Standardization News

ASTM International has announced that it will sponsor H. Alex Hsain, a senior at North Carolina State University, for the prestigious Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) program. This announcement coincides with “Girl Day” of Engineers Week, which encourages girls and young women to consider engineering careers.

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 third-world 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, 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.

DiscoverE’s Engineers Week recognizes contributions engineers make to society. The WISE internship is one of many scholarships and grant programs ASTM International provides to student members. Students can join free. For more about the WISE program, click here.