Stephen M. Sinker, a consultant with SMS Innovations LLC in Lebanon, N.J., has been honored by a 2005 ASTM International Award of Merit and the accompanying title of fellow; the award is the highest Society recognition for individual contributions to standards activities. ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics cited Sinker for dedicated participation in and technical contributions to standards initiatives in D20, for continuous service to the committee in a leadership capacity as section, subcommittee and main committee officer, and for effective interface between D20 and Technical Committee 61 on Plastics of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

An ASTM International member since 1986, Sinker serves as chair of Subcommittee D20.09 on Specimen Preparation and of D20.61, US TAG ISO/TC-61 on Plastics, as well as on many other D20 standards development groups. A major contributor to several standards, Sinker has advanced standards for plastics specimen preparation and acetal plastics, and he has promoted coordination of global plastics standards.

In his professional career, Sinker has concentrated on production, process, and application development of thermoplastic materials as well as failure analysis, training, and standards development. Before becoming a consultant, Sinker worked as a product technical specialist and chemist for the Ticona Division of Celanese and as a chemist for the Permacel Division of Johnson & Johnson.

Sinker is a member of the American Chemical Society and the Society of Plastics Engineers. He holds a B.A. in chemistry and an M.S. in organic chemistry from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.

Release #7123