National Institute of Standards and Technology field trip: Not your standard tour

Not your standard tour: NIST, the nation's measurement laboratory. NIST is one of the world's premiere metrology (measurement science) institutes. On its 234-hectare/578-acre campus in Gaithersburg, Md., NIST scientists and engineers conduct research with collaborators from industry, academia and government in more than 50 different specialized research buildings.

During the tour, visitors will see:

• a massive, bent steel beam analyzed as part of NIST's World Trade Center investigation
• a unique fire facility capable of burning up a multi-story building
• a nanoscience facility with 50 different customized fabrication and measurement tools
• a net-zero energy house with a computerized "family" known as the NISTers
• advanced measurement laboratories located 12 meters (40 feet) below ground and designed to minimize vibration, temperature, humidity and other environmental changes.

The tour will also highlight how the world's metrology experts plan to replace the current standard for mass, a single kilogram artifact, with a measurement method based on unchanging constants of nature.

A lunch break will be provided from noon to 1 p.m. Bring your own lunch or purchase lunch at the NIST café. Tour requirements include covered legs and closed-toe shoes. All registrants must submit information for a security screen prior to visiting NIST. Bus departs at 9 a.m. and will return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown by 4 p.m.

Registration required (no charge). Limit: 30

This event is now full.

U.S. citizens coming to the NIST campus will need to provide REAL ID. See this page for a definition and FAQs:
https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs
https://www.dhs.gov/archive/current-status-states-territories
A current U.S. passport may be used in lieu of a driver’s license.
Foreign nationals will need to provide passport numbers, citizenship, and some additional information.