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National Institute of Standards and Technology
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Formerly:
National Bureau of Standards
Date:
1901 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
time
navigation
measurement
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National Institute of Standards and Technology

United States government
Also known as: Bureau of Standards, NBS, NIST, National Bureau of Standards, Office of Standard Weights and Measures, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology(Show More)
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Last updated
•History

News •

A discovery at NIST changed how researchers think about an unusual quantum material • Oct. 29, 2026, 2:02 PM ET (Federal News Network)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce responsible for the standardization of weights and measures, timekeeping, and navigation. Established by an act of Congress in 1901, the agency works closely with the U.S. Naval Observatory and the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in Paris to ensure coordinated universal time.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Robert Curley.