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<span>By: </span>
<a href="/blogs/taking-measure/authors/james-k-olthoff" hreflang="en">James K. Olthoff</a>
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<div data-lightbox="https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/styles/2800_x_2800_limit/public/images/2024/09/10/Jim-olthoff.png?itok=BLfm4Qtl" data-media-id="719416">
<img alt="NIST Chief Metrologist Jim Olthoff stands in front of equipment in a lab. " height="960" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/960_x_960_limit/public/images/2024/09/10/Jim-olthoff.png?itok=-Yga8XHq" typeof="foaf:Image" width="792">
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<figcaption class="nist-image__caption">James K. Olthoff is NIST’s first chief metrologist.<div class="nist-image__credit">
<span class="nist-image__credit-label">Credit:</span>
NIST
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</figure>
<p>Practically everything you use in your everyday life works because of measurement science. Without precise measurements, your car wouldn’t run, your phone wouldn’t work, hospitals couldn’t function, and the ATM would fail. &nbsp;</p><p>NIST is the national measurement institute of the United States. Most people in the U.S. have no idea that there is a single organization within the federal government that makes sure all measurements in the U.S. are correct and trustworthy — and that they are accepted by other governments worldwide.</p><p>What does that look like in practice? Here’s an example.</p><p>More than 40 million mammograms are done in the U.S. each year. Each one is a chance to save a life. &nbsp;</p><p>Those mammograms have to be both safe and effective, so mammography machines must expose patients to the smallest amount of radiation needed to get a good image, thereby minimizing any harmful effects. Careful measurements ensure that the benefits of the test far outweigh the impact of a minuscule exposure. We know that U.S. hospitals achieve this balance because they trace that radiation amount back to one of our labs here at NIST.&nbsp;</p><p>Traceability is a complex scientific concept, but it essentially means that in comparison to precise standards calibrated at NIST, the mammography machine accurately delivers the exact amount of radiation allowed. We know this because the chain of calibration — or all the steps it took to test and check that machine — can be linked all the way back to one of our radiation physics labs here in Gaithersburg, Maryland. &nbsp;</p><p>This is one of many hundreds of examples of how measurement science, also known as metrology, affects daily life — whether you think about it or not. &nbsp;</p><p>Some of these examples are obvious. When you fill up your car’s gas tank or buy deli meat, you know exactly how much you’re buying because the state weights and measures offices check the pumps and scales for accuracy, based on the volume and mass standards from NIST. &nbsp;</p><p>Perhaps less obvious is that the values on the nutrition labels on food packaging are determined by comparing the values to the <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/organic-vegetarian-or-carnivore-whatever-you-eat-my-lab-working-keep-it-safe" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="c34d9cdc-416b-437c-93bd-5fdb5514697a" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Organic, Vegetarian or Carnivore: Whatever You Eat, My Lab Is Working to Keep It Safe">food standards that NIST produces</a>. Even less obvious is the fact that your <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/gps-laser-pointers-quantum-science-all-around-us" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="276b3a03-74cd-4c08-a1ba-98118462dfae" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="From GPS to Laser Pointers, Quantum Science Is All Around Us">GPS works</a> because of the atomic clocks inside the satellites. NIST created the world’s first atomic clock and remains a world leader in making these ultraprecise timekeepers.&nbsp;</p><h2>Why Measurement Science Matters&nbsp;</h2> <figure class=" align-right nist-image" role="group">
<div>
<img alt="NIST SRM 2387, Peanut Butter, with white bread" height="300" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/480_x_480_limit/public/images/2018/01/24/03ts001_peanutbsrm_hr_cropped.jpg?itok=n260yrgF" typeof="foaf:Image" width="480">
</div>
<figcaption class="nist-image__caption">The food values on nutrition labels are determined by comparing values to NIST-produced food standards. It’s one of many ways that our measurement science impacts your daily life.<div class="nist-image__credit">
<span class="nist-image__credit-label">Credit:</span>
NIST
</div></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These examples — and many more complicated ones — are why we have a national organization focused on metrology. We have thousands of researchers, known as metrologists, constantly figuring out how to measure things better. &nbsp;</p><p>Why such dedication? Well, everything in science and technology is based on measurement. In science, the ability to measure something and determine its value — and to do so in a repeatable and reliable way — is essential. &nbsp;</p><p>For example, precision measurements enable weather forecasting to happen. While you may notice it more when the weather forecasts aren’t quite right, five-day weather forecasts are now accurate about <a href="https://scijinks.gov/forecast-reliability/">90% of the time</a>. &nbsp;</p><p>One tool meteorologists (as opposed to metrologists) use to predict the weather is measuring the energy — or radiation — that’s coming from Earth. Recent advances in our ability to make these measurements more accurately have contributed to our ever-improving ability to predict what your weekend weather will be like. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Additionally, the more science and technology advance, the trickier the measurements become.&nbsp;</p><p>For example, when scientists in the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/transistor-history">late 1940s</a> created transistors — which have become the building block of computers and virtually all modern electronics — they had to measure them on the scale of the millimeter, which is about the thickness of a dime. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>As semiconductor technology has advanced, we now have to measure computer chips at the scale of nanometers — one million times smaller than the width of that dime. So, if measurement science didn’t improve, technology couldn’t advance. Without it, we would not have the latest smartphones we take for granted today. &nbsp;</p><p>An additional challenge is that we’re now in a world where day-to-day measurements are tied to <a href="https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/kilogram-future">physical constants in nature</a>, not to things. This makes measurements more universal and consistent and also more complicated for scientists to define. &nbsp;</p><p>For example, before 2018, all mass measurements were traceable to a metal cylinder held in a vault in France. Now, mass is determined by a physical constant in nature — known as the <a href="/physics/what-planck-constant" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="46588911-fea6-4699-a7c9-995543224a85" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="The Planck Constant">Planck constant</a>. While this new approach has many benefits, it’s also more complex. In fact, researchers here at NIST are collaborating with our <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/one-worlds-roundest-objects-helping-build-better-mass-measurement" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="34981d0f-4ff5-4e76-a9f4-e1fb9a5364dd" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="One of the World’s Roundest Objects Is Helping to Build a Better Mass Measurement">counterparts in Germany</a> to work out some of the remaining challenges with this particular measurement.&nbsp;</p><p>One of the things I love about working in metrology is that there is a correct answer to any measurement question. If we are careful enough and understand the science well enough, then we will get a reliable answer. We will also be able to know how sure we are of the accuracy or correctness of the answer, which we call “uncertainty.” &nbsp;</p><p>One of the roles we play at NIST is to provide those answers in a trustworthy way; that’s why I call us the “keepers of the right answer.” If someone needs to know a temperature, <a href="https://www.time.gov">what time it is</a>, how pure something is, or how small something is, they know they can trust the science that comes out of NIST. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;I’m proud to be a part of that process and to have helped lead the organization that inspires trust across the world. &nbsp;</p><h2>From Physicist to Global Metrologist &nbsp;</h2><p>In school, I studied atomic and molecular physics, and I knew I wanted to work in a laboratory. &nbsp;</p><p>When I drove up to my first day at NIST a few decades ago and parked outside of the metrology building, I realized I had no idea what the word “metrology” meant. &nbsp;</p><p>I went to my office and looked up the word in the dictionary. I learned it meant the science of measurement. That’s interesting, I thought.&nbsp;</p><p>I went on to do physics research in my lab in support of the semiconductor and electricity industries. These experiments obviously involved measurements, as all science does, but honestly, they were not the focus of my thinking. &nbsp;</p><p>It wasn’t until I was asked to work on calibrations that the importance and beauty of measurements became clear to me. Working on calibrating electrical transformers and capacitors (devices that store energy), I delved into the world of traceability. I saw how important and universal the world of metrology was.&nbsp;</p><p>One of the most exciting outcomes of my engagement with calibrations was that I became involved in the international world of metrology. Other countries have their own versions of NIST — other national metrology institutes — that handle their own weights, measures, timekeeping and related areas of science. &nbsp;</p>
<figure class=" align-left nist-image--lightbox nist-image" role="group">
<div data-lightbox="https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/styles/2800_x_2800_limit/public/images/2018/12/03/cgpm_redef_usdelegation_nov2018_versailles.jpg?itok=MIY1AR1J" data-media-id="469451">
<img alt="6 people standing on a stage in front of a screen that reads: 26th CGPM" height="360" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/480_x_480_limit/public/images/2018/12/03/cgpm_redef_usdelegation_nov2018_versailles.jpg?itok=FPikh2Ez" typeof="foaf:Image" width="480">
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<figcaption class="nist-image__caption">James Olthoff (right) attended a 2018 international conference on weights and measures. The countries voted to redfine four of the seven base units for the International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system.&nbsp;<div class="nist-image__credit">
<span class="nist-image__credit-label">Credit:</span>
G. Porter/NIST
</div></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There’s an enormous international infrastructure among the countries of the world and their national metrology institutes to make sure the way things are measured in the U.S. is acceptable in other countries and vice versa. This is essential for issues like <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/listening-data-how-nist-tool-helps-labs-worldwide-harmonize-measurements" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="881f7224-4a1b-4db0-8eec-1ca6b859bfaa" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Listening to the Data: How a NIST Tool Helps Labs Worldwide Harmonize Measurements">repairing airplanes or buying materials</a> for your company across the globe. &nbsp;</p><p>As the chief metrologist for the United States, I personally get to see the importance of this global cooperation and to be a part of a worldwide community of metrologists. While to many this world of measurements may seem mundane or even boring, there are so many exciting things happening. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/think-you-know-what-second-it-will-likely-change-next-decade" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="37772e40-6ab9-411e-8016-a4d73a3e0416" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Think You Know What a Second Is? It Will Likely Change in the Next Decade.">redefinition of the second</a> is expected to come in a few years. (This will be big for metrologists, but don’t worry, you’re unlikely to notice.) New measurements to monitor the climate are being developed and deployed. Techniques to unravel the mysteries of bioengineering are advancing. Ways to accurately measure the presence and impact of <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/measuring-microplastics-solve-problem-we-have-understand-and-measure-it" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="f360f5e9-db54-4789-aece-a711b388f2a3" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Measuring Microplastics: To Solve the Problem, We Have to Understand and Measure It ">microplastics</a> are being developed, and so much more. &nbsp;</p><p>As technology advances and demands more from measurement science, we will be here to provide it. It is really an exciting time to be a metrologist!&nbsp;</p><div class="nist-callout"><h2>Be a Metrologist</h2><p>Since it’s an exciting time to be a metrologist, come join us here at NIST: &nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href="/careers" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="6759f08f-cf80-4252-9b0a-c6dfe3d8eb9b" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Careers @ NIST">NIST Careers &nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="/careers/student-opportunities/internship-program" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="4aa0f203-f9df-4663-b820-fdbd75ee9342" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Internship Program">NIST Internships</a>&nbsp;</li></ul></div>
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<div class="text-with-summary"><p><span>James K. Olthoff is NIST’s first chief metrologist and serves as the primary representative both nationally and internationally of NIST’s role as the national metrology institute of the United States. He works with NIST leadership to ensure that NIST’s core measurement capabilities remain among the best in the world.</span> Dr. Olthoff has served in many leadership positions at NIST including the associate director for laboratory programs and acting NIST director. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland and did postdoctoral research at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before coming to NIST almost 40 years ago.&nbsp;</p></div>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Great article! Very informative and interesting<br />
I would love to receive all of the updates and data of your research and measurement findings in all areas<br />
great job!<br />
Tammy</p>
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<span class="nist-comment__parent">| Replied to <a href="/comment/156046#comment-156046" class="permalink" rel="bookmark" hreflang="en">Great article!
very…</a></span>
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<span class="nist-comment__author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">CliffG</span></span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>I started working in high tech in 1976 building scanning electron microscopes, SEMs. I was told that one of our earlier deliveries of the AutoScan was to the National Bureau of Standards, NBS that is now NIST, and that the SEM was used to define the micrometer, commonly referred to as the micron. I was, and am still proud to be associated with that use of our systems, and still follow NIST . (As a high school student I used to listen to NBS WWV @5mhz time broadcasts!)<br />
This was a long second to write up, but I know it will be an accurate timing.</p>
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<span class="nist-comment__parent">| Replied to <a href="/comment/156051#comment-156051" class="permalink" rel="bookmark" hreflang="en">I started working in high…</a></span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Thanks so much for sharing your story, and for your work on scanning electron microscopes! SEMs are still cutting-edge instruments for so many applications at NIST. We are glad that you are a part of our history!</p>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Wonderful article! A real keeper. I can save it and when someone asks, &quot;What&#039;s a metrologist?&quot;, I can say, &quot;Here, read this.&quot;</p>
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<span class="nist-comment__parent">| Replied to <a href="/comment/156241#comment-156241" class="permalink" rel="bookmark" hreflang="en">Wonderful article! A real…</a></span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Thanks so much for your kind words, Ted!</p>
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