| Global Notebook | ||
| ASTM is proud to announce…
…a clarification of its name and logo: ASTM Innovator of the Year Award R&D Magazine and Sopheon Corporation have established the Innovator of the Year Award. Created to recognize creativity and excellence in the design, development and introduction of technologically significant products, the award will honor an individual who has developed one or more innovative products or processes that have been introduced into the marketplace and achieved notable commercial success within the previous five years. The recipient of this award will receive a cash prize and be honored at the R&D 100 Awards Banquet, held annually each fall. Among the selection criteria are the relative technological merits of the product developed by the nominee, its relative value to society and the marketplace, and its success in achieving targeted business objectives. The product must also have demonstrated technological significance and solved an outstanding need or problem. For those who would like to submit nominations for the 2002 award, click here. Accreditation Forum
ASTM Presents at NAFTA Meeting ASTM was invited by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to participate in a recent round table discussion on “Notifications and Transparency with the Business Community.” The session was part of an Oct. 23-24 meeting of the NAFTA Committee on Standards-Related Matters held in Washington, D.C. ASTM Vice President of Global Cooperation Kitty Kono provided information on ASTM’s upcoming launch of a new publicly available data base that will provide information to anyone, anywhere in the world on all new work items that ASTM technical committees are undertaking. Participating in the discussions were representatives from the U.S. public and private sector as well as representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Government of Canada and representatives from the Standards Organization of Mexico (Dirección General de Normas). The “ANSI Amendment” An important leg of the campaign to ensure continued government involvement in private-sector standards development activities has been achieved with the Senate approval of the Department of Defense Authorization bill (S.1438). The bill includes Section 1124, which is an amendment suggested by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to correct a conflict between a 1912 law and the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA). In effect, the 1912 law prohibits the government from paying the expenses related to an individual’s attendance at meetings or conventions if they are members of a society or association, thereby creating an obstacle to government employee participation in standards activities. In direct opposition to this ruling, the NTTAA together with OMB Circular A-119 require federal agencies to consider the development and use of voluntary standards for regulatory and procurement purposes. Since the “ANSI Amendment” was not included in the House version, the bill now proceeds to a Conference Committee made up of House and Senate members who will work toward a resolution of the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Contact: David Karmol, ANSI (phone: 202/331-3610). // Copyright 2001, ASTM |
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International—Standards Worldwide. This new name and tagline,
along with an updated logo, more accurately describes what ASTM
has been for many years—a leading standards developer with worldwide
participation in standards development and international use.
Of course, certain operational improvements undertaken over the
past few years have positioned ASTM to enhance its international
participation. From the Internet-based 
The National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA)
is sponsoring a forum on laboratory accreditation titled World-Class
Accreditation Today and Tomorrow. To be held in conjunction with
the NACLA annual meeting, the forum will be in Arlington, Va.,
on April 8-9, 2002. The forum will address the latest developments
in all areas of laboratory accreditation both nationally and internationally,
as well as the direction in which accreditation is headed: national
programs, international programs, the ILAC system and guidance
documents, interpretation of new accreditation standards, regional
MRAs among accreditation bodies, and NACLA’s status and plans.
For complete program details and official registration forms see
the