National Institute of Standards and Technology 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice advises the public that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is distributing a proposed revision of Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 20-99, ``American Softwood Lumber Standard.'' This standard, prepared by the American Lumber Standard Committee, serves the procurement and regulatory needs of numerous federal, state, and local government agencies by providing for uniform, industry-wide grade-marking and inspection requirements for softwood lumber. The implementation of the standard also allows for uniform labeling and auditing of treated wood and, through a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, labeling and auditing of wood packaging materials for international trade. As part of a five-year review process, NIST is seeking public comment and invites interested parties to review the revised standard and submit comments.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a pre-consortium meeting on May 16, 2005 to be held on the NIST campus in Boulder, Colorado. The goal of the one-day meeting is to evaluate industry interest in creating a NIST/industry consortium focused on gene expression metrology. The goals of such a consortium would include the development of measurement methods of known quality for microarray gene expression results. The consortium would be supervised and administered by NIST. Consortium research and development would be conducted by NIST staff members along with at least one technical representative from each participating member company. Membership in the Consortium is open to manufacturers of complete microarray gene expression systems (i.e. systems which include all components required to measure a genome-wide expression profile form isolated RNA). Consortium Members will be required to provide the NIST staff members with a complete system representative of their technology platform to support measurement and standards development. The initial term of the consortium is intended to be three years.

The Department of Commerce (DoC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506 (2)(A)).

The inventions listed below are owned in whole or in part by the U.S. Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce. The inventions are available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally funded research and development.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., notice is hereby given that the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) will meet Tuesday, March 29, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Wednesday, March 30, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. All sessions will be open to the public. The Advisory Board was established by the Computer Security Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-235) and amended by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) to advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of NIST on security and privacy issues pertaining to federal computer systems. Details regarding the Board's activities are available at https://csrc.nist.gov/ispab/.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a meeting on April 20, 2005 to discuss the possibility of setting up a cooperative research consortium. The objective is to develop high throughput foam preparation methods and flammability measurement methods to aid polyurethane manufacturers and additive suppliers in developing fire safe foams that are environmentally safe and cost effective. The primary outcome of this work being the creation of a structure- flammability property database for polyurethane foams.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Financial Assistance Program is soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 2005. The NCNR Financial Assistance Program will offer financial assistance in the field of Neutron Research and Spectroscopy specifically aimed at developing new instrumentation for Neutron Research, conducting collaborative research with NIST scientists, and assisting visiting researchers at the NCNR.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Tuesday, March 15, 2005, from 8:20 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology is composed of fifteen members appointed by the Director of NIST; who are eminent in such fields as business, research, new product development, engineering, labor, education, management consulting, environment, and international relations. The purpose of this meeting is to review and make recommendations regarding general policy for the Institute, its organization, its budget, and its programs within the framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the Congress. The agenda will include updates on NIST's activities and facilities, a review of findings from NIST's investigation of the World Trade Center disaster, and two laboratory tours. Discussions scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. and to end at 9:20 a.m. and to begin at 2:30 p.m. and to end at 5 p.m. on March 15, on the NIST budget, planning information and feedback sessions will be closed. Agenda may change to accommodate Committee business. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST Web site. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Carolyn Peters no later than Thursday, March 10, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Mrs. Peter's email address is carolyn.peters@nist.gov and her phone number is (301) 975-5607.

The International Code Council (ICC), under whose auspices the International Codes (``I-Codes'') are developed, maintains a process for updating these model codes based on receipt of proposals from interested individuals and organizations. The ICC's 14 separately published codes are comprehensively updated and re-published every three years with a Supplement published between each edition. The most current versions of the I-Codes are the 2003 Editions and 2004 Supplements. Each structured 18-month code development cycle includes two separate public sessions, both open to public participation and observation. The first of the two sessions is the Code Development Hearing during which balanced committees initially review, discuss and vote on an opinion on each proposal for change to the model codes. Attendees to this hearing are eligible to raise objection to and call for a vote of the ICC members assembled regarding the committee's opinion. The results of the Code Development Hearing are made available for public review and comment prior to the second public session. Public comments received by the ICC are published and distributed for public review. At the second session, entitled the Final Action Hearing, public comments are reviewed and discussed and final voting is conducted to determine which proposals are adopted into the I-Codes. The purpose of this notice is to invite the public participation in the Code Development Hearing. The publication of this notice by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on behalf of ICC is being undertaken as a public service; NIST does not necessarily endorse, approve, or recommend any of the codes or standards referenced in the notice. Session Dates: The Code Development Hearings of the 2004/2005 Code Development Cycle will occur on February 22-March 4, 2005, at the Millennium Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. This will be followed by the Final Action Hearings scheduled for September-October 1, 2005, at the COBO Center in Detroit, Michigan. Proposed changes approved during this cycle, in addition to changes published in the 2004 Supplement, will constitute the 2006 Edition of the International Codes. The agenda for the hearing as well as updates to the schedule are also posted on the ICC Web site at: https://www.iccsafe.org.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board (MEPNAB), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will meet Thursday, February 17, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The MEPNAB is composed of eleven members appointed by the Director of NIST who were selected for their expertise in the area of industrial extension and their work on behalf of smaller manufacturers. The Board was established to fill a need for outside input on MEP. MEP is a unique program consisting of centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The centers have been created by state, federal, and local partnerships. The Board works closely with MEP to provide input and advice on MEP's programs, plans, and policies. The purpose of this meeting is to update the board on the latest program developments including a NIST Update, a MEP Policy Overview, and a MEP Program Operations Update. Discussions scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and to end at 3:30 p.m. on February 17, 2005, on MEP budget issues will be closed. All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting must register 48 hours in advance in order to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Lillian Ware no later than Tuesday, February 15 and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Ms. Ware's email address is lillian.ware@nist.gov and her phone number is 301/975-5454.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology announces that it plans to develop Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-3, which will supersede FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules. FIPS 140-2, approved by the Secretary of Commerce and announced in the Federal Register (June 27, 2001, Volume 66, Number 124, Pages 34154-34155), identifies requirements for four levels of security for cryptographic modules that are utilized by Federal agencies to protect the security of Federal information systems. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) (Public Law 107-347) requires that all Federal agencies and their contractors use only those cryptographic-based security systems that were validated to FIPS 140-2 or to its predecessor, FIPS 140-1.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that the following programs are soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 2005: (1) The Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (2) the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (3) the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory Grants Program; (4) the Physics Laboratory Grants Program; (5) the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (6) the Building Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program; and (7) the Fire Research Grants Program. Each program will only consider applications that are within the scientific scope of the program as described in this notice and in the detailed program descriptions found in the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for these programs. Prior to preparation of a proposal, it is strongly suggested that potential applicants contact the Program Manager for the appropriate field of research, as specified in the FFO announcement found at https://www.grants.gov, for clarification of the program objective and to determine whether their proposal is responsive to this notice.