William Jeffrey leads cutting-edge technologies at NIST, garners ISA's highest honor

InTech, Aug 2007 by Strothman, Jim

"We could see how well hydrogen was passing through a diaphragm. It turns out that humidity-just the right amount of moisture-is very important in getting efficiency gains. One manufacturer said they gained five years of progress using NIST's lab."- Jeffrey

Imagine a U.S. government agency, which, on average, generates a benefit-to-cost ratio of 44:1 to the U.S. economy. Yes, 19 retrospective studies of economic impact show there really is one-the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

For example, when General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler, DuPont, and PlugPower wanted to make fuel cells they were developing more durable and efficient, all turned to the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR).

"They wanted to see what was going on inside their fuel cells when operating," said Dr. William Jeffrey, who as NIST director oversees the hundreds of technical projects carried on by NIST and keeps members of the U.S. Senate and House appropriations, commerce, and science committees informed.

"If you look at a hydrogen fuel cell, it's surrounded by metal," he said. Unlike other imaging technologies (X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], etc.), neutrons pass through metal.

"We could see how well hydrogen was passing through a diaphragm. It turns out that humidity-just the right amount of moisture- is very important in getting efficiency gains.One manufacturer said they gained five years of progress using NIST's lab," Jeffrey said.

The NCNR facility also undoubtedly saved pilots' lives and multi-million-dollar airplanes by proving a U.S. Air Force hypothesis that a turbo blade being manufactured for use in jet engines was prone to cracking because the blade contained too much hydrogen.

"The propeller manufacturer was unable to measure hydrogen at low levels, but NCNR could. We were able to go back to the manufacturer and show exactly where the hydrogen was located in the blade, solving the problem," Jeffrey said.

Boosts nanotechnology

Since being nominated by President George W Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2005 as the 13th NIST Director, Jeffrey significantly increased NIST's emphasis on developing instrumentation and metrology to support nanotechnology by creating the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

"Estimates made by the National Science Board and private research groups suggest nanotechnology may be a 1 to 2 trillion dollar-ayear industry by 2016," Jeffrey said. "Up to 15% of all manufactured goods will have nanotechnology," he said. For example, nanotechnology is already used to make sunscreen lotions transparent, and fabrics, and metal baseball bats more durable, he said.

In recognition of Jeffrey's vision and "contributions to the advancement of the arts and sciences of instrumentation, systems, and automation," the Director of NIST has been elected an ISA Honorary Member-the highest honor bestowed by the society.

"Dr. William Jeffrey was selected as ISA's 2007 Honorary Member for his lifetime commitment to advancing measurement science, standards, and technology that promote innovation, enhance industrial competitiveness and improve the quality of life," said Bob Ives, chair of ISA's Honorary Member Awards Committee.

"As the Director of NIST, Dr. Jeffrey leads approximately 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support personnel on programs that (1) conduct research at NIST laboratories, (2) manage the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, (3) manage the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and (4) manage and co-fund the Advanced Technology Program with private industry to accelerate the development of innovative technologies," Ives said. NIST has two primary locations, its Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters and Boulder, Colo.

Jeffrey said the award "is a great honor that really should be viewed as an award recognizing the excellent work being done in NIST. The entire NIST staff should be proud that their advancement of measurement science and standards is being recognized by such a prestigious group as ISA. It is also great to join the ranks of previous honorées who were NIST/ NBS (National Bureau of Standards) Directors such as Allen Astin in 1960 and Ernie Ambler in 1989."

Remote sensing expert

Holder of a Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University and a B. S. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jeffrey sees "remote sensing" as a common thread linking his personal technical experience with several high-priority NIST projects, including neutron research, quantum science, climate change sciences, and other measurements related to global warming questions.

Earlier in his career, Jeffrey managed several high-tech federal programs and was immersed in shaping U.S. scientific policy. As assistant deputy for technology at the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, he oversaw remote sensor development for the Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, a task he described as "very satisfying," since both became operational.