Guest blog by June Lau, Physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Material Measurement Laboratory

My name is June Lau and I am a physicist at the Commerce Department National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Our mission is to improve the quality of life and economic security of the American people through advancements in measurement science, standards, and technology. For me, that’s a pretty straightforward job description on most days. I like to build things and I like to solve problems.

In the last year, my colleagues and I built a new kind of electron microscope and, before that, we established an electron microscopy co-op at NIST that enabled increased sharing of expensive equipment among NIST researchers. Lately, though, I have begun to obsess about research data. Specifically, I cannot think of a place that has higher quality research data than NIST. But even though the research data within all the groups and divisions are of excellent quality, these data are held in separate and incommunicable project partitions. What if we were to become the Amazon of scientific research data? Such a development would be hugely valuable to the public. I ask myself, "what are the missing ingredients, and what can I do to make it happen?"

One missing ingredient is computer-accessible linkages between research partitions. Something as basic as understanding the motivation behind an experiment, why a particular sample was chosen, and what the experimental outcomes were is incredibly difficult to track and share, whether by humans or by machines. This is true even if the sample preparation, experiments, data analysis, and simulation steps are all conducted by the same person or group, which is seldom the case.

Consequently, for the past several years, I have been exploring ways to integrate the NIST research data ecosystem. At a grassroots level, my colleagues and I have been conducting outreach on research data practices. I also have been part of an amazing team that built one of the first laboratory information management systems at NIST to manage data coming from our electron microscopes.

When I was given this opportunity to write about what civil service means to me, I thought about the societal support that my family and I received through the years that made it possible to tell you this story today. When I left my birth city of Hong Kong, my worldly possessions consisted of a partially unstuffed toy rabbit, which I clutched anxiously as my family and I emptied into the international terminal of JFK. Through social and family networks, my parents quickly found jobs. I was enrolled in a public elementary school in Sunnyside, Queens. School subsidies meant that I always had a warm meal through high school.

I became a naturalized U.S. citizen when I turned 16, and shortly after, went to Stony Brook University. With help from a Pell Grant, a Federal Stafford Student Loan, and a Federal work-study program, I became the first person in my family to earn a college degree. Through this point, my family had episodes of financial hardship — disability, jobs lost — but miraculously, we never fell behind on rent or went hungry, because of the public safety net. I felt lucky, but most of all I felt grateful for local to federal government assistance, which is an embodiment of the nature of being an American. It is hard for me to imagine an outcome like mine anywhere else in the world than here in the United States.

After college, I went on to graduate school and received a Ph.D. in applied physics from Columbia University. It was during my first-year course work that I first heard about NIST (formerly the National Bureau of Standards or NBS). Stories of acclaimed NBS scientists and their amazing discoveries filled not only my textbooks but also were shared orally by the professors. As a student, there was no way to wrap my head around what it would be like to work alongside the legends of my field at a place like NIST. Then, in 2005, I received an offer letter from NIST inviting me to join the staff as a postdoctoral research fellow. I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. I came to NIST in January 2006, and I am still here today.

Throughout my career at NIST, I have had several unforgettable mentors who have taught me important lessons. From them, I learned that the quality of my work will be made self-evident in due course, and if I believe that I did my best in the moment, I will have no regrets. I learned there are no free rides — an extraordinary place like NIST is sustained by the conviction that each must pull their own weight. I learned to embrace teamwork because the outcomes of those projects are almost always more consequential than the ones that I undertake on my own. Finally, I learned to lead, because sometimes it is the only good option. My favorite quote comes from Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

At various junctures of my life, I have paused and let myself be thankful for all the help given to me. And since there are no free rides, I serve the public each day not only to pay back aids received during dark times, but also to pay forward our shared economic and cultural endowment, so that future Americans might enjoy the same opportunities given to me. This is my small contribution to the great American project, and I am so pleased to be on the team.

I used to wonder why it is that NIST can attract the storied talents described in the press and textbooks. Now I can tell you why: It is not that NIST is a superstar magnet, but rather that NIST is made up of ordinary people like me, whose celebrity achievements are ancillary to the reason we continue to show up day after day — that is, we are duty-bound to advance technology and standards, critical for our shared economic security and prosperity.

Editorial Note: This post is part of a series in honor of Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), showcasing the vast and diverse work of Commerce employees collectively working together to deliver important services that are helping the American economy grow.