Guide to NIST

188 Pages·1998·14.1 MB·English

by  Covahey, Virginia

NIST
ide to
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Technology Administration
www.nist.gov
On the cover:
Graphics ofscientific and engineering
data or calculations often are used by
NIST researchers to improve under-
standing ofproduction processes,
measurement methods, or scientific
experiments. Shown on the cover from
right to left are computer-generated
graphics of:
• a scanning electron micrograph ofa
negatively charged diamond tip used
in measuring surface roughness;
• an atomic-level image ofchromium
atoms (bumps) alloyed in iron (flat
areas) made as part ofa study ofnew
magnetic recording and storage
materials;
• a cubane molecule superimposed
on a plot used to describe how these
unusual cube-shaped molecules stack
together in a solid;
• magnetic data "tracks" encoded on
a prototype reference sample that can
be used to help improve the quality of
computer disks;
• tree-like crystals growing as a pure
metal solidifies;
• the microstructure ofa tin-oxide
film used in arrays oftiny sensors for
detecting gases;
• the extent ofchemical degradation
on a biosensor film exposed to an elec-
—
tron beam heights ofraised areas
correspond to the degree ofdamage
in those areas; and
• the movement ofsmoke particulates
and combustion products from burn-
ing ofa crude oil spill as predicted by
the NIST software program, ALOFT.
—
FOREWORD
Successinbusinessthese—daysis aboutspe- Finally, theBaldrigeNationalQualityPro-
cialtiesandpartnerships knowingwhat gramprovides information tocompaniesof
you're goodatandteamingwithothersto allsizesonhowtocontinuouslyimprove
doeverythingelse.Atthe National Institute theirproducts, services, andprocesses
ofStandards andTechnology, ourspecialty througheffectivebusiness andquality
istechnologyandbusiness infrastructure management.
puttinginplacekeyingredientsthatindus-
Iseeseveralchallenges aheadforNIST's
try7needstothrive andhelptheeconomy
future. Shorteningofproductcycles,
grow. Partnerships arecentraltoeverything
globalization ofstandards, thenextgenera-
wedo. Infrastructurehasnovalueifitis not
tion Internet, continuouseducation and
—
used.
training these aretrendsthatwillpro-
ThisGuidetoNISTisdesignedtohelpmake foundly affectthebusinessofU.S. industry.
formingpartnershipswithNISTalittleeas- NISTis respondingwith anumberofnew
ier. Hereyouwillfinddescriptionsformore initiatives includingtheconstruction ofnew
than 300differentprogramsandprojects world-class researchfacilities,supportfora
alongwithcontactnames, phonenumbers, comprehensive nationalstandardsstrategy,
addresses, andWorldWideWebsites. increasedemphasisbytheATPon joint
ventures andparticipationbysmalltomid-
An agencyofthe U.S. DepartmentofCom-
sizedfirms, improvedaccessforsmaller
merce'sTechnologyAdministration, NIST's
manufacturerstoMEPcenters, andpromo-
mission istopromote U.S. economic growth tionofqualitymanagementconceptsforthe
byworkingwith industrytodevelop and
healthcare andeducationsectors.
applytechnology, measurements, andstand-
ards. Itcarriesoutthismission through four Andaswe anticipateboth thenewmillen-
majorprograms, each one addressingdiffer- nium andNIST's 100th anniversaryin 2001,
entcomponentsofthetechnologypipeline. we'recon—fidentthatsomethingswillstay
thesame namelyourcommitmentto
NIST'ssevendisciplinaryMeasurementand
accuracy, fairness, andscientificexcellence.
StandardsLaboratoriesworkatallstagesof
NIST'svision istobethebestintheworldat
thepipelinefrom advancingbasicscience
whatwedo.Wehopeyou'lltakeamoment
andpioneeringnewmeasurementmethods
nowtostrollthroughthesepagesandsee
tothedevelopmentofstandardtestmethods,
howyourorganization mightbenefitby
materials, anddatatoensure the qualityof
joiningusinthatquest.
commercialproducts.
TheAdvancedTechnologyProgram helps
fill the gaps thatoften existbetweenbasic
research advancesandcommercialization
byprovidingcost-sharedfundingtoindustry
fordevelopmentofhigh-risk, "enabling"
technologieswithbroadcommercial
potential. Raymond Kammer, Director
email: [email protected]
TheManufacturingExtension Partnership
usesanationwide networkofcentersto
helpsmallermanufacturers adopttechnolo-
giesandbusinesspracticesthatcan
improvetheircompetitiveness inthe global
marketplace.
I
HOW
TO USE THIS GUIDE
This guide isdesigned tomakefinding TheAdvancedTechnologyProgramprovides Adetailedsubjectindexbeginsonpage 170.
out aboutprograms andcontacts atthe multiyear, cost-sharedfundingforhigh- Duetothe interdisciplinarynatureofNIST's
National Institute ofStandards andTech- risk, high-payoffdevelopmentoftechnolo- work,manytopic areas appearinmore than
nology alittleeasier. giesbyindividualcompanies orindustry-led onechapter. Forexample, researchinvolv-
jointventures.ATP acceleratesdevelopment ingpolymersisdescribed in differentchap-
Thepagesthatfollowdescribe hundredsof
oftechnologiesthatotherwise are unlikely ters:polymerprocessingandstructure
NISTprojects, grants, industryoutreachpro-
tobeavailable intimetocompete in rapidly investigationswithin theMaterialsScience
grams, services, andfacilities,followedby
changingmarketswithoutsuch apartner- andEngineeringLaboratoryandpolymer
contactnames;phone numbers; andmail,
shipofindustryand government. See combustionstudieswithin the Buildingand
electronicmail, and, insomecases,World
descriptiononpage6. FireResearch Laboratory.
WideWeb addressesforfurtherinformation.
Unlessotherwise noted, all addresses listed The ManufacturingExtension Partnership This guide attemptsto include allmajor
are atMST,Gaithersburg,Md. 20899- operates anationwidenetworkofregionally NISTprogram areas. However,nosingle
0001. basedextensioncentersthathelpsmaller reportcanbecompletelycomprehensive.
manufacturers adopt modern technologies Instituteprogramschangeconstantlyas
This guide isdivided intochapterscovering andbusinesspractices. Through MEPeven newresearch resultsandtechnologies
each ofNIST's majoroperatingunits. In
thesmallestfirmshaveaccesstomorethan become available. Ifyoudon'tfindatopic
addition, eachchapteron the Measurement
2,000knowledgeable manufacturingand areathatspecificallymatchesyourneeds,
andStandards Laboratories' programs
businessspecialists. Seedescription on contacttheofficeforthe research areaclos-
includessubheadingsforNISTorganiza-
page 25. esttoyourfieldofinterest.
tionaldivisionsorsubject areas.
The Malcolm BaldrigeNationalQuality Ifyou reviewthis guide andyou'restill not
NIST'sMeasurement andStandardsLabora-
Awardhasbecomeboththe U.S. standardof surewhich officetocall, theNISTGeneral
toriesdeliveressential public goodstocom-
performance excellence inbusiness anda Inquiriesunitprobablycanhelpyou.
panies, universities, and government
comprehensive guideto quality improve-
agencies. Thereach ofNIST'shigh-quality Contact:
ment. TheBaldrige National Quality
measurementtools,data, andservices General Inquiries
Program,which manages the Baldrige
extendsfromscience andmedicine to indus- (301) 975-NIST
Award, develops anddisseminatesevalu-
tryandcommerce andfrom health andthe email: [email protected]
ationcriteriaandprovides global leadership
environmentto lawenforcement and fax: [phone]
inpromotingqualityawareness andin the
nationaldefense. A903Administration Building
sharingofsuccessfulqualitypractices,prin-
NIST
ResearchersintheNISTMeasurementand ciples, andstrategies. Seedescriptionon
Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001
Standards Laboratories activelyseekout page 33-
industrial andothercollaboratorstowork
onwell-defined, cooperativeresearchproj-
ectsofmutual interest. In addition, NIST
researcherscollaborate informallywith
industrial andacademic researcherstosolve
shorter-term technicalproblems. For an
overviewofthemanydifferentwaysNIST
maybe able toworkwithyourorganization,
seeadescriptionoftheNISTMeasurement
andStandardsLaboratoriesbeginningon
page 35.
CONTENTS
4 NISTata Glance
6 Advanced Technology Program
25 Manufacturing Extension Partnership
33 Baldrige National QualityProgram
35 Measurementand Standards Laboratories
40 Building and Fire Research Laboratory
51 Chemical Science andTechnology Laboratory
76 Electronicsand Electrical Engineering Laboratory
99 InformationTechnology Laboratory
109 Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
126 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
144 Physics Laboratory
164 TechnologyServices
170 Facilities Index
170 Subject Index
— ——
NIST AT A GLANCE
TheNational InstituteofStandards and BUDGET The Institute alsopublishesserialpublica-
Technologywasestablishedby Congress "to $790million tions. TheJournalofResearchofthe
assistindustryinthedevelopmentoftech- (FY 1998estimatedoperatingresources NationalInstituteofStandardsandTech-
nology ... neededto improveproductqual- from allsources) nology reportsNISTresearchanddevelop-
ity, tomodernizemanufacturingprocesses, mentresults inphysics, chemistry,
STAFF
toensureproductreliability ... andtofacili- engineering, mathematics, andinformation
About 3,300scientists, engineers, techni-
tate rapidcommercialization ... ofproducts cians, andsupportpersonnel,plussome technology,withmajoremphasisonmeas-
basedon newscientificdiscoveries." urementmethodologyandbasictechnology
1,250visitingresearcherseachyear
underlyingstandardization. Issued
An agencyofthe U.S. DepartmentofCom-
SITES bimonthly. Subscriptionprice: domestic
merce'sTechnologyAdministration, NIST's —
Gaithersburg, Md. (headquarters $34peryear,foreign $42.50peryear.
primarymission istopromote U.S. eco-
234-hectarecampus) and Contact: [phone].
nomic growthbyworkingwith industryto
Boulder, Colo. (84-hectarecampus)
develop and applytechnology, measure- Technologyata Glanceisafour-page, lay
ments, andstandards. Itcarriesoutthis MAIN RESEARCHAREASIN NIST language newsletterprovidingbriefupdates
mission through fourinterwoven programs: LABORATORIES onNISTresearch, grants, andotherpro-
Buildingandfire research gram activities,with acontactnamefor
• the Measurement andStandardsLaborato- Chemicalscience andtechnology
each topiccovered. Issuedquarterly.
ries, providingvital componentsofthe Electronicsandelectricalengineering
Freesubscription. Contact: Gail Porter,
nation'stechnology infrastructure needed Information technology
[phone].
byU.S. industrytocontinuallyimproveprod- Manufacturingengineering
uctsandservices; Materialsscience andengineering News andgeneral information aboutNIST
• theAdvancedTechnologyProgram, Physics programs andservicesare available on the
WorldWideWeb atwww.nist.gov. Linksto
pdreovveildoipnmgecnotstof-shhiagrhedraiswka,rednsabtoliinngdutsetcrhy-for ANDISDTITiIsOsuNeAsLmSoOreURtChEanS4O0F0IpNuFblOiRcMatAiToInOsN homepagesforNISTmajorprograms—
Laboratories,ATP, MEP, andBaldrige are
nologieswithbroadeconomicpotential; eachyear, such as reportson research
available throughthe NISThomepage. The
• agrassrootsManufacturingExtension results andstandards, catalogsofproducts homepage also linkstoNISTTime, astaff
andservices, andtechnicalhandbooks.
Partnershipwith anationwide networkof locator, andeventscalendar. Thesite has
localcentersofferingtechnical andbusiness NISTstaffalso authorabout 1,650 technical informationonStandardReference Materi-
journalpapers. To locatecurrentandpast
assistancetosmallermanufacturers; and als, Standard ReferenceData,calibrations,
Institutepublications, call General Inquiries
standardsservices, andfacilities. In addi-
• ahighlyvisible qualityoutreachprogram at (301) 975-NIST (6478).
tion, thesiteprovidestourinformation;
associatedwith theMalcolmBaldrige
pressreleases; budgetupdates;congressional
NationalQualityAwardthatrecognizesbusi-
testimony; mapsofNIST's Gaithersburg,
nessperformanceexcellence andquality
Md., andBoulder, Colo.,facilities; and
achievementbyU.S. manufacturers and
answerstosomefrequentlyaskedquestions.
servicecompanies.
NISTATAGLANCE
Clickon "NISTinYourHouse" and"NIST Baldrige National Quality Program Technology Services
andYourCity" tofindoutwhereNIST (Malcolm BaldrigeNationalQualityAward) Calibrations
research hashadanunseen role inyour [phone] [phone]
everydaylife. TofindtheNISTconnection,
Measurementand Standards Laboratories Industrial Partnerships
youcanclickon itemssuchas asmoke
BuildingandFire Research [phone]
detector,watt-hourmeter,car, hospital, and
[phone]
afactory. LaboratoryAccreditation
Chemical Science andTechnology [phone]
FREQUENTLYREQUESTED NISTCONTACTS
[phone]
MetricProgram
General Inquiries Electronics andElectric Engineering [phone]
(301) 975-NIST (301-975-6478) [phone]
SmallBusinessInnovationResearchProgram
email: [email protected]
InformationTechnology [phone]
A903AdministrationBuilding
[phone]
NIST StandardReferenceData
Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001 ManufacturingEngineering [phone]
[phone]
AdvancedTechnology Program Standard ReferenceMaterials
(800) ATP-FUND Materials Science andEngineering [phone]
(800-287-3863) [phone]
Standards Information Center
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Physics [phone]
[phone] [phone]
Weights andMeasures
(800) MEP-4MFGforcenterservingyou
[phone]
NIST Organization
Director
BoulderLaboratories Raymond Kammer NationalQuality
Program
DavidNorcross HarryHertz
Acting DeputyDirector
RobertHebner
I
Officeofthe Advanced Manufacturing
Technology
Administration ChiefFinancial Technology Extension
Services Officer Program Partnership
JorgeUrrutia PeterHeydemann RobertHebner(act) LuraPowell KevinCarr
I
Electronicsand Manufacturing ChemicalScience MaterialsScience BuildingandFire Information
Electrical Engineering andTechnology Physics andEngineering Research Technology
Engineering Laboratory
Laboratory Laboratory Laboratory Laboratory Laboratory
Laboratory
JudsonFrench RichardJackson HratchSemerjian KatharineGebbie LeslieSmith RichardWright ShukriWakid
—
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Overview TheATPviewsR&Dprojectsfrom abroader • TheATPdoesnotfundproductdevelop-
perspective itsbottom lineishowtheproj- ment. Itsupportstechnologies thatare
Not-yet-possibletechnologies arethe ectcanbenefitthenation. Insharingthe essential tothedevelopmentofnewprod-
domainoftheNISTAdvancedTechnology relativelyhighdevelopment risksoftech- ucts,processes, andservicesacrossdiverse
Program (ATP). Anewsyntheticmaterials nologiesthatpotentiallymakefeasible a application areas. Private industrybearsthe
technologythatmightrevolutionize the broadrangeofnewcommercialopportuni- costsofproductdevelopment,production,
—
autoindustry iftheprocessvariablescan ties,possiblyacrossseveral industries, the marketing, sales, anddistribution.
beidentified andcontrolled. Anewpolymer ATPfostersprojectswi—th ahighpayofffor • ATP awards aremadestrictlyonthebasis
thatcanbeusedas adrug, ensnari—ng and thenation as awhole in addition toa ofrigorouscompetitionsdesignedtoselect
neutralizingdangerouspathogens ifthe directreturnto an innovation. The goalof theproposalsthatarebestintermsofinno-
design and manufacturingissuescanbe theATP iseconomic growth andthe good vation, technical risk, thepotentialeco-
overcome.Anewconcept indistributed infor- jobs andquali—tyoflifethatcomewitheco- nomicbenefitstothenation (notjustthe
mationsystemsthatcouldbothcutcosts nomic growth openingnewopportunities applicant), andthestrengthoftheplanfor
andpoten—tiallysavelivesinthenation's forU.S. business and industryintheworld's eventualcommercializationoftheresults.
hospitals ifthepropersoftwaretoolscan marketsbyfosteringenablingtechnologies Expertreviewers (withoutconflictsofinter-
bedevelopedtomake itcosteffectiveon a thatwill leadtonew, innovativeproducts, est) drawnfromtheeconomiccommunity,
largescale. services, and industrialprocesses. government, and academecarefullyexam-
TheATP is auniquepartnershipbetween TheATP hasseveralcriticalfeaturesthat ine andrateeachproposal accordingtopub-
government andprivate industrytoconduct setitapartfromothergovernment R&D lishedselectioncriteriathatfocusonboth
high-riskresearch todevelopenablingtech- programs: economic andtechnicalpotential. Proprie-
nologies thatpromisesignificantcommer- • ATPprojectsfocuson thetechnology taryinformation isprotectedcarefully.
cialpayoffs andwidespreadbenefitsforthe needsofU.S. industry, notthose ofgovern- ATPsupportdoesnotb—ecome aperpetual
economy. TheATPprovides amechanism ment. TheATP is industrydriven,which subsidyorentitlement eachprojecthas
forindustrytoextendits technological keeps theprogram grounded in real-world goals, specificfundingallocations, andcom-
reach andpush theenvelopeofwhatcanbe needs. ResearchprioritiesfortheATP areset pletiondatesestablishedattheoutset. Pro-
attempted. byindustry: for-profitcompaniesconceive, jects aremonitoredandcanbeterminated
propose, co-fund, andexecuteATPprojects forcausebeforecompletion.
Lowering the Barriers to andprogramsbasedontheirunderstanding TheATPpartnerswith companiesofall
ofthemarketplace andresearch
High-Risk Research sizes,encouragingthemtotakeon greater
opportunities.
technicalchallengeswithpotentially large
Technologyresearch intheprivatesectoris • TheATP hasstrictcost-sharingrules. bene—fitsthatextendwellbeyondthe innova-
drivenby today—'seconomic realities. Mar- Jointventures (twoormorecompanieswork- tors challengestheycouldnotorwould
kets areglobal yourcompetitorscanbe ingtogether) mustpay atleasthalfofthe notdo alone. Forsmaller,start-upfirms,
anywhere in theworld. Thepaceoftechno- projectcosts. Large, "Fortune-500" compa- earlysupportfrom theATPcanspellthe
logicalchange isfasterthaneverbefore, niesparticipatingas asinglefirm mustpay differencebetweensuccess andfailure. To
andvictorygoestotheswift. These realities atleast60percentoftotalprojectcosts. date, morethanhalfoftheATP awardshave
forcecompaniestomake narrower, shorter- goneto individualsmallbusinessesorto
term investmentsin R&D thatmaximize Smallercompaniesworkingonsinglefirm jointventures ledbyasmallbusiness. Large
returnsto thecompanyquickly. Aproject ATPprojectsmustpayaminimumofall firmscanworkwith theATP, especiallyin
mayofferthepossibilityofimportantbene- indirect costs associatedwith theproject. jointventures, todevelopcritical, high-risk
fitstoAmerican industryorthepublic,but (Thisprovisionencouragessmallcompa- technologiesthatwouldbedifficultforany
biennhefairtds-naoresewdorbtuhsionnelsysacsalmcuulcathioanss,thtehoisneno- nliiemsi,tepdarRti&cDulabruldygesttasrta-nudps,muthcahtolfotweenrhoavvere- polnee, cthoembpeannefyittsosjpusrteiafdybaeccroasusset,hefoirneduxsatmr-y
vatingcompanycan recoup inprofits. head ratesthan largefirms.) as awhole.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
An ATP Project Sampler
TheATPportfolioishighlydiversified. influenceproduction rates andpartsqual- highlyefficientchemicalseparation tech-
The352projectsselectedinthefirst 30 ity.Ateam ledbytheNationalCenterfor nologywithbroadapplications,from
competitionsspan abroadarrayofkey ManufacturingSciences (AnnArbor, extractingandrefiningbaseandprecious
technologies,withparticularconcentra- Mich.) designedandcurrentlyistesting metalstocreatingultrapuresubstances
tions in information technology, biotech- threeprototypespindlesthataresmaller, forpharmaceuticals. Severalmajorchemi-
nology,electronics, advancedmaterials, faster, andmoreflexiblethatconven- calprocessorshavelicensedthetechnol-
andmanufacturing.These awards repre- tionaldesigns andoffernewcapabilities ogy, andIBC hasbeguntomarket
sent an investmentofS2.3billion shared aswell. Forexample, onedesigncould separation systemsto themetals industry.
almostequallybyindustry andATP. More savethe autoindustrymorethan 100,000
• With assistancefromtheATP, asmall
than800companies, universities, inde- hoursin annualmachiningtimefora
companycalledAastromBiosciences Inc.
pendentnon-profit researchorganiza- singlepart.
(AnnArbor, Mich.) hasdevelopedthefirst
tions, andgovernmentlaboratorieshave
• NanophaseTechnologies (BurrRidge, devicetosuccessfully growfunctional,
participatedinATPprojects. Several hun-
111.) usedATPco-fundingtodevelop a therapeutic humancellsoutside thebody.
dredadditional organizationshavepartici-
patedassubcontractors andstrategic novelprocessforproducinguniform, The desk—topbioreactordeveloped—by
nanometer-scaleceramicpowders. Aastrom nowinclinical trials success-
partners. Overhalfofthe awardswere
Theoriginaltargetforsuchultrafine fullyinducesthegrowth andreplication
made tosmallbusinesses orto jointven-
powderwasthemanufactureofhigh- ofstemcells, precursorcellsnormally
turesledbyasmall business.
performanceceramiccomponentsforthe foundinbonemarrowthatmature into
Representativeprojectsinclude: automotive andaerospaceindustries, but bloodandimmunesystemcells. If
alongthewayNanophasediscoveredsev- approved (andinitial results arepromis-
• AnewDNAsequencingtechnology-
eral otherapplications, includingwafer ing), theAastrom technologycouldmean
developedbyGeneTraceSystems, Inc.
polishingagentsforthesemiconductor theendofapainfulprocedureofharvest-
(Menlo Park, Calif.), undertheATP gets
industryandcosmetic andskin-careprod- ingbone marrowfortransplantation
results hundredsoftimesfasterthan cur-
ucts (thetinyironoxideparticleshave (oftenpartofcancertherapy). Somestud-
rentmethodsat afraction ofthecost.The
system identifiesthesequenceofbase goodsunscreenproperties). Themarket ies alsoindic—atethattheculturedcells
potential forthecompany'spowderprod- maybesafer less likelytobe contami-
chemicalsin agiven DNAstrandin as
uctscouldreach $80millionbytheturn natedwith tumorcells.
little asfiveseconds ratherthan thethree
ofthecentury. Sincethebeginningofthe
hours requiredforconventional DNAsepa- • Vastlymorepowerfulcomputers
company'sparticipation intheATP as a
ration methods.This research isexpected andcellulartelephonesareamongthe
tinystart-up, totalemploymenthas
toleadtoinexpensiveyethighlyeffective products thatcouldresultfrom anATP
increasedfrom 5 to68people; annual
newdrugs andwidelyavailabletestsfor projectthatdevelopednewmaterialsfor
revenueshave increased 10-fold.
diseasediagnosis and identification, such integratedcircuits (ICs).Texas Instru-
asforensic andpaternitytesting. Thecom- • Anewtypeof"molecularrecognition" ments (Dallas,Texas) incorporatedxero-
panyexpects itstechnologyto leadto technologydevelopedbyIBCAdvanced gel, anear-perfectinsulatorconsistingof
geneticscreeningtestsforas little as afew Technologies ofAmericanFork, Utah, tinyglassbubbles, into ICsforthefirst
dollars, comparedwith the $300to $5,000 mayhelpcrackoneofthe $1.2 trillion time. The material nowisbeingcommer-
requiredtoday. worldchemical-processingindustry's cializedbyamajormaterialssupplierfor
mostintractableproblems: howtoselec- theelectronics industry.Xerogelcould
• Awide rangeofU.S. manufacturers
tivelyremoveeconomicallyimportantor fuelatleast 10-foldincreasesinthespeed
couldsavesubstantiallyifthey adoptthe
environmentallyhazardousmolecules ofmicroprocessors anddigitalsignal
newspindledesignsdevelopedin ajoint
fromindustrialfluidsandwaste.WithATP processors.
ventureco-fundedbyATP. Spindles
co-funding, thecompanyiscombining
(the rotatingparb thatholdcutting
computermodelingexpertise andsome
instruments in machinetools) arecritical
Nobel Prize-winningresearch into a
in manufacturingbecause theystrongly
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Universities andnon-profit independent potential forU.S. economicbenefit, thetech- Component-Based Software. To
researchorganizations alsoplaysignificant nical ideas availabletobeexploited, the develop thetechnologiesnecessarytoenable
roles asparticipants inATPprojects. Outof strengthofindustrycommitmenttothe system—aticallyreusablesoftwarecompo-
themorethan 350projectsselectedbythe work, andthe reasonswhyATPfundingis nents small, carefullyengineeredsoftware
ATPsince its inception,welloverhalfofthe necessarytoachievewell-defined research elementssuitableforautomatedassemblyin
projects includedplansto involveoneor andbusiness goals.Areasthatattractpar- abroad arrayofapplications.
moreuniversities aseithersubcontractorsor ticularlystronginterestthen aredeveloped
Contact:
joint-venture members. Inmanyofthese furtherthrough discussionswith industry,
BarbaraCuthill
cases, more thanone academicinstitution meetings,workshops, andotherinteractions.
[phone]
was involved. There aremorethan 300 indi-
Within afocusedprogram, theATPholds email: [email protected]
vidual instancesofuniversityparticipation
special competitionsopen onlytoproject A426AdministrationBuilding
inATPprojects all told.
proposalsthatwould advance the goalsof
Digital Data Storage. TosupportU.S.
thespecificprogram. Individualprojects are
companiesinexploitingthe revolutionin
Programs and Competitions selectedthroughthe normalATPcompeti-
digitalstoragebyproducingdramatic
tive reviewprocess. TheATPhasestablished
TheATPconductstwotypesofcompetitions 17focusedprograms todate. improvementsindatastoragetechnologyin
fornewR&Dprojects, eachwith itsown sixkeyareas: tape anddiskstoragedensity,
advantages. Generalcompetitions, open to higherperformance magneticrecording
proposalsfrom anyfield, ensure thatall Focused Program heads, newlubricants andsurfacefinishes,
good ideasreceiveconsideration, nomatter Descriptions more reliable trackingdevices, improved
whatthetechnologyarea, andresultin signal-processingelectronics, anddata
someoftheATP'smostinnovativeprojects. InformationTechnology storage andretrievalsoftware.
Atleastone general competitionisheld and Electronics Contact:
everyyear. Adaptive Learning Systems. Todevelop Philip Perconti
Focusedprogram competitionswerecreated newenablingtechnologiesforflexible, [phone]
toprovide acriticalmassofsupportfor network-based (includingweb-based) learn- email: [email protected]
high-risk, enablingtechnologies inparticu- ingsystems, includingintelligent authoring A426Administration Building
lartechnologyareasthathavebeen identi- systems to reducethecostandtime to Digital Video in Information Net-
fiedbyU.S. industryasofferingespecially developeducational content; knowledge works. Todevelop interoperabledigital
importantopportunitiesforeconomic management and interface technologiesto videocapabilitiesforemerginginformation
growth. AnATPfocusedprogram identifies a improvethedeliveryofinstructional con- networks throughtechniquesforencoding,
specificsetofresearch andbusinessgoals tent; and large-scale modularcomponents, converting, andtranscribingvideodatainto
thatrequiretheparallel developmentofa instructional frameworks, andmiddleware thevariousformsrequiredbythenetwork.
suiteofsynergistic R&Dprojects. Bymanag- tosupport ahighlyusable, reliable net- Theprogramwillhelp U.S. firmstotake
inggroupsofprojectsthatcomplement and worked learningenvironment thatmakes commercial advantageoftheinformation
reinforceeachother, theATP reapsthebene- trainingandeducation more accessible networkto allowanyvideo-basedinforma-
fitsofsynergyand, inthe longrun,can thaneverbefore. tionproducttotravelviawire, opticalfiber,
have astronger impacton U.S. technology Contact: satellite, orbroadcastseamlesslyinto regu-
andtheeconomy. RichardMorris lartelevisions andotherinformation
Focusedprograms aredevelopedin response [phone] appliances.
tospecificsuggestions receivedfrom indus- email: [email protected] Contact:
try andacademia.Theproposalsoutline a A426Administration Building DavidHermreck
specifictechnologyareaanddescribethe [phone]
email: [email protected]
A426Administration Building