Norman J. Alvares, consultant and owner of Fire Sciences Applications in San Carlos, Calif., has received an Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow from ASTM International Committee E05 on Fire Standards.  The Award of Merit is the highest organizational honor for individual contributions to standards activities.

Alvares was cited "for outstanding technical contributions to the standards development activity of E05 through preparation of Research Review sessions and organizing and participating in technical symposia."

An ASTM International member since 1975, Alvares serves on several E05 subcommittees, and is a past chairman of Subcommittee E05.32 on Research. He has co-chaired E05 symposia and was editor of two ASTM Special Technical Publications (STP's).  He received an Award of Recognition from the committee in 1998.

Alvares began his career with the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory in San Francisco, Calif., as thermal physicist in 1956.  He went on to hold positions at SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif., before establishing his consultant company in 1988.  A co-author of more than 100 papers on fire research and protection, his areas of expertise are heat transfer, thermal physics, combustion science and optical properties of surfaces. 

Outside of ASTM International, Alvares is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, the National Fire Protection Association, the International Association of Fire Safety Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Sigma XI, the Scientific Research Society.  He also serves as the U.S. delegate to ISO Technical Committee 92 on Fire Safety. 

A graduate of San Francisco State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical science, Alvares received his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.  He is a licensed fire protection engineer in the state of California.

Release #7975