Building and Fire Research Laboratory Activities, Accomplishments, and Recognitions 1999.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory Activities,
Accomplishments, and Recognitions 1999.
(3110 K)
Fowell, A. J.
NIST SP 838-16; 53 p. February 2000.
Available from:
Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20401-0003.
Telephone: 202-512-1800.
Website:
http://www.gpo.gov
Order number: SN003-003-03641-2
Keywords:
research facilities; fire research; building technology
Abstract:
This is the 1999 annual report of the NIST Building and
Fire Research Laboratory, BFRL. It presents the impacts,
accomplishments, recognition and activities of our
staff. The focus of our work is to provide the
communities we serve with the measurement and prediction
tools they need to prosper. These communities include
those who design and build facilities and the many
products of which they are constructed; those who own,
occupy, operate and maintain them; and those who oversee
them for fire, life safety and risk management. At BFRL,
our most valuable asset is our staff. We have a highly
diversified technical staff with a broad range of
technical and academic backgrounds and industry,
research, government and academic experience. Our staff
are known for their integrity and openness, their
attentiveness and responsiveness to the needs of those
we serve, their dedication to quality and excellence in
their work, and their commitment to stay at the
forefront of measurement and prediction technologies
relevant to the changing needs of our custommers. They
are also committed to partnering with the intended users
of their results so that together with our partners, we
can assess the real consequences of our work.
Therefore, as you read through this report, you will
discover it presents a rich array of individual and team
efforts many of which are already having significant
benefits. In 1999, we maintained our focus on 10
technical objectives and have made substantial progress
on each of them as noted in the following pages. Major
drivers facing our customers are international
competition, globalization of standards, reduced cycle
times and costs, improved quality, and rapidly advancing
technologies. Each of our technical objectives is aimed
at providing tools and technologies to facilitate
innovation for public and corporate benefit. I am
particularly excited about the progress we are making in
bringing the fruits of advances in information,
computing, sensing, and materials technologies to
beneficial applications for the design and construction,
building materials, and controls industries, and for the
fire services and building regulatory community. This is
my first year as Director. In the past year we have
experienced a number of other changes in the management
of the laboratory (see pages 51-52 for new management
team). We are taking advantage of this time of change to
lead a series of conversations - within BFRL, with our
partners, and with those we serve - to reassess the
direction and priorities for the Laboratory. Our intent
is to assure we are making the most effective use of our
resources, and, in the process, make BFRL a delightful
place in which to work. These are times of transforming
change and opportunity for many of the communities we
serve, and no less so for BFRL. We look forward to
working with and serving you. For more extensive
information, please visit our web site: www.
bfrl.nist.gov. We value your comments, I look forward
to hearing from you.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899