[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E294-E295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

100 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT--A CELEBRATION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

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HON. SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT

of new york

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, March 7, 2001

Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, last night I had the honor to participate
in the celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST). As I noted in my remarks at the event,
NIST was one of the very first and one of the most important actions
Congress took at the beginning of the 20th Century.
NIST was established to help bring rationality to the profusion of
standards that were plaguing this country at the turn of the last
century. As to its future, it could be anything from looking at the
molecular structure of ceramics or the security of our computers or
guidance to a small manufacturer on how to update operations. We are
indebted to NIST for what it has done in the past as I am sure we will
be for what It provides us in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I doubt that very many people are aware of NIST, its
history and its importance to the nation. Since I touched on many of
these points in my address last night, I insert the full text of my
remarks for the information of my colleagues at this point in the
Record.

Statement on NIST Anniversary, March 6, 2001

It's a delight and a privilege to join with you this
evening to celebrate the 100th birthday of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology. And I have to say that
the timing of this event is auspicious for me, in particular.
It's great to be assuming the chairmanship of the House
Science Committee as NIST is celebrating its centenary
because the existence of NIST is concrete proof that Congress
can get some things right when it comes to science and
technology policy.
Establishing NIST was one the very first and one of the
most important actions Congress took at the dawn of the 20th
Century--a century that was to see technology and
standardization change our world as never before. And we are
still reaping the rewards of that foresight as we begin the
21st Century.
I have to note, though, that while NIST is richly deserving
of tonight's gala; the festivities are a little out of
character for NIST, which from the start has gone about its
business in an unassuming, even inconspicuous way. Even the
law that created the laboratory didn't have a name--it was
known by the rather plain and workaday designation, ``the Act
of March 3, 1901''--a date that has lived in neither infamy
nor fame, a date that no schoolchild has been forced to
memorize.
Given NIST's ``nose-to-the-grindstone'' work ethic, its
stream of consistent productivity without fanfare, its focus
on the essential but largely invisible foundations of modern
technology, one might think that a good title for a history
of NIST's first century would be ``One Hundred Years of
Solitude.''
But how extraordinarily misleading that would be--because
the actual secret of NIST's success has been its
``partnerships''--partnerships with the private sector,
partnerships with other federal agencies and laboratories,
partnerships with state and local governments. NIST is well
known to the people who keep our economy healthy, and it's
NIST's ability to work with just about anybody that has kept
it fresh, vital and valuable--as fundamental a key to
American prosperity as it was the day it was created.
NIST is a worthy and needed partner because its mission is
problem-solving. NIST was established to help bring
rationality to the profusion of standards that were
afflicting the United States at the turn of the last
century--a profusion that could have tragic consequences
when, for example, major fires could not be extinguished
because of varying standards for hoses and hydrants. And that
problem-solving ethos has been maintained to this very day--
whether NIST is probing abstruse questions about the
molecular structure of ceramics, or helping to ensure the
security of our computers, or providing guidance to a small
manufacturer on how to update his operations through the
Manufacturing Extension Program.
And we also still draw on NIST's expertise to solve
problems that are endemic to the economy as a whole--with the
Advanced Technology Program, for example, which has helped a
wide variety of companies pass through the so-called ``valley
of death'' that can prevent good research ideas from becoming
good processes or products.
But tonight's focus is not on the past--although NIST's
record accomplishment provides plenty of cause for
celebration. We're really here to make a downpayment on the
future by showing all the current and former directors and
staff at NIST how grateful we are for their dedication, their
imagination and their insight. Working steadily and
fruitfully outside the limelight, they have enabled our
nation's reputation for technological progress to shine.
Now it's hard to know what the technology of tomorrow will
look like. History is littered with embarrassingly misguided
predictions--a few of them even uttered in hearings before
the House Science Committee. But I think it's safe to say
that, whatever

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the technology of the future is, NIST will have played a role
in its creation, enhancement or propagation.
So I want again to thank everyone who has made NIST a
success and to pledge to all of you that I will do my best to
ensure that NIST continues to set the standard for what a
federal lab should be.

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