Spark

His first day on the job at the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), James Olthoff ’80 parked in front of the metrology building and realized, “I didn’t even know what metrology was.”

When he reached his office, he pulled a dictionary off his shelf and looked up the definition. That informal initiation in 1987 led to a lifelong career in metrology, the science of measurement. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to do a job that’s been fascinating for, really, my whole career,” says Olthoff, who now serves as NIST’s chief metrologist.

A meter is a meter, a kilogram is a kilogram, a second is a second. But how do people know they can trust such measurements? How do countries mutually agree on standards?

Metrology is necessary for all national and international trade and commerce. Olthoff serves as the primary representative of this field for the United States at both the national and international levels. He helps ensure that the U.S. maintains the highest standard of core measurement capabilities.

“The ability to measure something well gives you a level of trust that allows you to understand the world and how it functions. Measurement infrastructure is necessary for society to function and for international commerce to exist,” Olthoff says.

The fact that most people don’t notice or consider metrology testifies to the effective implementation of internationally agreed upon standards and the shared trust that surrounds them.

In 2018, Olthoff represented the United States when the 60 member countries of the Treaty of the Metre assembled to redefine the international system of units.

That significant milestone “was one of the most exciting moments you can possibly imagine as a metrologist,” he says. “It’s not very often you see that kind of agreement among the countries of the world these days, but it is good to see that people are people.”

Olthoff enjoyed the process as much as its successful outcome. “It’s a great privilege and pleasure to interact with people from around the world. You can see that we’re all God’s people. We’re all working toward a common goal in this little world of international metrology. It’s a small field in some ways, but it covers the entire world.”

At Calvin, Olthoff studied math and physics, but he says Calvin’s liberal arts education also equipped him well for his career. “Liberal arts prepared me for my field in a lot of ways I didn’t expect as a scientist: Communication is a huge part of being a scientist. The ability to critically address problems is very important,” Olthoff says. He completed a PhD in physics at the University of Maryland and held a two-year appointment at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before coming to NIST.

Olthoff has held many positions with NIST, first working as a bench scientist and, over the years, holding a variety of high-profile supervisory and research roles. He has also authored or edited over 100 publications and won numerous awards, including the United States Presidential Rank Award, among others.

Though it’s hard to precisely measure the impact of an entire career, Olthoff’s contributions to science have clearly made a mark. As he draws closer to retirement, Olthoff says he enjoys witnessing how the work he has had a hand in starting or advancing has developed into important discoveries and technologies by the scientists at NIST.

So much of metrology is about fairness, Olthoff notes. “It’s being able to do measurements in a way so that the world can trust something and trust an answer.” But the precise science of metrology also bolsters Olthoff’s faith in God. “There is a good answer to most technical questions, and it’s because God made the universe the way he did. God made everything, and he did it very precisely.”