The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, and its Committee on Education (CoE) are pleased to announce that Shane Arlington of New Jersey's Stevens Institute of Technology is the first-place winner of the annual ANSI student paper competition. William Gabler of North Carolina State University is the second-place winner. The contest is part of an ANSI-led effort to raise awareness about the strategic importance of standards and conformance among U.S. undergraduate and graduate students.
Entrants in this year's competition were asked to submit papers featuring specific examples that demonstrate how standards boost business innovation in the U.S. and/or around the world as part of the 2015 theme Standards Inspire Innovation. The contest was open to students of any discipline currently enrolled in an associate, undergraduate, or graduate level program at a U.S. academic institute of higher learning.
Mr. Arlington's paper, titled "Consensus Standards Drove Automotive Fuel Innovation," examines the historical development and impact of consensus standards on the automotive industry in the United States. The paper details how the early- 1900s development of consensus standards, with regards to the testing and characterization of gasoline, have been a source of tremendous innovation within the modern transportation industry.
The second-place paper, "Building Community: Innovation through Consensus," explores how the consensus-building and standardization process benefits society in two ways: in a measured sense by defining quality and influencing markets, and in a broad sense by forming community and promoting research. Mr. Gabler provides examples from the personal protective equipment and health and safety industries.
Both winners will receive a cash prize for their winning paper as well as a certificate for themselves and their schools.
For more information about the ANSI Committee on Education, please contact Lisa Rajchel ([email protected]).
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.
The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
About the ANSI Committee on Education
The ANSI Committee on Education (CoE) oversees all Institute initiatives related to standards and conformity assessment education and outreach, fulfills the objectives of the United States Standards Strategy (USSS), and responds to other issues that may be delegated by the ANSI Board of Directors, Executive Committee, or the National Policy Committee.