Mikulski Visits NIST, Receives Update on Innovations that Create Jobs and Save Lives

Visit included demonstration of cutting-edge research for “wireless” health care

July 7, 2010

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today in a visit to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) discussed innovations developed at NIST that create jobs, save lives and improve U.S. competitiveness. NIST’s more than 2,500 Gaithersburg, Maryland employees and 2,300 guest researchers develop standards and new technologies used by private industry and manufacturers to create safer homes, safer communities and smarter health care.
 
“NIST is about creating jobs and saving lives,” Senator Mikulski said. “The technologies researched and developed right here in Gaithersburg help manufacturers make and sell new products that are better and safer, contributing to Maryland’s economy and to national know-how. I will continue to fight to make sure that NIST is a priority in the federal checkbook.”
 
During her visit, NIST scientists demonstrated cutting-edge research on a new technology called Body Area Networks (BAN) which would allow information transmission through radio-frequency waves inside and around the human body. NIST's 3-D Virtual Measurement and Analysis Laboratory can study how the radio waves move through the human body in 3-D, and will help scientists and medical device manufacturers understand how wireless signals travel through the body. 
 
BAN will allow scientists and manufacturers to develop and test cutting edge technologies, such as implanted “smart” medical sensors, by providing a non-invasive way to model the interactions of wireless medical sensors with the human body and surrounding wireless signals, like cell phones. These smart medical sensors are poised to have novel uses in health care, such as transmitting signals from a patient’s pacemaker to a doctor at the first sign of heart trouble without the need for invasive tests.
 
“NIST’s research and standards help pave the way for future technologies,” said NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. “Our programs address issues of critical national need, such as U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, cyber security, and a smart grid for electricity. Senator Mikulski’s leadership and unwavering support of our agency have enabled us to serve the nation to the greatest extent and stay at the world’s forefront in science and technology.”
 
Senator Mikulski is Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, which funds and oversees NIST. Each year, Senator Mikulski continues to fight for increased funding for this national asset in Maryland. 
 
The mission of NIST 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 develops the measurement methods, standards, and testing procedures that are the scientific foundation for many of the nation’s critical technologies.