Oppose the layoff of the NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group
Oppose the layoff of the NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group
The Issue
Dear Colleagues,
It was recently announced that, following the radical US Federal Government reorganization plans, the whole Atomic Spectroscopy Group at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be laid off in a few weeks. The disastrous impact of such a "reorganization" is hard to imagine.
The Group has been providing critically evaluated datasets and unique benchmarks to researchers across numerous fields of science and industry - astronomy and astrophysics, medicine and Martian geology, lithography and nonproliferation. These data are used in advanced collisional-radiative codes, allowing for fast and accurate calculations of light emission from the hot matter of magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, laser-produced plasmas, solar corona, and industrial plasmas. The precise measurements of spectra from neutral atoms to highly charged ions have helped to discover many new exoplanets, accurately measure nuclear radii, and develop new powerful diagnostic techniques.
As a matter of fact, the very first scientific paper from the National Bureau of Standards (the original NIST's name) back in 1904 was on atomic spectroscopy. And now, this entire 120-year legacy of scientific expertise, an immense amount of unique data, and - last but not least - a small crew of dedicated scientists is destined to be demolished.
It is now the time to act swiftly - the layoff letters are expected to be dispatched in four weeks. Please sign this petition (and mention your affiliation in the comment field). Please spread the word among your colleagues. With enough voices from the worldwide scientific community, we should be able to prevent this catastrophe.
4,350
The Issue
Dear Colleagues,
It was recently announced that, following the radical US Federal Government reorganization plans, the whole Atomic Spectroscopy Group at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be laid off in a few weeks. The disastrous impact of such a "reorganization" is hard to imagine.
The Group has been providing critically evaluated datasets and unique benchmarks to researchers across numerous fields of science and industry - astronomy and astrophysics, medicine and Martian geology, lithography and nonproliferation. These data are used in advanced collisional-radiative codes, allowing for fast and accurate calculations of light emission from the hot matter of magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, laser-produced plasmas, solar corona, and industrial plasmas. The precise measurements of spectra from neutral atoms to highly charged ions have helped to discover many new exoplanets, accurately measure nuclear radii, and develop new powerful diagnostic techniques.
As a matter of fact, the very first scientific paper from the National Bureau of Standards (the original NIST's name) back in 1904 was on atomic spectroscopy. And now, this entire 120-year legacy of scientific expertise, an immense amount of unique data, and - last but not least - a small crew of dedicated scientists is destined to be demolished.
It is now the time to act swiftly - the layoff letters are expected to be dispatched in four weeks. Please sign this petition (and mention your affiliation in the comment field). Please spread the word among your colleagues. With enough voices from the worldwide scientific community, we should be able to prevent this catastrophe.
4,350
The Decision Makers
- U.S. Department of Commerce
https://www.commerce.gov/
No response
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
https://www.nist.gov/
No response
The Supporters
Featured Comments
The NIST Atomic Spectra Database is an absolutely crucial tool for my research. I use it multiple times a week, and it has provided me with invaluable insights in my spectroscopic endeavors. The layoff of NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group employees and the resulting degradation of quality available to researchers like me will directly result in a decrease in scientific quality and output. Please do not go through with this.
To say the NIST ASD enables my research is an understatement. I expect on an average day that I query their databases from several to over a dozen times in order to gauge the accuracy of my calculations. The loss of their expertise would severely hinder my own research, as well as the work of my colleagues and peers across the US. Their compiled atomic data serves as an invaluable asset to both US and international scientists, and saves both the academic and industrial sectors an untold number of hours alone. Through their work, our communities can also be certain that the data we are querying through NIST is accurate and trustworthy. I would strongly urge our lawmakers to reconsider their decision to defund NIST. The loss of NIST, to me, signals that the US is giving up its trusted position, earned over a century, as a leader in cutting edge atomic physics.
The database that this group curates is a crucial tool for the projects and missions that I work on. I have personally used the database in my own research. Laying off the members of this group would have a profoundly detrimental impact on the areas of research that I contribute to. Worse still would be the impact to the overall quality of scientific research in the US and its position within the global scientific community. This would be a monumental mistake.
Featured Videos
Sign and share why you care!
Petition updates
Share this petition
Petition created on March 20, 2025