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2005 World Standards Day Paper Competition
Standards and conformity assessment are critical components of safety and security for each one of us, as well as for businesses, organizations, and society in general. In recognition of the importance of the relationship between these elements, the U.S. World Standards Day Paper Competition theme is “Improving Safety and Security Through Standards.” The Standards Engineering Society, in conjunction with the World Standards Day Planning Committee, will award cash prizes for the best three papers submitted. In addition, the winning papers will be published in SES’ Standards Engineering, with the first place winner also appearing as a special article in the ANSI Reporter, the magazine of the American National Standards Institute. Papers should be submitted in English (2,500-4,500 words) in electronic format by Sept. 2 to SES Executive Director, 13340 SW 96th Ave., Miami, FL 33176. For more contest details, see the SES Web site.
Annual Conference on Standards
The Standards Engineering Society’s Annual Conference will be held Aug. 15-16 in Charlotte, N.C. The theme of the conference is “Standards — Pillars for Success.” Sessions will be presented on Standards Strategies, Standards and Competitiveness, Standards and Their Use in Developing Countries, Current and Emerging Legislative Issues, Supply Chain Standards, Standards as Pillars of Social Responsibility, and Using Existing Technology to Improve Processes. For more information, contact Glenn Ziegenfuss, SES, Miami, Fla. (phone: 305/971-4798) or see www.ses-standards.org.
U.S. and Japanese Code Organizations Sign MOU
The International Code Council’s Board of Directors President Frank Hodge recently joined the Japan Conference of Building Control Authorities and Officials Chairman Kouzou Nomoto in signing a memorandum of understanding in which they agree to exchange information and research on building codes and related technology.
ANSI Search for President and CEO
The American National Standards Institute has announced its plans to identify a successor for retiring President and CEO Mark W. Hurwitz. Appointed in July 1999, Hurwitz informed the ANSI Board of Directors in February of his intent to retire at year-end 2005. Information and details about applying for the post are available at ANSI Online. Applications are due by June 30, 2005.
NIST Launches Initiative to Take Pulse of U.S. Measurement Capabilities, Infrastructure
An initiative to “roadmap” the United States’ future measurement needs has been announced by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. The comprehensive, NIST-facilitated initiative, Roadmapping America’s Measurement Needs for a Strong Innovation Infrastructure, will result in a first-ever evaluation of the breadth, depth and overall health of the U.S. measurement system. The final report, expected in early 2007, will identify priority measurement infrastructure needs across industry and the economy, recommend steps to address them and point out the consequences of inaction. NIST and other organizations will convene industry- and technology-specific workshops to define emerging measurement needs crucial to future performance and capabilities. Examples of likely topics include manufacturing and reliability of nanotechnology systems, measurements for broadband communications, data storage technologies, proteomics and non-destructive evaluation methods for homeland security applications. Comments and suggestions can be sent here.
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Standards Representatives Speak to House Science Subcommittee on Key Issues
A U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science hearing in May approached the issue of technical standards as trade barriers in Europe and China. The dialogue expanded beyond activities in these regions, however, and offered a thorough discussion of the U.S. standardization system in general through witness testimonies and a question and answer period from key members of the U.S standardization community. Presenting testimony to the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards were Hratch Semerjian, acting director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Robert W. Noth, manager of engineering standards for Deere & Company; Don Deutsch, vice president for standards strategy and architecture at Oracle; Joe Bhatia, executive vice president for international operations at Underwriters Laboratories; and David Karmol, vice president of public policy and government affairs at the American National Standards Institute. Full written testimonies can be viewed here. //
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