This assessment of the technical quality and relevance of the programs of the Measurement and Standards Laboratories of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is the work of the 165 members of the National Research Council's (NRC's) Board on Assessment of NIST Programs and its panels. These individuals were chosen by the NRC for their technical expertise, their practical experience in running research programs, and their knowledge of industry's needs in basic measurements and standards.
This assessment addresses the following:

• The technical merit of the laboratory programs relative to the state of the art worldwide;
• The effectiveness with which the laboratory programs are carried out and the results disseminated to their customers;
• The relevance of the laboratory programs to the needs of their customers; and
• The ability of the laboratories' facilities, equipment, and human resources to enable the laboratories to fulfill their mission and meet their customers' needs.