- published: 08 Dec 2013
- views: 5720
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute (NMI), which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce. The institute's official mission is to:
Promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
NIST had an operating budget for fiscal year 2007 (October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007) of about $843.3 million. NIST's 2009 budget was $992 million, but it also received $610 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NIST employs about 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support and administrative personnel. About 1,800 NIST associates (guest researchers and engineers from American companies and foreign nations) complement the staff. In addition, NIST partners with 1,400 manufacturing specialists and staff at nearly 350 affiliated centers around the country. NIST publishes the Handbook 44 that provides the "Specifications, tolerances, and other technical requirements for weighing and measuring devices".
Daddy was always an honest man
He spoke with his heart and helped with his hands
There wasn't a stranger he didn't soon know
I watched him build bridges wherever he'd go
Daddy was a farmer, always out in the field
We never had money, but there was always a meal
He counted his blessings and the Bible he read
I'll never outgrow the words that he said
CHORUS:
If I possessed all the wealth in the world
It would not be enough to survive
When I look in the eyes of my children and wife
I can see I've been given the finer things in life
Now I'm a daddy with two little ones
The first a shy princess, then a curious son
Well, they never knew their Grandpa too well
But his message of love I'll continue to tell
(CHORUS)