…and More on World Standards Day
The United States will celebrate World Standards Day 2000 on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The theme of this year’s event, “Peace and Prosperity” draws attention to the influence of the standards and conformity assessment communities on harmonization, collaboration, and mutual understanding among nations of the world.

Better Pipe Info
Changes to the Corrugated Polyethylene Pipe Association Web site make it easier to get information about polyethylene pipe. The site answers basic questions about the pipe and gives visitors up-to-date information on research and CPPA news. Included in the redesigned site are several easy-to-access pages featuring background information on CPPA, a dozen technical booklets and case studies written on corrugated polyethylene pipe, the ability for visitors to register and receive regular updates, and links to Web sites of CPPA members. Another page, dedicated to understanding high-density polyethylene pipe, is written in question-and-answer format.

Ceramics WebBook
Materials scientists wanting easy access to ceramics data on the World Wide Web should point their Internet browsers to a new resource: the NIST Ceramics WebBook. This WebBook contains evaluated data, a guide to data centers and sources, as well as software tools and other resources useful for materials research. The Ceramics WebBook has a link to three NIST-developed materials databases: the NIST High Temperature Superconducting Materials Database, the NIST Structural Ceramics Database, and the NIST Property Data Summaries for Advanced Materials. In addition, the Ceramics WebBook links to 22 other government and academic data centers and Web resources devoted to biomaterials, ceramics, metals, and composites, as well as chemical and physical data. Another page of tools and resources provides links to software tools, a ceramics virtual library, a discussion forum, and educational sites.

Did You Know?
Did you know that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science has its roots in the intense reaction to the Soviet launch of Sputnik on Oct. 4, 1957? The Committee on Science happens to be the only Congressional committee with direct, ongoing responsibilities in the area of standards and conformity assessment. The committee officially came into being on Jan. 3, 1959, “born of an extraordinary House-Senate joint leadership initiative, a determination to maintain American pre-eminence in science and technology.” In 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced to a joint session of Congress the national commitment to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. The committee then directed its main efforts toward the development of the space program. Although its original mission was directed primarily at space and astronautics, its workload has expanded to encompass scientific research and development in general. The 2000 ASTM William T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award was presented to a House Committee on Science staff member, James Turner, for his substantial contributions to the voluntary consensus standards system.
This news item comes from the “ANSI Insider,” an e-mail publication for ANSI members. For more information on the American National Standards Institute or the “Insider,” contact Jane Schweiker (202/331-3610).

Steel Surfing
The Steel Recycling Institute has launched a SteeLink Web Surfer. This is the first step in providing seamless surfing between each of the AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) and affiliated sites. SteeLink is a series of pull-down menus that will enable site users to move from site to site and area to area within a site easily from a central frame. //

Copyright 2000, ASTM