[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S2647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MAY NOMINATION

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I support President Obama's nomination 
of Dr. Willie May as the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, NIST, at the Department of Commerce.
  NIST sets the standards for innovation in technology from mammograms 
to motorcycles. NIST scientists have won a MacArthur Genius Award and 
four Nobel prizes--more than any other Federal agency--including one in 
my State of Maryland. In the 44 years that Dr. May has spent at NIST, 
including serving as Acting Director since last June, he has set his 
own standard for service, dedication, and leadership in this great 
agency.
  Dr. May grew up in Birmingham, AL, graduated from Knoxville College 
in 1968, and upon graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 
chemistry, took a job with a Federal laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN. In 
1971, Dr. May came to Maryland to work for NIST's predecessor, which 
was then called the National Standards Bureau. He completed his Ph.D. 
in chemistry at the University of Maryland while working full-time at 
NIST and earned his doctorate in 1977. His research on trace organic 
analytical chemistry has been covered in more than 100 peer-reviewed 
journals around the world.
  His colleagues know him not only for his brilliance in the lab but 
for his commitment to NIST's mission and employees. He is respected by 
the scientists at NIST but also by the engineers, lab workers, IT 
experts, and building staff. His vision will help NIST's 3,000 
dedicated employees continue to be the world's leading experts in 
innovation, from quantum cryptography to 5G communications.
  I join my colleagues in supporting Dr. Willie E. May as Director of 
NIST.

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