May 01, 2026

ASTM Selects Students for WISE Program

ASTM International has chosen Kate Rutherford and Ty Garrison to participate in the 2026 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) program. The program will happen over nine weeks from June through August. 

Kate Rutherford is a rising junior civil engineering student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is currently exploring career possibilities, and during the WISE program, plans to research coal combustion residuals and to advocate for more effective public policies surrounding the beneficial reuse of coal combustion waste material. In addition, Rutherford is a classical guitarist who composes folk music with her identical twin sister. 

Ty Garrison is a student-athlete at Illinois Institute of Technology, studying aerospace engineering while minoring in political science while participating in javelin and high jump for the track and field team. He plans to pursue employment related to aerospace or automotive engineering, while exploring opportunities at the intersection of engineering and public policy.

ASTM member Joe Sinicrope will be reprising his role as the WISE faculty member-in-residence. Sinicrope, chair of ASTM’s Committee on Technical Committee Operations, is the advisor of ASTM’s student chapter at Florida International University. 

Founded in 1980, the WISE program has become one of Washington’s premier internship programs. WISE prepares future leaders of the engineering profession who are aware of, and who can contribute to, the increasingly important issues at the intersection of science, technology, and public policy in the U.S. 

ANSI Student Paper Competition

The theme of ANSI’s Student Paper Competition is: Imagine a world without rules or standards — what would happen?

Standards are the unseen forces that keep our world running and the behind-the-scenes rules that support many of our daily activities. Entrants will write papers that explore how standards may be “invisible” but still impact our daily lives. 

Here are the requirements to enter the ANSI
2025-2026 Student Paper Competition:

• All entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. ET on June 5, 2026, and can be sent to Lisa Rajchel (LRajchel@ansi.org). 
• Must be written by high school student(s) or associate, undergraduate, or graduate student(s) in any discipline enrolled during the period of September 2025 to June 2026 in the U.S. or its territories.
• Must be an original — not AI-generated — work not previously published.

More information on the ANSI 2025-2026 Student Paper Competition can be found on the ANSI website.

ASTM Updates Online Toolkit for Professors

ASTM International recently updated its online Professor Toolkit by adding Advanced Standards Curriculum modules. These learning modules were developed in partnership with Florida International University and are designed to provide a deeper understanding of voluntary consensus standards and highlight their significance in industry. 

The free modules include lesson plans, classroom-style presentations (with and without prerecorded instruction), and other relevant supporting material for interested educators and audiences. To explore the Professor Toolkit, visit the “For Professors” page in the “Academic Outreach” section of ASTM.org.

Ohio State Student Receives Mary R. Norton Scholarship

ASTM’s metallography committee (E04) has chosen Georgia Wiswesser, a senior at Ohio State University, to receive the Mary R. Norton Memorial Scholarship for Women. The scholarship honors the legacy of Mary R. Norton and the impact she made for women studying the fields of physical metallurgy or materials science. 

Wiswesser is pursuing a B.S. degree in welding engineering. Following graduation, she will start a graduate program in metallurgy at the Colorado School of Mines. Wiswesser is interested in the naval nuclear industry and hopes to help build aircraft carriers and submarines. 

Professor of the Year Award Nominations Sought

August 31 is the deadline for submitting nominations for ASTM International’s Professor of the Year award. 

Launched in 2009, the Professor of the Year award rewards professors who expose students to standards and encourage the use of standards as part of their class curriculum. Educators at an accredited university who demonstrate use of ASTM standards in the classroom are eligible for the award.

Professor of the Year award winners receive an honorarium of $2,000. In addition, the university of the award winner receives a $2,000 honorarium. 

For more information on the award, contact Travis Murdock, manager, technical committee operations, at tmurdock@astm.org.

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