NIST marks 125 years as Montgomery County leaders highlight local research

Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani Gonzalez recently visited the Gaithersburg campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology as the agency marked its 125th anniversary, county officials said.

On the visit, Gonzalez said she was pleased to be at NIST and asked staff to explain the kinds of research happening there and how that work affects the county and broader public.

A NIST representative told the program that the agency supports U.S. industry and advances innovation through a range of research: "We are dedicated to helping advance US industry. So advance innovation, help science get better. We have researchers here working on nanofabrication, so working on things that are very, very tiny. We are working on quantum science, making better clocks. We are making better cybersecurity to make everybody safer, our businesses, protect our information. We have on this campus a fire research laboratory that is helping make our homes, our furniture, our firefighting, everything safer." The representative said those efforts include work on nanofabrication, quantum science, cybersecurity and fire research laboratories located in Gaithersburg.

Officials framed the visit as recognition of NIST's long-running presence in the county and its role in supporting local jobs and safety improvements; no policy actions or funding decisions were announced during the segment.