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S. Paul Singh, Ph.D.
Michigan State University
School of Packaging |
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“Students can learn the latest practices by being involved in standards and their development. It helps them to be engaged in a peer-review process to help the industry engage in a consensus based standard development process which are not biased by either the government, suppliers or users for a given application.” |
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At what university and in what department do you teach? |
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I teach in the School of Packaging at Michigan State University in East Lansing. |
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What is the nature of the courses you teach? |
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Currently I am teaching courses on the dynamics of packaging and on robotics. |
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What year did you join ASTM International? In which committees are you active? Are you a committee officer? |
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I became an ASTM International member in 1985 and serve on Committee D10 on Packaging. In addition, I am chairman of Subcommittee D10.97 on University Liaison. |
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What are some advantages of your participation in standards development? |
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The most important advantage is to stay current in teaching these practices to students. |
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Do you incorporate standards, ASTM or otherwise, into your curriculum? If so, what types? How are they implemented (case studies, research, other)? What is the value of doing so? |
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The standards are used in the lab exercises. I teach a course titled “Package Performance Testing,” and my students engage in conducting shock, vibration, compression and cushion testing in accordance with ASTM standards. The data collected is used in the optimum design of a package system to provide protection for shipping and handling. |
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Have you worked in industry, either past or currently? If so, in what capacity? What role did standards play in this experience? |
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Yes, I have worked in industry. I was an associate engineer with IBM, where I was involved in testing computer hardware and packaging. |
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Have you been involved in research, either past or presently? If so, in what capacity? What role did standards play in this research? |
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Yes, research comprises 50% of my responsibilities. I am interested in a variety of topics, including the effects of shock, vibration and compression on packaging, reducing damage during transportation and handling, and specialty packaging for produce and electronics, among other topics. I have helped develop several new ASTM packaging standards, and I have written scholarly articles published in the Journal of Testing and Evaluation. |
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What advantages do you see for students to have an understanding of standards and their development? |
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Students can learn the latest practices by being involved in standards and their development. It helps them to be engaged in a peer-review process to help the industry engage in a consensus based standard development process which are not biased by either the government, suppliers or users for a given application. |
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In your view, should a familiarity with standards be required for graduate-level education, particularly in engineering, law and business disciplines? Would this assist in gaining professional success? |
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Absolutely yes.
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