Career Highlights

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NBS/NIST

Research Physicist in the field of high-resolution molecular spectroscopy
Joe performed basic research on high-resolution molecular spectra. In collaboration with other scientists, he published a series of papers that set forth a definitive analysis of the carbon monoxide (CO) spectra. As a result, CO was the most completely understood diatomic molecule. In addition to the CO work, he also studied the spectra of AlN, HF, and CNN.
Scientific Assistant to the Director of National Measurement Laboratory
Deputy Director of the Center for Basic Standards
Chief of the Length and Mass Division
The Center’s primary responsibility was for the national standards for mass, length, time and frequency, temperature, vacuum, and electrical quantities, ensuring that they employed the best science and technology available and were compatible with those of other nations. It provided a wide variety of measurement services to the industrial and governmental sectors as the basis for measurement uniformity.

During his tenure, Joe conceived and led an NBS-wide initiative to develop new and improved calibration services. The resulting Process and Quality Control Budget Initiative not only involved organizational units throughout NBS, but also had NBS calibration-services customers set priorities on activities proposed for funding. Subsequently, Congress approved increased funding of $5.5 M per year to several NBS measurement areas: optical and ionizing radiation, electrical and electronic, time and frequency, temperature, pressure and vacuum. This increase made major improvements in NBS metrology capabilities and services possible.

Chief of the Office of Physical Measurement Services
As Chief of OPMS, he coordinated and administered all NIST calibration services, performed in 14 different technical divisions. His office was the central NIST contact point for customer questions related to calibrations and measurement services.

In 1987, Simmons succeeded George Uriano as the NBS Representative on the NCSL Board of Directors, a position he occupied until his retirement from NIST in 1994. He was arguably the most active person ever to represent NBS/NIST to this organization. Joe’s promotion of the NCSL measurement-requirements documents; the numerous aspects of his service on the NCSL Board of Directors; his leadership of the NCSL development of a U.S. National Standard for quality assessment of calibration laboratories; his push for the development of a NIST program to accredit calibration laboratories; and his role in the creation of the North American Calibration Cooperation were all indicative of his long-term way of thinking about things. His efforts pushed NIST into an ever-more-productive interaction with the metrology community—both within the U.S. and abroad—to the benefit of all.

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