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NIST Position Available

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking candidates to fill the position of Associate Director for Regional Programs. Responsibilities will include the creation, planning, evaluation and maintenance of a national network of state and local technology assistance providers to develop and enhance their capabilities to meet the needs of small and medium sized manufacturers. Responsibilities also include supervising and assessing the staff and operations of the Regional Programs Office; managing, planning, and implementing programmatic policies within the Regional Programs Office; and overseeing and maintaining the Regional Programs budget.

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ATP Public Meeting: Tools for DNA Diagnostics

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a public meeting to bring together all ATP awardees of the ATP Tools for DNA Diagnostics program "to present an overview of the non-proprietary aspects of their research and development activities." The goals of the meeting are to: "inform the DNA diagnostics community about activities at this stage of the focused program, promote cross-fertilization of concepts and efforts, promote strategic partnering across companies and other organizations, accelerate commercialization of emerging technologies, and promote networking." The meeting will be held September 9-10 at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD.

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MEP Eases Access to Services

Small and medium-sized manufacturers looking for assistance in solving technical and business problems now have improved access to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). MEP is a nationwide network of locally managed centers in 42 states and Puerto Rico offering technical assistance to smaller manufacturers.

Dialing 1-800-MEP-4MFG will directly link companies with the nearest MEP affiliate or to MEP headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Those with access to the World Wide Web can also find information on the MEP home page at http://www.mep.nist.gov. The page, called "The MEP Source", includes a map highlighting centers and field offices. The Source includes information both for companies and for those who operate the centers.

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