materials atomic and microstructure to ma- 

 terials properties. New insights in phase rela- 

 tions and kinetics, plus increasingly sophisti- 

 cated tools such as neutron scattering for the 

 study of structure, promise a new plateau of 

 achievement in predicting this relationship. 

 Revolutionary possibilities exist for the appli-. 

 cation of modern physical ideas to mechani- 

 cal failure and ultimately to NDE because of 

 the still primitive level of understanding of 

 the basic physical bases for deformation and 

 fracture and of the empiricism characteristic 

 of NDE applications. High temperature and 

 extreme environments, especially in their 

 applications to energy problems, represent a 

 new frontier for materials applications with a 

 new configuration of measurement problems. 



• Fire research is a high potential area for the 

 application of basic chemistry, physics, and 

 mathematics in interdisciplinary teams to 

 studies of the basic phenomena underlying 

 combustion and fires. 



• Nuclear science looks to ultimate resolution 

 of the very closely spaced levels in the excit- 

 ed nucleus by a succession of improved ex- 

 perimental techniques. In the long term, this 

 type of research will require detection of nu- 

 clear events by coincidence measurements, 

 which will require an accelerator with a long- 

 er duty cycle than the present LINAC. 



• Several branches of mathematics bear direct- 

 ly on the success of future programs at NBS. 

 Among these are analysis, statistics, and 

 computer science with work on optimization 

 algorithms, large-scale mathematical models, 

 evaluation and methodology, and application 

 of sampling theory to measurement science 

 and standards. 



• The problems of nonequilibrium systems is 

 one of the classic areas of science where a 

 fully satisfying conceptual basis is still lack- 

 ing. Collaborative interactions with atomic 

 and molecular science and phase transforma- 

 tions in materials give this area special inter- 

 est. 



• In serving as the central focus for buildings 

 research in the U.S., NBS future research 

 will concentrate on all aspects of the techni- 

 cal data that underlie the building design and 

 use cycle. 



• The next generation of electronic technology 

 will break through the size barrier at the mi- 

 crometer level which is imposed by fabrica- 

 tion technology based on visible light. The 

 measurement requirements of the submicro- 

 meter regime are severe. Measurement re- 

 quirements will become more severe as the 



fabrication technology advances toward x- 

 rays, or high energy electrons. 



Organization and Management of 

 Research Activities 



From the management viewpoint, there is no 

 special category of policies or procedures that 

 relate specifically to basic research, as distinct 

 from any other form of research. 



NBS uses four principal means of evaluating its 

 research programs: 



1. Internal management reviews are conducted 

 at each level in the organization. These culminate 

 in an extensive series of program presentations 

 made by the program managers to the Director 

 and the Executive Board. These reviews are 

 structured so as to air the performance of each 

 program systematically before all levels of NBS 

 management to allow fresh insight and criticism 

 with respect to the performance and relevance of 

 the programs. The endpoint of this annual process 

 is the establishment of priorities. 



2. To obtain an external perspective, NBS con- 

 tracts with the National Academy of Sciences to 

 provide an independent review and evaluation of 

 NBS programs. The 29 panels that evaluate the 

 NBS are made up to a total of 236 top-ranking 

 scientists and engineers drawn by the. Academy 

 from industry (50 percent), universities (40 per- 

 cent), and Government (10 percent). An Execu- 

 tive Committee of panel leaders considers issues 

 common to more than one part of the Bureau. 



3. The entire Bureau is surveyed and evaluated 

 by the National Bureau of Standards Statutory 

 Visiting Committee. This standing committee is 

 appointed by the Secretary of Commerce and 

 reports to him annually upon the efficiency of the 

 Bureau's scientific work and the condition of its 

 equipment. 



4. To carry out the comprehensive and exten- 

 sive analysis of issues in selected program areas, 

 the NBS undertakes special evaluations. These 

 evaluations are done by qualified contractor per- 

 sonnel, competitively selected, who operate under 

 the direct program management of the NBS staff. 



NBS makes use of a variety of mechanisms to 

 promote a proper climate for research. In 1955, 

 NBS pioneered a governmental postdoctoral re- 

 search associateship program modeled after the 

 practice established in American universities. This 

 program is now administered for many Govern- 

 ment laboratories through the auspices of the Na- 

 tional Research Council and has become very 

 successful. During the early post-war period, 

 NBS invented a new kind of collaborative elTort 



COMMERCE 



53 



