Standardization News

The editor’s picks for our favorite Standardization News stories of 2016.

1. Safety Equipment Institute Becomes ASTM Subsidiary

ASTM’s presence in the certification space got a big boost in 2016 when it took the well-known Safety Equipment Institute as a subsidiary.

2. Ethanol as a Cooking Fuel

A first-of-its-kind ASTM standard supports the use of ethanol as a cooking fuel — which helps people in developing countries use a safer alternative to wood, charcoal and other traditional fuels.

3. Making the Save

A young ice hockey player and his dad go to an ASTM committee meeting. Five years later, a new standard will help protect the throats of goalies.

4. Small Business in Action

 For small and medium businesses, participation in ASTM results in a virtuous circle that involves collaboration, innovation, and market access.

5. Taking Fun Seriously

ASTM’s world-renowned toy safety standard got an update in 2016.

6. Small Is Big

2016 was the Year of the SME — the small and medium business. SMEs make unique contributions to their industries through the standards they help develop.

7. 15 Years Later

Observing the 15^th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we looked at the development of a growing portfolio of standards designed to guide the manufacture, testing, and certification of security-related products, many of which did not exist before 2001.

8. Free Time. Fun Time. Sports and Leisure Time!

We liked our infographic ASTM standards and safe recreation so much, we made it into an informational video. 

9. Think Like a Girl

In February, ASTM Executive Vice President Kathie Morgan visited three mechanical engineering students at Rowan University who are looking to bridge the gender gap in STEM education.

10. Trustworthy, Loyal… and Inventive

We recently learned about a 17-year-old whose Eagle Scout project may result in an ASTM standard that would help reduce injuries and fatalities caused by land mines.

11. ASTM Helps Power New Fuel Introduction

Without a standard for a new fuel they were developing, Oberon Fuels could not attain market access. They found their answer at ASTM.

12. Ötzi the Iceman

ASTM member company, Materialise, in the Netherlands played a key role in the creation of a perfect reproduction of the famous 10,000-year-old iceman.

13. Standards Help Drive Growth in Latin America

In the summer, ASTM staff embarked on a Latin America Road Show to draw attention to the crucial role that standards are playing in the region.

14. To Mars with Standards

NASA uses hundreds of ASTM standards in its space program.

15. Certifying Biobased Products

In 2016, an updated ASTM standard and a renewed contract for a related certification program were good news for environmentally conscious manufacturers and consumers.

16. How Smart Is Your Shirt?

Smart textiles are taking off, and ASTM’s longstanding textiles committee is developing standards that will help them find market access.