From a Tool for Safer Indoor Airflow to Research on Resilience and Recovery, NIST Highlights Its 2021 Progress for Critical National Needs

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a year-end roundup of its COVID-19–related research and other work supporting national and global priorities on its Taking Measure: Just a Standard Blog. "In Case You Missed It From NIST: 2021 Edition" highlights NIST's progress in 2021 (and beyond) in key areas of measurement, standardization, and research addressing critical needs for health, safety, environmental protection, and resilience.

 The stories, videos, and presentations include:

• A web tool to help homeowners leverage ventilation and air filters to reduce infectious aerosols.
• Microscopic looks at masks worn in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• New tools that can detect and identify deadly synthetic opioids.
• Investigation results, lessons learns, and recommendations following a severe tornado outbreak.
• CO₂ sensors on buildings to accurately measuring greenhouse gas emissions for industries and governments.

A government member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. ANSI and NIST have a long-standing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognizing the value of the public-private partnership and outlining each organization's important responsibilities in standardization.

Learn more about ANSI and federal engagement in standardization. 

Read NIST's Taking Measure: Just a Standard Blog.