Next Gen: Grad Scholarships, F1 in Schools, and More

Clockwise from upper left: Sarah Boardman, Kennedy Brown, Menachem Sokolic, Diana Wyman

ASTM Awards $10,000 Scholarships to Four Graduate Students

ASTM International recently announced the graduate student winners of four $10,000 scholarships for their studies in fields where technical standards play a crucial role. This year’s winners were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants.

The four candidates at right will receive the 2022 ASTM International graduate scholarships.

ASTM has more than 5,000 student members at all levels of education who pay nothing for membership. The organization offers several scholarship and grant opportunities each year. Undergraduate and graduate student members receive a front-row seat to the standards-development process, allowing them to network with technical experts and participate in standards discussions.

Read more information on the free student membership and academic outreach activities.

The winners are: 

Menachem Sokolic has been a member of ASTM International since 2017, pursuing his master’s degree in business administration at Rutgers University. He has worked as an environmental consultant for over two decades, and is a dedicated member of the ASTM committee on environmental assessment, risk management, and corrective action (E50).

Diana Wyman is pursuing her Ph.D. in fiber and polymer science at North Carolina State University. She joined ASTM International in 2001 and has since been an active contributor to the committee on textiles (D13), recently joining committee F23 as well. She is also an instructor for textile-related standards at ASTM.

Kennedy Brown is a student member working towards her master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Vermont. A former WISE Scholar, she plans to pursue a career in water and wastewater engineering in the near future. She also hopes to join several ASTM committees after graduation.

Sarah Boardman has been a participating member of ASTM International since 2022, pursuing her Ph.D. in materials science at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research and work focus on additive manufacturing of ceramic materials, and she hopes to contribute to ASTM standards development in her burgeoning field.

F1 in Schools Participant Speaks at D02 Meeting

ASTM International welcomes all voices. At a recent meeting of the committee on petroleum products, liquid fuels, and lubricants (D02), Amber Mylrea, daughter of D02 Officer Ian Mylrea, spent a week observing the ASTM process in action as well as speaking to the committee as a representative of F1 in Schools.

An inspiring global STEM challenge that has grown to attract the world’s most talented 9-19 year olds, F1 in Schools creates a fun and exciting learning environment for students. Encouraging team work, F1 students design, analyze, make, test, and race a miniature gas-powered car, capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in under one second. As well as striving to produce the fastest car, teams are assessed on an array of life skills. As team manager, Mylrea is responsible for helping out in all aspects of students’ participation in the event.

Over 60 D02 members attending the D02 Executive session were delighted to learn details of the challenge, which originated in the U.K. Mylrea appealed to the audience to help start F1 in Schools teams in the U.S., and encouraged sponsorship.

ASTM Project Grant Recipients Win First Place Showcase Award at Drexel University

Each year ASTM International offers $500 project grants to students for senior or graduate projects that have a standards-related component. This year, a team that received an ASTM project grant won the first place award at Drexel University’s Class of 2022 BIOMED Senior Design Showcase.

The team, comprised of Drexel students Amber Witt, Kebeh Maryann Oden, and Kasey Bryan, applied a series of ASTM standards to their project, “Supportive Speculum for Cervical Screening in Underserved Communities.”

Applications for ASTM project grants are due on Oct. 31. For more information, or to receive the application form, contact Travis Murdock at tmurdock@astm.org.


Issue Month
September/October
Issue Year
2022