HEADLINES... This month’s top stories:

President's Leadership Award
The deadline for submitting nominations for the ASTM President's Leadership Award is Feb. 1, 2009. The ASTM President's Leadership Award salutes the inspiration and positive contributions of individuals early in their ASTM career who have significantly advanced the Society's mission through extraordinary accomplishment, example and vision. The award was established by the ASTM Board of Directors in 2007 to recognize outstanding leadership within the first five years of an individual’s association with ASTM International. For more information, visit the Awards section of the ASTM Web site.

2009 Advantage Award
ASTM International is seeking success stories that demonstrate the benefits of standardization for the 2009 ASTM International Advantage Award. The goal of the award is to gather real-life examples that support the positive value of ASTM standards. If you can clearly show the positive impact of an ASTM standard or group of ASTM standards, then consider competing for a prize in the 2009 Advantage Award competition. First prize is $15,000, second prize is $10,000 and third prize is $5,000. All submissions must be received with an official entry form by June 1, 2009. View more information about the 2009 Advantage Award here. To read the 2008 Advantage Award winning papers, check out the November/December issue of Standardization News.

GLOBAL NOTES . . . ASTM around the world:

Three New MOU Signings

ASTM has signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with the Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology (QS), the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) and the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS). The MOU program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide, fostering awareness of the standardization systems of all parties involved. To date, 65 MOUs have been signed. View more information about the ASTM MOU program.

Training Course in Egypt

A training course on Statistics in Standards was held at the Egyptian Organization of Standards and Quality (EOS) in Cairo, Egypt, in late October. The course covered the basic development of test methods from the beginning through method validation along with training in the basic statistics involved throughout all phases of test method development. General information about ASTM's international relationships was also discussed. ASTM and EOS signed a memorandum of understanding in 2002.

South African Training

In October, the ASTM training course, Gasoline: Specifications, Testing and Technology, was presented at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in Pretoria, South Africa. Attendees included representatives of SABS and the Botswana Bureau of Standards as well as automobile parts manufacturers, fuel additive vendors and engineers from Sasol oil refinery. SABS and ASTM signed an MOU in 2003.

Gulf Region Concrete Courses

Two training courses on concrete and cement were held in the Gulf Region in November. The first course was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization (GSO) and Saudi Readymix. The same course was then presented in Doha, Qatar, in cooperation with the Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology (QS). At the classes, members of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates presented information about ASTM standards related to cement, concrete and reinforcing steel that are referenced in ACI 318, the American Concrete Institute design standard for structural concrete. ACI 318 is referenced in the International Building Code, which is being adopted in many countries, including Saudi Arabia.

COMMITTEE NEWS... The latest from ASTM's technical committees:

Polyethylene Pipe
Interested parties are welcome to join in the development of a new polyethylene pipe standard from Committee F17 that will be useful to the gas gathering and distribution industries. [Full story]

Unmanned Air Vehicles
Committee F38 has approved a new standard for flight authority and is currently working on a proposed standard that covers UAS recovery systems. [Full story]

Antimicrobial Medical Gloves
Glove suppliers, manufacturers and distributors, as well as contract test labs, government agency representatives and infection control practitioners are invited to participate in a new D11 task group on antimicrobial medical gloves. [Full story]

Mechanical Sampling
A new mechanical sampling standard from Committee D05 on Coal and Coke incorporates four other standards dealing with mechanical samples. [Full story]

Measurement Uncertainty
Analysts in laboratories that use regression-based methods to determine uncertainty in data and customers that request such measurements will be the primary users of a new practice from Committee D19 on Water. [Full story]

Tracheal Tubes
A new specification from Committee F29 on Anesthetic and Respiratory Equipment covers basic safety and essential performance requirements for fixation devices for tracheal tubes. [Full story]

Radio Frequency Identification Transponders
Committee D10 on Packaging invites interested parties to participate in the ongoing development of standards related to radio frequency identification transponders and packaging materials. [Full story]

Nuclear Gauge Calibration
Interested parties are invited to join in a task group within Committee D18 on Soil and Rock that is working on a practice for nuclear gauge calibration. [Full story]

DID YOU KNOW?...Smokeout and Standards

The Gift of Standards

With the holiday season upon us, many will be searching for the latest fun toys for children. With toy recalls fresh in consumers' minds, shoppers may feel uncertain about how to choose among the various toys available. ASTM Subcommittee F15.22 on Toy Safety, which comprises manufacturers, consumers, retailers and representatives from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is constantly working to alleviate any concerns and make toys safer with ASTM standard F963, Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety. ASTM F963 covers requirements and contains test methods for toys intended for use by children under 14 years of age. The standard includes relevant safety measures already required under law as well as additional guidelines to prevent injuries from choking, magnets, sharp edges and other hazards. A new law signed by President Bush in August 2008 requires that toys sold in the U.S. be tested to ASTM F963. This means that toy manufacturers and retailers must conform to the standard, which will ensure safer products are being sold to consumers. Subcommittee F15.22, part of ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products, oversees F963, continually monitoring toy safety issues and making revisions as needed. ASTM will continue to work with organizations such as CPSC and the Toy Industry Association to create safer products and protect children. For more information about F963 and to learn more about Committee F15, visit the ASTM Web site. Best wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season from ASTM International.

PUBLICATIONS... New publications from ASTM now available:

ASTM International Biodiesel Fuel Web Portal

ASTM International's Masonry Standards for the Building Industry: 6th Edition

STP 1478, Pesticide Formulations & Delivery Systems, 26th Volume: Reassessing Pesticide Technologies

ASTM Standards for Maintenance, Repair, and Operations in the Chemical Process Industry: 3rd Edition

ASTM Online Dictionary of Engineering Science and Technology

Manual 51, Distillation and Vapor Pressure Measurement in Petroleum Products

ASTM Online Dictionary of Engineering Science and Technology

ASTM Online Lab, Equipment and Consulting Directories

Search for other ASTM publications.

Visit the ASTM Digital Library to get instant access to the digital editions of nearly every ASTM book and paper published in the past 100+ years.

CALENDAR... Committee Weeks, Symposia and Workshops, TPTs: Technical Committee Meetings

Upcoming ASTM Committee Week Meetings

December Committee Week, Dec. 7-12, Miami Beach, FL
January Committee Week, Jan. 25-30, Atlanta, GA
For more information on ASTM technical committee meetings and committee weeks, including locations, detailed schedules and future meeting dates, click here.
View a complete listing of all ASTM meetings.

Upcoming Symposia & Workshops

C16 on Thermal Insulation
Second Symposium on Heat-Air-Moisture Transport: Measurements and Implications in Buildings
April 19-20, British Columbia, Canada
D04 on Road and Paving Materials
Workshop on Mercury-in-Glass Thermometers, Thermometric Measuring Devices, and Manometers Dec. 9, Miami Beach, FL
E05 on Fire Standards
Symposium on Advances in the State of the Art of Fire Testing
Dec. 11, Miami Beach, FL

Upcoming Technical & Professional Training (TPT) Courses

Aviation Fuels
April 28-30, San Diego, CA
Corrosion Testing: Application and Use of Salt Fog, Humidity, Cyclic, and Gas Tests
May 12-13, Akron, OH
Diesel Fuels: Specifications and Test Methods
March 24-26, Los Angeles, CA
April 28-30, Atlanta, GA
Fire Hazards In Oxygen Systems
May 19-20, Houston, TX
Gasoline: Specifications, Testing and Technology
Nov. 11-13, San Antonio, TX
Phase I & Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Processes
March 31-April 2, West Conshohocken, PA
April 14-16, Austin, TX
May 5-7, Kansas City, MO
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Practices for Commercial Real Estate: Transaction Screen & Phase I Site Assessment
March 24-25, Phoenix, AZ
April 7-8, New Orleans, LA
April 28-29, Orlando, FL
May 12-13, New York, NY
Property Condition Assessments
April 28-29, New Orleans, LA
Regulatory Compliance for the Flammability of Wearing Apparel
April 21, Atlanta, GA
Regulatory Compliance for the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear
April 22, Atlanta, GA
Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Applied at Petroleum Release Sites
May 12-13, Lansing, MI
Rubber Testing: Selecting, Performing, and Interpreting ASTM Rubber Test Methods
April 16-17, Akron, OH

For more information, please visit the ASTM Web site, www.astm.org.

To see a full list of ASTM’s technical committees and view their Web pages, click here.

ASTM International is one of the world’s largest management systems for the development of voluntary standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Currently, ASTM has more than 30,000 members from around the globe representing industry, government, academia, and consumers. Participation in ASTM International is open to any interested party. The Annual Book of ASTM Standards contains more than 12,000 standards developed by ASTM’s technical standards-writing committees representing over 100 diverse technical fields.

Erin McElrone, Editor
emcelron@astm.org

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