Standardization News

ASTM to Sponsor 2024 Exo Games, Centered on First Responders

ASTM International’s Exo Technology Center of Excellence (ET CoE) is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Exo Games, an initiative to improve student involvement and education in the exo technologies industry. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is partnering with the ET CoE through a CRADA agreement to develop the underpinning metrology for exoskeletons and promote student STEM involvement.

All competitions in this year’s games will include simulated first-responder activities, covering law enforcement, firefighting, bomb squads, urban search and rescue, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Knowledge gained from these games will help further develop exoskeleton requirements for applications in emergency response and unstructured environments.

The Exo Games is a competition open to teams of students from one or multiple universities, colleges, and/or technical schools. The competition is designed to connect participants with exo industry professionals, help build lifelong relationships, and provide hands-on experience with new exo standards.

Working in teams, students must construct a self-contained exoskeleton using a project specification provided to them. From this specification, they must produce a design solution, build it, test it with the predefined standards from the exoskeletons and exosuits committee (F48), and compete to win a grand prize.

A cash prize will be awarded to first and second place winners ($5,000 and $1,000, respectively). ASTM reserves the right to award no prizes based on the determination of the judges.
Interested teams must submit a Team Description Paper by April 5, 2024 at 11:59 p.m., EST through the ET CoE website. The competition will be held from Aug. 5-9, 2024, at the ASTM International headquarters in West Conshohocken, PA. Read more information.

Mather Scholarship Applications Due April 30

The Katherine and Bryant Mather Scholarship is presented each year, contingent upon available funds, to full-time undergraduate students completing their second/sophomore year of college or later, or graduate students who are pursuing degrees specializing in cement or concrete materials technology or concrete construction. Each scholarship recipient receives up to $7,500 to be used for educational expenses and up to $1,500 to cover expenses to attend a C09 committee meeting.

This award is administered by the committee on concrete and concrete aggregates (C09). The deadline for applications is April 30.

For more information, visit the Students and Professors section of ASTM.org or contact Scott Orthey tel +1.610.832.9730 | sorthey@astm.org 

Graduate Scholarship Applications Due

The ASTM International Graduate Scholarships aims to enhance students’ knowledge, understanding, and application of ASTM and its standards. A $10,000 scholarship is presented each year to as many as four high-potential graduate students who have demonstrated high levels of interest or involvement with ASTM standards. Applications are due April 30. 
For more information contact Travis Murdock, ASTM
tel +1.610.832.9826 | tmurdock@astm.org

ANSI 2024 Student Paper Competition Topic: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the topic of the American National Standard Institute’s 2024 Student Paper Competition. Students are encouraged to enter papers that attempt to answer the question: “What role do, or could, standards play in safe and effective implementation of artificial intelligence applications/systems?”

In their papers, students should choose an industry sector and explore the ways in which AI standards play a role in achieving a positive impact or could do so in the future. Papers should identify a relevant standard or multiple standards and discuss how it/they can contribute to strategies and solutions for AI.

Entries must be submitted by June 7, 2024, to lrajchel@ansi.org. Visit ANSI.org.

Request an ASTM Guest Lecture

ASTM International staff and members are readily available to provide students and faculty with an overview of the world of consensus standards. These sessions are designed to expose future subject matter experts to the importance of standards, the process to develop them, resources available to students, and the ways they can get involved in ASTM.
Lectures can be presented in person or remotely. For more information contact Travis Murdock, ASTM tel +1.610.832.9826 | tmurdock@astm.org