Mar 05, 2020

(Above) Katharine Morgan, president, ASTM International, moderates a roundtable on women in standardization held in Atlanta, Georgia, in early February. Several women from ASTM committees participated.

Several women from various ASTM International committees took part in a small roundtable luncheon in early February in Atlanta, Georgia, with ASTM International President Katharine Morgan. 

For a description of the event and the topics discussed, please see the March/April President’s Message.

Roundtable participants included:

• Xiaohong Gu, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, a member of the committees on paint and related coatings, materials, and applications (D01), solar, geothermal, and other alternative energy sources (E44) and weathering and durability (G03). 
• Erica Rigler, Invision Security Group, from the committee on cannabis (D37);
• Patricia Knudson, a retired police officer and member of the committee on homeland security applications (E54)
• Casandra Robinson, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, an ASTM board member who also is on the committee on homeland security operations (E54), among other committees.
• Amber Joseph, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, from the committees on pedestrian/walkway safety and footwear (F13) and consumer products (F15).
• Humna Irshad, Aurora Cannabis Inc., from the committee on cannabis (D37)
• Nazli Yesiller, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), College of Engineering, a member of the soil and rock (D18) and geosynthetics (D35) committees.
• Melissa Medlin, TenCate Geosynthetics, from the geosynthetics committee (D35).
• Kendra Adams, Blue Rock Labs, from the soil and rock committee (D18).
• Marie Duncan, CannaSafe, a member of the committee on cannabis (D37).
• Mary-Helen Sparks, White Sands Missile Range Reactor Physics, a member of the committee on nuclear technology and applications (E10).

ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center to Hold Workshop at Chicago Conference

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AMCoE), in partnership with German testing and certification organization TÜV SÜD, will hold a workshop on Accelerating AM Technology Adoption through Standardization and Certification during the Additive Manufacturing User Group’s 2020 Conference on March 22, in Chicago, Illinois. 

The workshop will provide a detailed understanding of the following topics:

• Additive manufacturing standard development process;
• Gaps in additive manufacturing standards;
• Research and development initiatives from the AMCoE to drive standards development;
• Research and development opportunities that would benefit from standards development; and
• Certification approaches for additive manufacturing.

All additive manufacturing professionals who have an interest in exploring the AM standardization and certification process are welcome to attend.

In addition to the AMUG workshop, the AMCoE, in conjunction with the ASTM International UAE Chapter, will hold a specialty workshop, “Reshaping the Building and Construction Landscape with Additive Manufacturing,” on April 14 in Dubai. This workshop will bring stakeholders and experts together to present views on accelerating AM adoption for building and construction. Workshop participants will work on a roadmap that will capture relevant challenges, gaps, applications, opportunities, and trends from stakeholders in government, industry, and academia. Learn More.

ASTM’s Nanotechnology Committee Holds Workshop on Standards for Regulatory Science

In conjunction with the 2019 Global Summit on Regulatory Science, ASTM International’s nanotechnology committee (E56) organized a workshop in Ispra, Italy, on Sept. 27, that highlighted E56 standards activities in support of regulatory science and nanotechnology for drug development. 

The meeting brought together regulators, research scientists from government, academia, and the pharmaceutical industry, representing nine countries, to discuss both ongoing projects and priority needs to support the development, pre-clinical testing, and regulatory oversight of nonbiological complex drugs. Many talks and discussions took place related to the physical and chemical analysis of liposomal drug formulations, a high priority for regulatory agencies.

Anil Patri, an E56 committee member and chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s nanotechnology task force, explained how consensus documentary standards speed quality products to the market. The workshop also served to introduce ASTM International, and specifically the committee on nanotechnology, to a wider international audience. In addition to the technical work of E56, substantial interest was expressed in the committee’s nanotechnology workforce education standards. 

This was the first such workshop held by E56 outside the United States, and was organized by ASTM members from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and the European Commission – Joint Research Center, which hosted the meeting, in Ispra.