Standardization News

The latest class of ASTM International emerging professionals gathered during the November 2019 committee week in Houston, Texas. The objective of the Emerging Professionals Program is to create a new opportunity with long-term benefits for new ASTM International members who have demonstrated the potential to be industry and committee leaders. Shown in the photo along with the emerging professionals are Travis Murdock (back row, second from left), staff manager, ASTM; Taco van der Maten (back row, third from right), 2019 ASTM International board chair; and Daniel Smith (back row, second from right), vice president, technical committee operations, ASTM.

ASTM International Awards Project Grants

Recognizing that students sometimes need financial assistance to complete graduate or senior capstone projects, ASTM International annually offers a limited number of $500 grants to university students to help with projects that feature an ASTM standards component. 

The following students have won 2019 project grants: 

• Kristen Shema (and team), Drexel University, Hemocompatible Blood Shunt for the Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome in Neonates
• Liam Kinnarney,  Rowan University, Mechanical Characterization of In-Situ Curing PVA/PEG Hydrogels for Nucleus Pulposus Replacement
• Matilda Koa, Arizona State University, Thermal and Fire Resistive Properties of Silica Aerogel/Epoxy Composite
• Siham Al Shanti,  United Arab Emirates University, Reuse of Sewage Sludge Ash in Producing Self Compacted Concrete
• Jessica Joseph (and team), Widener University, Oscillating Foils Testing Apparatus.

Students who would like to apply for a 2020 project grant should submit an abstract describing their project, including:

• Summary of the project goal,
• List of ASTM standards that are being considered to achieve that goal,
• Declaration of intent to submit an application paper for publication by ASTM on the completion of the project, and Statement of endorsement by a faculty member.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31.

ANSI Announces 2020 Student Paper Competition

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and its committee on education have announced their 2020 paper competition. The theme is “Standards Supporting U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.” The competition is part of a long-term effort to spread awareness among postsecondary students of the strategic significance of standards and conformance. The deadline for entries is April 30, 5 p.m. ET.

The paper competition is open to students enrolled full- or part-time in associate, undergraduate, or graduate programs during the period of September 2019 to April 2020 in U.S. higher education institutions. A small number of finalists will be invited to give an online presentation to the review team before a winner is chosen. The winning papers will be announced in June 2020. 

See more information about the competition HERE.

Additional information: Lisa Rajchel, ANSI; lrajchel@ansi.org

Oregon State Research Associate Receives Mather Award

Deborah Glosser, a graduate research associate in civil engineering at Oregon State University, has received the 2019 Katharine and Bryant Mather Scholarship from ASTM International’s concrete and concrete aggregates committee (C09). 

As a research associate at Oregon State, Glosser develops and implements computational models to describe and predict reaction and reactive-transport phenomenon in cement materials. Her recent work includes a thermodynamic model to predict cement properties (phase volumes, pore water alkalinity, chemical shrinkage) in mixtures containing cement and supplementary cement materials (SCM). Other work includes reaction kinetics in cement-SCM systems, and SCM reactivity measurement and modeling.

The Mather scholarship is presented each year, contingent upon merit and available funds, to full-time undergraduate students completing their second year of college, or later, or graduate students who are pursuing degrees specializing in cement or concrete materials technology, or concrete construction. Scholarship winners receive $7,500 to be used for education expenses.

Additional information: W. Scott Orthey; sorthey@astm.org

WISE Internship Deadline Extended to February 1

Undergraduate engineering students are invited to apply to be a part of the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering. The WISE program is ranked as one of the best internship opportunities in the United States by the Princeton Review. 

ASTM International sponsors an intern in the WISE program, a nine-week summer session for 12 to 15 engineering students entering their final year of undergraduate work. WISE interns stay in Washington, D.C., and learn how government decisions are made on technological issues as well as how engineers can contribute to legislative and public policy decisions.

The deadline to apply for the 2020 program has been extended to Feb. 1. Apply today.

Additional Information: Travis Murdock; tmurdock@astm.org

ASTM Participates in Cooper Union Green Building Guidelines Program

Travis Murdock, a staff manager at ASTM International, participated in the Green Building Guideline/Environmental Health and Safety (GBG/EHS) and OSHA program at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York. Murdock’s presentation was part of Cooper Union’s program for immigrant engineers. Murdock spoke about ASTM and its standards, many of which are used in the course outline for the green building guideline program. 

ANSI to Host Education Event at IUPUI in February

Travis Murdock, a staff manager at ASTM International, will be participating in “Setting Standards: A Simulation Exercise in Strategy and Cooperation in Standardization Processes,” which will be held Feb. 21 at IUPUI, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The program will be hosted by the American National Standards Institute in partnership with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and IUPUI.  

This event is a fictional but life-like exercise that will expose students to challenges and opportunities in standards setting, and explores analytical and practical skills needed to engage successfully in standards negotiations. A facilitator will guide participants as they negotiate a standard for a fictional next-generation technology and simulate a real standardization process through role-playing. Students from all disciplines are welcome to participate.  

Interested students should contact Lisa Rajchel; lrajchel@ansi.org. Learn more about the program.

Additonal Information: Lisa Rajchel, ANSI; lrajchel@ansi.org. Travis Murdock, ASTM International; tmurdock@astm.org.