An Assessment of the National
Institute of Standards and
Technology Center for Neutron
Research

Fiscal Year 2023

_____

Panel on the Assessment of the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Center for
Neutron Research

Laboratory Assessments Board

Division on Engineering and
Physical Sciences

Consensus Study Report

NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by contract SB134117CQ0017, task order 1333ND23FNB100012 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71411-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71411-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27431

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research: Fiscal Year 2023. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27431.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

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Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

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PANEL ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST) CENTER FOR NEUTRON RESEARCH

PETER F. GREEN (NAE), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Chair

KEN ANDERSEN, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

PENGCHENG DAI, Rice University

AARON P.R. EBERLE, ExxonMobil Corporation

ROSARIO A. GERHARDT, Georgia Institute of Technology

CHRISTOPHER R. GOULD, North Carolina State University

ANDREW HARRISON, European Research Infrastructure Consortium

ANDREW J. JACKSON, European Spallation Source

MEGUMI KAWASAKI, Oregon State University

THOMAS K. KROC, Fermilab

ANDREW T. SMOLINSKI, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

Study Staff

KATIE BRATLIE, Director, Laboratory Assessments Board

JAMES MYSKA, Senior Program Officer, Study Director

AZEB GETACHEW, Administrative Assistant

JAYDA WADE, Research Associate (until August 4, 2023)

LABORATORY ASSESSMENTS BOARD

TJ GLAUTHIER, TJG Energy Associates, LLC, Chair

ROBERT D. BRAUN (NAE), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

DAVID S. C. CHU, Institute for Defense Analyses

DONA L. CRAWFORD, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (retired)

THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), Georgia Tech Manufacturing Research Institute

JUAN DE PABLO (NAS/NAE), The University of Chicago

CAROL SCHUTTE, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (retired)

Staff

KATIE BRATLIE, Director

AZEB GETACHEW, Administrative Assistant

LIZA RENEE HAMILTON, Senior Program Officer

JAMES MYSKA, Senior Program Officer

JAYDA WADE, Research Associate (until August 4, 2023)

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by DAVID W. JOHNSON, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and JENNIE S. HWANG (NAE), H-Technologies Group, Inc. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

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Contents

SUMMARY

1 OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOR NEUTRON RESEARCH

2 ASSESSMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PROGRAMS

3 ASSESSMENT OF THE PORTFOLIO OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PROJECTS AND EXPERTISE

4 BUDGET, FACILITIES, INSTRUMENTATION, AND HUMAN RESOURCES

5 DISSEMINATION OF PROGRAM OUTPUTS

APPENDIXES

A Acronyms and Abbreviations

B Biographical Sketches

C Beamlines and Instruments at NCNR

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