Standardization News

California State University Teacher Wins ASTM International Professor of the Year Award

Feraidon Ataie, Ph.D., assistant professor of engineering, California State University-Chico, has won the 2017 Professor of the Year Award from ASTM International.

“Dr. Ataie’s continued commitment to engaging and inspiring his students is exciting,” says Katharine Morgan, president of ASTM International. “His use of ASTM standards in the classroom showcases the value of standards and the standards development process. I am confident his students will make many contributions through ASTM over the course of their careers.”

The ASTM International Professor of the Year Award recognizes and rewards the contributions of educators in developing students’ understanding of standards.

Since joining the staff of California State University-Chico in 2014, Ataie has been the Concrete Industry Management programs director.

Dana Davis, president of Teichert Materials, has worked closely with Ataie since he joined the university. “Besides educating CIM students about concrete in the classroom, Dr. Ataie has developed into a leader within our industry,” says Davis. “He provides an engaging environment in the classroom and exposes undergraduates to all aspects of our industry – blending his technical knowledge, field experience, and research skills into the classroom and laboratory.”

Ataie regularly incorporates ASTM International standards into his classwork, including courses in the fundamentals of concrete and concrete repair. He also developed a daylong workshop on volumetric concrete at World of Concrete in January 2017.

Ataie received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2006.  He went on to Kansas State University to earn both his masters (2010) and doctoral (2003) degrees in civil engineering.

Today, there are over 5,100 ASTM International student members from more than 100 countries who take advantage of the opportunity to be involved with ASTM International while completing their undergraduate or graduate careers. Join for free here.

Support Continued for NIST Curricula Development Program

ASTM International participates in the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Services Curricula Development Cooperative Agreement program. The aim of the program is to provide support of standards education at U.S. colleges and universities. ASTM International has relationships with most of the universities involved in the program and has worked directly with Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania as part of their awarded grants.

Applicants are evaluated on their ability to meet criteria in four major categories:

• Technical project approach and methodology;
• Communication plan;
• Staffing; and
• Resources availability.

Eligible applicants may apply for awards of up to $75,000 to integrate standards education into undergraduate or graduate-level courses. More information on the
program can be found at the NIST website.

ASTM International Staff Member Chosen to Chair ANSI Committee on Education

ASTM International Staff Manager Travis Murdock has been selected to chair the American National Standards Institute’s Committee on Education for 2018. The committee oversees all ANSI initiatives related to standard and conformity assessment education and outreach; fulfills the objectives of the United States Standards Strategy; and responds to other standards education issues. Murdock is extensively involved in student outreach activities at ASTM International.

WISE Internship Application Deadline Is Dec. 31

Undergraduate engineering students are invited to apply to be part of the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering — ranked as one of the best internship opportunities by the Princeton Review.
ASTM 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 2018 program is Dec. 31, 2017. Click here for the application.

Additional information:
Travis Murdock
tel +1.610.832.9826

Eight Emerging Professionals met at the ASTM International October Committee Week in New Orleans, Louisiana, to learn more about their role in the standards developing process. From left to right: Nelson Vieira de Carvalho, National Institute of Aerospace; Jack Glover, Theiss Research and NIST; Victoria Rowland, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Renee Edlund, Huntsman Corp.; Alan Wright, U.S. Army, NSRDEC; Katie Chapman, Duro-Last; Lindsey Hamill, Perdue Food. Not pictured: Deborah Callaway, PABCO Gypsum.

Students interested in a career in the amusement industry attended and participated in F24 committee meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona. Industry professionals hosted a panel discussion where students were invited to ask questions both about the technical discussions they heard throughout the week and career paths.