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87-638: The National Radio School was established in 1914 in Washington, D.C., by James Ernest Smith (1881–1973) and Emanuel R. Haas (1891–1947). Smith was a teacher at McKinley Manual Training School (which was moved in 1926 to its final location now known as McKinley Technology High School ). He held a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (BSEE, 1906) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and began his career at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, but took an extended leave of absence to teach

174-526: A metrology agency, the Bureau of Standards was directed by Herbert Hoover to set up divisions to develop commercial standards for materials and products. Some of these standards were for products intended for government use, but product standards also affected private-sector consumption. Quality standards were developed for products including some types of clothing, automobile brake systems and headlamps, antifreeze , and electrical safety. During World War I ,

261-476: A neutron science user facility: the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). The NCNR provides scientists access to a variety of neutron scattering instruments, which they use in many research fields (materials science, fuel cells, biotechnology, etc.). The SURF III Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility is a source of synchrotron radiation , in continuous operation since 1961. SURF III now serves as

348-524: A 1975 ad in Popular Mechanics. According to one source, direct marketing ads largely stopped by the mid-1970s. NRI's home study courses included kits from which students would assemble circuits or entire radio/stereo receivers, television receivers, as well as test instruments of various kinds (analog multimeters , tube testers , oscilloscopes , signal generators , etc.). The objective was to provide practical hands-on experience to supplement

435-479: A 20 percent stake in the correspondence division of Capitol Radio Engineering Institute in 1964. By this time, over one million students had completed an NRI course. McGraw-Hill anticipated a new market for technical books, while NRI hoped the acquisition would enable them to utilize the vast technical publishing resources of its new owner. The McGraw-Hill name began appearing in the NRI Journal in 1970. In 1973,

522-582: A NIST team as part of a DARPA competition. In September 2013, both The Guardian and The New York Times reported that NIST allowed the National Security Agency (NSA) to insert a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator called Dual EC DRBG into NIST standard SP 800-90 that had a kleptographic backdoor that the NSA can use to covertly predict the future outputs of this pseudorandom number generator thereby allowing

609-694: A combination of vacuum tubes and solid-state diode logic. About the same time the Standards Western Automatic Computer , was built at the Los Angeles office of the NBS by Harry Huskey and used for research there. A mobile version, DYSEAC , was built for the Signal Corps in 1954. Due to a changing mission, the "National Bureau of Standards" became the "National Institute of Standards and Technology" in 1988. Following

696-488: A draft of the CSF 2.0 for public comment through November 4, 2023. NIST decided to update the framework to make it more applicable to small and medium size enterprises that use the framework, as well as to accommodate the constantly changing nature of cybersecurity. In August 2024, NIST released a final set of encryption tools designed to withstand the attack of a quantum computer. These post-quantum encryption standards secure

783-585: A post he held since 1956. After James E. Smith's death in September 1973 and his son's semi-retirement at the end of that same year (fully retiring in 1976), John F. ("Jack") Thompson (1931–2015), who joined NRI in 1955, became president and CEO of NRI Schools and a senior vice-president of the McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center until his retirement in 1984. Thompson was succeeded by Edward B. "Ted" Beach (1934–1999), who

870-539: A program to provide metrology services for United States scientific and commercial users. A laboratory site was constructed in Washington, DC , and instruments were acquired from the national physical laboratories of Europe. In addition to weights and measures, the Bureau developed instruments for electrical units and for measurement of light. In 1905 a meeting was called that would be the first "National Conference on Weights and Measures". Initially conceived as purely

957-426: A respectable 88 years in the distance education business. Over its lifetime, NRI administered 1.5 million correspondence courses and adapted its coursework to major technical transformations in the radio-television-electronics industry from vacuum tubes to solid-state devices (first to discrete transistors and then to integrated circuits ), from CRTs to flat panel displays . NRI saw the rise of cable television ,

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1044-542: A small classroom was set up for four students inside the U.S. Savings Bank Building at 14th and U Street NW, now the site of the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center. Haas became the school's vice president and business director, and the school grew in popularity. In 1915, John Albert Dowie (1886–1958) was hired as the National Radio School's Radio Theory Instructor (later becoming Chief Instructor) and stayed with

1131-644: A user-accessible cleanroom nanomanufacturing facility. This "NanoFab" is equipped with tools for lithographic patterning and imaging (e.g., electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes ). NIST has seven standing committees: As part of its mission, NIST supplies industry, academia, government, and other users with over 1,300 Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). These artifacts are certified as having specific characteristics or component content, used as calibration standards for measuring equipment and procedures, quality control benchmarks for industrial processes, and experimental control samples. NIST publishes

1218-475: A vacuum tube. By the end of the decade, some solid-state TV manufacturers were producing sets in which the receivers' entire electronic circuit was contained on a single, replaceable printed circuit board . (Ironically, the opposite is true today, as flat screen television receivers are actually more difficult to repair than the old CRT TV's, and replacement parts are harder to obtain from the manufacturer, due to longer lead times). 3) Equipment obsolescence : By

1305-548: A wide range of electronic information, from confidential email messages to e-commerce transactions that propel the modern economy. Four scientific researchers at NIST have been awarded Nobel Prizes for work in physics : William Daniel Phillips in 1997, Eric Allin Cornell in 2001, John Lewis Hall in 2005 and David Jeffrey Wineland in 2012, which is the largest number for any US government laboratory not accounting for ubiquitous government contracts to state institutions and

1392-405: A wider variety of subjects, including nontechnical training courses relevant to the current demand. Ultimately, after radio-television-electronics servicing lost its appeal as a trade, McGraw-Hill announced that NRI would be phased out, citing "changes in the marketplace". The school stopped accepting new enrollment applications on April 1, 1999, and discontinued operations on March 31, 2002, after

1479-479: Is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical science laboratory programs that include nanoscale science and technology , engineering , information technology , neutron research, material measurement, and physical measurement. From 1901 to 1988, the agency

1566-727: Is erroneously reported as 1889 in some sources. However, in the article "The Story of the National Radio Institute," which appeared in a 1944 National Radio News journal, Smith's birth date and place is given as February 3, 1881 in Rochester, New Hampshire. A WPI benefactor publication from September, 2010, lists both J. Morrison Smith (from the class of 1937) and his father (class of 1906) as deceased. J. Morrison Smith died in February 2010 in South Carolina at

1653-649: Is now the Handbook 44 since 1918 and began publication under the current name in 1949. The 2010 edition conforms to the concept of the primary use of the SI (metric) measurements recommended by the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 . NIST is developing government-wide identity document standards for federal employees and contractors to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to government buildings and computer systems. In 2002,

1740-575: Is providing practical guidance and tools to better prepare facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers, emergency responders, and regulatory authorities to respond to future disasters. The investigation portion of the response plan was completed with the release of the final report on 7 World Trade Center on November 20, 2008. The final report on the WTC Towers—including 30 recommendations for improving building and occupant safety—was released on October 26, 2005. NIST works in conjunction with

1827-575: The Biden administration began plans to create a U.S. AI Safety Institute within NIST to coordinate AI safety matters. According to The Washington Post , NIST is considered "notoriously underfunded and understaffed", which could present an obstacle to these efforts. NIST, known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a measurement standards laboratory , also known as

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1914-519: The Conar Twins , a transmitter and receiver pair. Many of these vacuum tube-powered transmitters and receivers can still be found at Hamfests and nostalgia events. By the second half of the 1960s, NRI recognized that its limited resources would preclude company from maintaining a dominant market position in the coming decade, spurring James Morrison Smith to seek a partner/buyer. In 1968, McGraw-Hill Education agreed to purchase NRI after acquiring

2001-525: The Constitution of the United States , ratified in 1789, granted these powers to the new Congress: "The Congress shall have power ... To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures". In January 1790, President George Washington , in his first annual message to Congress , said, "Uniformity in the currency, weights, and measures of

2088-685: The Florida Institute of Technology ). Smith and his family prospered from the continued success and expansion of NRI, eventually becoming quite wealthy. The family lived in a large luxurious home (built in 1938, and still a private residence) in McLean, Virginia , located in a wooded area on the banks of the Potomac River off the George Washington Memorial Parkway (on Crest Lane). James E. Smith's wife

2175-752: The Handbook 44 each year after the annual meeting of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). Each edition is developed through cooperation of the Committee on Specifications and Tolerances of the NCWM and the Weights and Measures Division (WMD) of NIST. The purpose of the book is a partial fulfillment of the statutory responsibility for "cooperation with the states in securing uniformity of weights and measures laws and methods of inspection". NIST has been publishing various forms of what

2262-568: The National Construction Safety Team Act mandated NIST to conduct an investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings 1 and 2 and the 47-story 7 World Trade Center. The "World Trade Center Collapse Investigation", directed by lead investigator Shyam Sunder, covered three aspects, including a technical building and fire safety investigation to study the factors contributing to

2349-559: The National Medal of Science has been awarded to NIST researchers Cahn (1998) and Wineland (2007). Other notable people who have worked at NBS or NIST include: Since 1989, the director of NIST has been a Presidential appointee and is confirmed by the United States Senate , and since that year the average tenure of NIST directors has fallen from 11 years to 2 years in duration. Since the 2011 reorganization of NIST,

2436-737: The September 11, 2001 attacks, under the National Construction Safety Team Act (NCST), NIST conducted the official investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. Following the 2021 Surfside condominium building collapse , NIST sent engineers to the site to investigate the cause of the collapse. In 2019, NIST launched a program named NIST on a Chip to decrease the size of instruments from lab machines to chip size. Applications include aircraft testing, communication with satellites for navigation purposes, and temperature and pressure. In 2023,

2523-870: The Technical Guidelines Development Committee of the Election Assistance Commission to develop the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines for voting machines and other election technology. In February 2014 NIST published the NIST Cybersecurity Framework that serves as voluntary guidance for organizations to manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. It was later amended and Version 1.1 was published in April 2018. Executive Order 13800, Strengthening

2610-842: The Treaty of the Meter , which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures under the control of an international committee elected by the General Conference on Weights and Measures . NIST is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland , and operates a facility in Boulder, Colorado , which was dedicated by President Eisenhower in 1954. NIST's activities are organized into laboratory programs and extramural programs. Effective October 1, 2010, NIST

2697-700: The proximity fuze and the standardized airframe used originally for Project Pigeon , and shortly afterwards the autonomously radar-guided Bat anti-ship guided bomb and the Kingfisher family of torpedo-carrying missiles. In 1948, financed by the United States Air Force, the Bureau began design and construction of SEAC , the Standards Eastern Automatic Computer. The computer went into operation in May 1950 using

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2784-681: The American market, as foreign electronics tended to be of higher quality at lower prices (making the items more likely to be replaced rather than repaired after breakage or malfunction). Consequently, several American electronics manufacturers ceased domestic production or closed down entirely, namely Quasar (brand) / Motorola (1974), Magnavox (1974), Admiral (electrical appliances) (1979), GTE (1981), (which owned Sylvania Electric Products and Philco ), General Electric (1985), RCA (1986), and Curtis Mathes Corporation (1988). The last U.S. manufacturer to produce television receivers domestically

2871-406: The Bureau worked on multiple problems related to war production, even operating its own facility to produce optical glass when European supplies were cut off. Between the wars, Harry Diamond of the Bureau developed a blind approach radio aircraft landing system. During World War II, military research and development was carried out, including development of radio propagation forecast methods,

2958-729: The Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure , made the Framework mandatory for U.S. federal government agencies. An extension to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMMC) which was introduced in 2019 (though the origin of CMMC began with Executive Order 13556). It emphasizes the importance of implementing Zero-trust architecture (ZTA) which focuses on protecting resources over

3045-702: The EC-DRBG algorithm from the NIST SP 800-90 standard. In addition to these journals, NIST (and the National Bureau of Standards before it) has a robust technical reports publishing arm. NIST technical reports are published in several dozen series, which cover a wide range of topics, from computer technology to construction to aspects of standardization including weights, measures and reference data. In addition to technical reports, NIST scientists publish many journal and conference papers each year; an database of these, along with more recent technical reports, can be found on

3132-521: The Macamor Foundation, which Smith established in the mid-1950s to continue all of his philanthropic interests after his death. In their lifetimes, they donated, in totality, over one million dollars to WPI. The foundation's name was derived from the first syllables of Smith's three children's names. As of 2015, Smith's descendants were serving as the officers of the Macamor Foundation, now based in South Carolina. In 1955, Smith also established

3219-558: The McGraw-Hill name first appeared in catalogues of copyright entries for NRI courses in the U.S. Library of Congress , and in 1974, first appeared in magazine advertisements. After the acquisition, the school was renamed once again as NRI Schools , and became an integral part of the newly established McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center . Founder James E. Smith remained NRI Schools chairman until his death in 1973 while his son, James Morrison Smith, continued to serve as president,

3306-536: The NIST cryptography process because of its recognized expertise. NIST is also required by statute to consult with the NSA." Recognizing the concerns expressed, the agency reopened the public comment period for the SP800-90 publications, promising that "if vulnerabilities are found in these or any other NIST standards, we will work with the cryptographic community to address them as quickly as possible". Due to public concern of this cryptovirology attack, NIST rescinded

3393-600: The National Metrological Institute (NMI), which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce . The institute's official mission is to: Promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science , standards , and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life . NIST had an operating budget for fiscal year 2007 (October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007) of about $ 843.3 million. NIST's 2009 budget

3480-509: The National Radio Institute Charitable Trust, which contributed regularly to charitable, religious, and educational purposes while it was in existence. An additional career education plan was set up for NRI employees, which paid full tuition costs for further education in fields related to their work. National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST )

3567-528: The Professional Service Association, the number of TV repair shops fell from 20,000 in 1992; 9,000 in 2002 then to around 7,000 by 2007. From 2011 to 2016, the average annual growth rate of electronics and computer repair services industry was -1.0%. The concomitant effect for NRI Schools was a sharp decline in enrollment. However, several NRI competitors in the home-study business (see below) survived these turbulent times by offering

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3654-734: The Radio Department at Howard University , where he was responsible for Signal Corps training, while Haas was asked to conduct radio work for the Army Officer's School at Yale University and Camp Alfred Vail, Little Silver, New Jersey. Edward L. Degener (1898–1974) joined to oversee advertising and organization in Haas' temporary absence, but stayed on to eventually become General Manager and Treasurer, retiring in 1960. After World War I, demand for radio operators continued to grow and, in 1920, classes were moved to Pennsylvania Avenue when

3741-511: The US national standard for source-based radiometry throughout the generalized optical spectrum. All NASA -borne, extreme-ultraviolet observation instruments have been calibrated at SURF since the 1970s, and SURF is used for the measurement and characterization of systems for extreme ultraviolet lithography . The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) performs research in nanotechnology , both through internal research efforts and by running

3828-487: The United States is an object of great importance, and will, I am persuaded, be duly attended to." On October 25, 1791, Washington again appealed Congress: A uniformity of the weights and measures of the country is among the important objects submitted to you by the Constitution and if it can be derived from a standard at once invariable and universal, must be no less honorable to the public council than conducive to

3915-553: The YMCA and Roundtable, as well as the George Everett Partridge Memorial Foundation for handicapped children (since forfeited). Through the years, James E. Smith, his son Morrison, and his grandson Michael M. Galbraith (B.S., 1958, WPI), were generous benefactors to a variety of causes, including their alma mater, where three four-year full-tuition endowed scholarships were established through

4002-781: The age of 93 after having initially retired to North Carolina. However, by the late 1970s through the 1980s, and as late as 1996 advertisements appeared in Popular Mechanics for NRI courses in audio/video servicing, computer repair, home inspecting, automotive servicing, master locksmithing, small engine repair, air conditioning/heating/refrigeration, and electrical installation/repair. Thompson's obituary claims Thompson served as NRI Schools president and CEO from 1973 until he resigned in 1984 to start his own consulting firm. A January 1974 NRI Journal article confirms Thompson succeeded J. Morrison Smith as president in 1973. James Ernest Smith James Ernest Smith (1881–1973)

4089-513: The board in 1934, followed in 1935 by inventor and television pioneer Philo Farnsworth (a 1924 alumnus of NRI), as well as Harry Diamond (engineer) in 1938. By 1932, Joseph Kaufman , an electrical engineering instructor and MIT graduate, was hired as Supervisor of Education (later, Director of Education). In 1942, NRI contracted him for one dollar per year to the National Bureau of Standards , where he worked with Harry Diamond to develop

4176-421: The case with consumer electronics. 2) Relative ease of repairs : By the early 1980s, most TV and radio manufacturers were producing solid-state sets with a modular chassis design, which meant that technicians needed less formal training to make repairs because component-level troubleshooting was not as often required—as was the case of older tube sets, in which repairs frequently involved the simple replacement of

4263-522: The country. NIST publishes the Handbook 44 that provides the "Specifications, tolerances, and other technical requirements for weighing and measuring devices". The Congress of 1866 made use of the metric system in commerce a legally protected activity through the passage of Metric Act of 1866 . On May 20, 1875, 17 out of 20 countries signed a document known as the Metric Convention or

4350-576: The decline of terrestrial television , and the transition from electromechanical tuners to microprocessor-controlled receivers, as well as the introduction of personal computers. NRI closed seven years prior to the Digital television transition in the United States . After the school shut down, the Wisconsin Avenue property was purchased and occupied by ' Fannie Mae ' (Federal National Mortgage Association), whose headquarters were directly across

4437-493: The director also holds the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology. Fifteen individuals have officially held the position (in addition to four acting directors who have served on a temporary basis). NIST holds patents on behalf of the Federal government of the United States , with at least one of them being custodial to protect public domain use, such as one for a Chip-scale atomic clock , developed by

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4524-520: The end of the 1990s, the demise of discrete analogue electronics ensured the technological obsolescence of many traditional mainstays of the consumer audio/video service industry, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets, videocassette recorders , LaserDisc players, tape recorders/players, console stereos and component stereo systems. Such products were replaced by cheaper, more portable digital devices with advanced features, such as digital signal processing and computer technology. Unfortunately,

4611-592: The first few years of existence) began with a small classroom set up for four students inside the U. S. Savings Bank Building at 14th and U Street N.W. in Washington. Additional students quickly began to seek enrollment. Smith taught at McKinley until 1918, at which point he began to devote his time fully to the National Radio School. In 1926, he helped organize the National Home Study Council . James E. Smith held honorary doctorates from WPI, Southeastern University, and Brevard Engineering College (now

4698-456: The implementation of updated computer repair courses). The decline of the business was quite gradual at first (e.g., the publication of NRI Journal was discontinued in 1980). By the next decade, the digital revolution , VLSI , and miniaturization were rapidly developing, which helped set the stage for the school's eventual closing. During the last two decades of the twentieth century, increasing offshoring activities of American companies with

4785-479: The late twentieth century, as well as the school's insufficient course diversification efforts in its later years. Radio-television-electronics servicing (the school's primary focus) reached a point where it was no longer a lucrative career path, as consumers had come to see electronic goods as disposable items. Consequently, McGraw-Hill concluded that NRI's future business prospects and growth opportunities were too limited despite improving profits and operations (such as

4872-408: The mid-1980s, NRI's average annual student enrollment had peaked to approximately 60,000 students, a substantial increase over the 38,000 a few years earlier. NRI Schools claimed to be the first organization to educate students on a digital computer with training software and to use multimedia computers and the internet to familiarize students with cutting-edge technology. Under McGraw-Hill's management,

4959-409: The national physical laboratory for the United States. Southard had previously sponsored a bill for metric conversion of the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Samuel W. Stratton as the first director. The budget for the first year of operation was $ 40,000. The Bureau took custody of the copies of the kilogram and meter bars that were the standards for US measures, and set up

5046-429: The network perimeter. ZTA utilizes zero trust principles which include "never trust, always verify", "assume breach" and "least privileged access" to safeguard users, assets, and resources. Since ZTA holds no implicit trust to users within the network perimeter, authentication and authorization are performed at every stage of a digital transaction. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access to resources. NIST released

5133-404: The new products were difficult-to-service , not economically feasible to repair, or designed with planned obsolescence . With today's accelerating rate of technological advancement, electronic equipment becomes obsolete in ever shorter periods of time. The progression of America towards a throw-away society drastically reduced employment prospects in the electronics service sector. According to

5220-516: The presidency, handing the role over to his son, while remaining active in the school as founder and chairman of the board. The following year, planning commenced for a 59,000 square foot building designed specifically for NRI at 3939 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The school moved into the building in May 1957 and remained there until closing more than four decades later. In 1960, Edward L. Degener retired from NRI after 41 years of service. He

5307-547: The private sector. All four were recognized for their work related to laser cooling of atoms, which is directly related to the development and advancement of the atomic clock. In 2011, Dan Shechtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on quasicrystals in the Metallurgy Division from 1982 to 1984. In addition, John Werner Cahn was awarded the 2011 Kyoto Prize for Materials Science, and

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5394-482: The probable cause of the collapses of the WTC Towers (WTC 1 and 2) and WTC 7. NIST also established a research and development program to provide the technical basis for improved building and fire codes, standards, and practices, and a dissemination and technical assistance program to engage leaders of the construction and building community in implementing proposed changes to practices, standards, and codes. NIST also

5481-481: The public convenience. In 1821, President John Quincy Adams declared, "Weights and measures may be ranked among the necessities of life to every individual of human society.". Nevertheless, it was not until 1838 that the United States government adopted a uniform set of standards. From 1830 until 1901, the role of overseeing weights and measures was carried out by the Office of Standard Weights and Measures, which

5568-414: The radio proximity fuse . In 1947, Haas died unexpectedly and his responsibilities were passed on to James E. Smith's son, James Morrison Smith (1916–2010), another graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (BSIE, 1937) and former engineer at U. S. Steel and DuPont . J.M. Smith had been an executive at the school since 1945. In December 1956, James E. Smith turned 75 years of age and stepped down from

5655-402: The remainder of an applied electricity course on behalf of an ailing colleague at McKinley. Smith later accepted a permanent position at the school. Eventually, students began consulting him for private formal instruction—which is precisely how the National Radio School began. With enthusiastic support from Mr. Haas, who was then Assistant Publicity Director for Keith's Theater in Washington, D.C.,

5742-400: The repair of malfunctioning electronic items when the purchasing of newer models was so affordable due to advances in semiconductor and electronic materials technology. With the exception of display technologies, the newer television and radio receivers generally had fewer internal components that were smaller in size, and thus cheaper to produce. Weak cost justification for repairs often remains

5829-430: The rise of globalization resulted in lower production costs. But the fierce global competition in the electronics industry caused a gradual price erosion of American products. Market share and revenues of American television and radio manufacturers began to fall in the wake of the cost-effective strategies of foreign competitors. By the 1980s, imported radio and television receivers (particularly those from Japan) dominated

5916-485: The school branched out into many other training fields, including computer repair. However, by the 1990s, economic and technological forces adversely affected the business. The school's closing was primarily a case of labor economics . Throughout its existence, NRI was a reputable business and vocational school. Its closing was not so much due to the rise-and-fall of for-profit schools , but more related to rapid technological developments and changes in consumer attitudes in

6003-431: The school for 36 years. The first home study courses were developed and implemented by the National Radio School as early as 1916, enabling students to continue their training without being physically present at the school. During World War I, facilities were expanded to address the burgeoning demand for radio operators. By 1917, enrollment had swelled to 150 students. In 1918, the U.S. government appointed Smith director of

6090-504: The school was renamed the National Radio Institute . In 1923, the business was relocated to Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and classroom instruction was discontinued entirely so the school could focus solely on its home-study model. The business quickly outgrew this location as well, and moved to 16th And U Street NW in 1927, where it occupied the entire building for the next 30 years. The building on U Street

6177-431: The standard by NSA). NIST responded to the allegations, stating that "NIST works to publish the strongest cryptographic standards possible" and that it uses "a transparent, public process to rigorously vet our recommended standards". The agency stated that "there has been some confusion about the standards development process and the role of different organizations in it...The National Security Agency (NSA) participates in

6264-527: The street. Throughout the 20th century, several technical American schools existed, offering correspondence courses similar to those of NRI, including: Some of these trade schools have survived by diversifying their academic offerings. For example, including residential (face-to-face) courses as well as virtual classes in business administration, medical technology, medical billing & coding, among other programs, with some schools offering associate's, bachelor's, and graduate-level degrees. Smith's birth year

6351-415: The surreptitious decryption of data. Both papers report that the NSA worked covertly to get its own version of SP 800-90 approved for worldwide use in 2006. The whistle-blowing document states that "eventually, NSA became the sole editor". The reports confirm suspicions and technical grounds publicly raised by cryptographers in 2007 that the EC-DRBG could contain a kleptographic backdoor (perhaps placed in

6438-439: The term of an applied electricity course at McKinley Manual Training School (moved in 1926 to its present location in Washington, D.C., and now known as McKinley Technology High School ) for a colleague who had become ill. It went well and Smith was offered a permanent position at the school, which he accepted. After a while, students began coming to Smith for private formal instruction. The National Radio School (NRI's name during

6525-463: The theoretical knowledge obtained from the course reading materials, and to provide affordable service tools for students to practice their new trade. In 1962, NRI began to sell the kits, which were similar to products marketed by Heathkit directly to consumers under the brand name Conar Instruments . In the mid-1960s, Conar very briefly dabbled in the Ham radio business by offering what today are known as

6612-463: Was Zenith Electronics , which sold a controlling interest of its shares to the Korean company LG Electronics in 1995, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of LG in 1999. Technological advances accounted for much of the eventual demise of TV/radio service jobs. At least three contributory factors can be singled out: 1) Weak cost justification for repairs : It was becoming hard for consumers to justify

6699-523: Was $ 992 million, and it also received $ 610 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act . NIST employs about 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support and administrative personnel. About 1,800 NIST associates (guest researchers and engineers from American companies and foreign countries) complement the staff. In addition, NIST partners with 1,400 manufacturing specialists and staff at nearly 350 affiliated centers around

6786-487: Was Galbraith), and one son, James Morrison (1916–2010, he went by his middle name). In 1956, at age 75, Smith retired as president of NRI and handed the role over to his son Morrison, who was also a graduate of WPI (B.S.I.E., 1937). James E. Smith died on September 30, 1973, at his home in Virginia at the age of 92. Smith was a strong believer in giving back. He was in leadership roles at Washington area nonprofits like

6873-586: Was Sarah Morrison Smith, who was a graduate of the Washington School of Law , and was admitted to practice before the District Bar. They traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally. The couple was married for 54 years before she died in January 1965 at the age of 83. The Smiths had two daughters, Marjory (1912–2004, married surname was Sarich) and Carol (1914–2007, married name

6960-698: Was an American engineer, entrepreneur, educator, and businessman. He was the co-founder and president of the National Radio Institute (NRI) in Washington D.C., which trained 1.5 million students through home study over its 88-year history. Smith was born on February 3, 1881, in Rochester, New Hampshire . He held a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (B.S.E.E., 1906) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and began his career at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh , but he took an extended leave of absence in 1907 to teach what remained in

7047-479: Was appointed director of the education department at McGraw Hill's Continuing Education Center. Beach retired in 1989 after 28 years of service with NRI. The last director/general manager of the school was Nick Maruhnich (born 1951), who served as senior vice president of special projects at the McGraw-Hill Companies and general manager of the McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center - NRI Schools. By

7134-462: Was constructed in 1915 and still stands today, currently occupied by the Center for Community Change . In addition to more than 250 textbooks, NRI began, in 1928, to publish for its students and alumni a trade magazine originally called National Radio News , which was renamed multiple times to: National Radio - TV News (1950), NRI News (1958), and finally to NRI Journal (1963). An alumni association

7221-485: Was formed on November 23, 1929, when NRI's average annual enrollment was about 18,000 students. Established that same year was NRI's technical advisory board, which eventually included among its members, Lee de Forest , the American inventor of the Audion triode vacuum tube , and prominent radio engineer Cyril M. Jansky Jr. , and Maj. Gen. George Owen Squier . American electrical engineer Alfred Norton Goldsmith joined

7308-489: Was named the National Bureau of Standards . The Articles of Confederation , ratified by the colonies in 1781, provided: The United States in Congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective states—fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the United States. Article 1, section 8, of

7395-719: Was part of the Survey of the Coast—renamed the United States Coast Survey in 1836 and the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878—in the United States Department of the Treasury . In 1901, in response to a bill proposed by Congressman James H. Southard (R, Ohio), the National Bureau of Standards was founded with the mandate to provide standard weights and measures, and to serve as

7482-619: Was realigned by reducing the number of NIST laboratory units from ten to six. NIST Laboratories include: Extramural programs include: NIST's Boulder laboratories are best known for NIST‑F1 , which houses an atomic clock . NIST‑F1 serves as the source of the nation's official time. From its measurement of the natural resonance frequency of cesium —which defines the second —NIST broadcasts time signals via longwave radio station WWVB near Fort Collins , Colorado, and shortwave radio stations WWV and WWVH , located near Fort Collins and Kekaha, Hawaii , respectively. NIST also operates

7569-652: Was succeeded by Harold E. Luber (1906–1998), who was appointed vice president. Luber had been with the company since 1929 and ran NRI's Student Services department. An attorney, he also served as in-house counsel. The National Radio School and Institute ran advertisements for its courses for decades in magazines such as Boys' Life , Popular Science , Popular Mechanics , Radio-Electronics , and Electronics Illustrated . These ads often contained appealing testimonials from NRI graduates, but sometimes by popular and/or successful spokespersons who were not NRI alumni. For example, Tom McCahill endorsed NRI 's appliance repair course in

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