Standardization News

At their February meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, members of the committee on amusement rides and devices (F24) welcomed students from roughly 10 different schools, including the Pennsylvania State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Texas at Austin, and others. For more information on the amusement rides committee, see the feature story here.

Two Students Receive Mather Scholarships

ASTM International’s committee on concrete and concrete aggregates (C09) has honored Bruno Fong-Martinez, doctorate student at the University of Texas at Austin, and Vincent M. Wenzel, graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, with Katharine and Bryant Mather Scholarship awards. Both students were recognized for their studies related to the field of concrete and concrete aggregates.

Fong-Martinez has a career concentration in concrete materials, and holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to ASTM International, he is a member of the American Concrete Institute.

Wenzel’s focus is on structural engineering and civil materials. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

North Carolina State University Student Sponsored by ASTM International as 2018 WISE Intern

ASTM International is sponsoring Alex Hsain, a senior undergraduate at North Carolina State University, for the 2018 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering program.

WISE is a competitive summer program in Washington, D.C., offered annually to about a dozen engineering juniors and seniors interested in public policy.  The program provides housing and a stipend.

Hsain is pursuing a materials science and engineering degree. She is interested in energy harvesting, renewable technologies, and sustainability. During the internship, Hsain plans to combine her passion for engineering and global scientific literacy by studying the effects of standardization on development of emerging countries.

Already, Hsain has conducted research at her university’s Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) as well as NASA’s Langley Research Center, Texas A&M University, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. She has presented at the Appalachian Energy Summit, at “Posters on the Hill” in Washington, D.C., and at the African Materials Research Society Conference.

In addition, Hsain serves as president of her university’s SciBridge Project, which aims to create “energy kits” for universities in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and elsewhere.

She is a 2017 Truman Scholar and intends to pursue a doctorate in electrical materials. She hopes to work in the public sector to promote evidence-based decision making and global scientific literacy.
The WISE internship is one of the scholarships and grant programs ASTM International provides to student members. Students can join free.

Second Reusable Abstractions of Manufacturing Processes Challenge Launched by NIST

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has announced RAMP 2018, the Reusable Abstractions of Manufacturing Processes challenge. Students, faculties, researchers, and manufacturers are invited to submit manufacturing process models that demonstrate application of ASTM International’s guide for characterizing environmental aspects of manufacturing processes (E3012) for information and sustainability assessment. Cash prizes will be awarded to the best entries.

Such standardized models can be reused, extended, and modified for many applications, including simulation and optimization. As a collection, the models would benefit the entire manufacturing community. The RAMP competition will contribute to the expertise needed to develop such a collection.
The final phase of the challenge will occur at the American Society of Mechnical Engineers Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference at Texas A&M University the week of June 18.

Click here for full details and official rules.

NIST Awards Four Universities for Standards Curricula, Calls for 2018 Program Entries

To support standards education in undergraduate and graduate-level curricula, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded funding to four universities. The awards have been granted through NIST’s Standards Services Curricula Development Cooperative Agreement Program, which has made 31 awards totaling $1.8 million since 2012.

The following universities have received the latest awards:

• Bowling Green State University;
• Michigan State University;
• Oklahoma State University; and
• Texas A&M University.

Projects awarded under the NIST program support curricula development to integrate content on documentary standards and standardization processes into courses, modules, seminars, and learning resources. This content is designed be replicated or built on by educational programs at other U.S. colleges and universities.

NIST is also inviting applications for the 2018 program. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, April 16.

ASTM International Seeks Graduate Scholarship Applicants

ASTM International is now accepting applications for graduate scholarships. The ASTM International Graduate Scholarship is presented each year to as many as four high potential graduate students, contingent on merit and available funds. The scholarship awards students who have demonstrated high levels of interest in or involvement with ASTM International standards. Each scholarship recipient will receive $10,000 to be used for educational purposes. Applications are due April 30.

Additional Information
Travis Murdock
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Participants in the Emerging Professionals Program met with ASTM staffers: (front row, from left) Katerina Koperna and Krista Robbins, ASTM staff managers; Jaclyn Ferraro, CTL Group; Karla Kruse, WJE Associates Inc.; and (back row, from left) Sebastian Puchalski, Kraton Polymers; Ryan Waddell, C.R. Bard; Mark Alam, Canadian Wood Council; Khaled Hasiba, Controls Group USA; Amir Hajibabaee, Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete Inc.; Laura Hasburgh, USDA Forest Products Laboratory; and Soley Einarsdottir, University of Toronto.