Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation, highlighting the people and initiatives making waves in standardization.
National Radio Show Highlights the Importance of Standards and the People That Develop Them
The Takeaway radio show, a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International in collaboration with New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston, is running a weeklong series of programs intended to shed light on the standardization world and the dedicated professionals driving it. "Meeting the Standards" features interviews with engineers and standardization leaders, candidly discussing the critical roles standards and conformity assessment play in virtually every aspect of everyday life around the globe.
In the first segment, "Meeting the Standard in a World Continually Transformed by Technology," Mark Sheehan, managing director for development standards and certification at ASME, an ANSI-accredited standards developer, stresses the ubiquity of standards, noting that, "Without standards, virtually nothing in the world would be workable." In segment two, "Proving Nuclear Power Is Safe," Ken Balkey of Westinghouse and ASME focuses on the increased level of trust in safety that effective standards and conformance can provide in the nuclear industry. Finally, "Making Medical Devices Compatible and Secure" features Alpesh Shah of ANSI-accredited standards developer IEEE highlighting how standards can foster safety, security, and innovation in rapidly developing technology sectors such as health IT.
Listen to the entire "Meeting the Standards" series on The Takeaway website.
January 15 SES Webinar on Emerging Professionals in Standardization
ANSI member and accredited standards developer SES - The Society for Standards Professionals will hold a webinar focused on the need for participation by new and emerging professionals in standardization and conformity assessment activities. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. eastern.
The webinar will be led by Jonathan Colby, a hydronamic engineer with Verdant Power. Mr. Colby, a 2012 ANSI Next Generation Award recipient [see related story], was selected as a participant in the 2011 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Young Professionals Workshop and was one of three IEC Young Professionals to be chosen that year as a Young Professional Leader [see related story]. Mr. Colby will discuss the IEC's activities and the role played by its Young Professionals Program in bolstering participation by emerging professionals, among other related topics.
The webinar is offered free of charge to all current SES members and costs $50 for non-members. Under a reciprocal agreement between the two organizations, ANSI full member technical contacts are considered SES members and can take part in the webinar at no cost. More information on the webinar is available on SES's website.
ICC Announces New Cloud-Based Tool for Code Development
ANSI member and accredited standards developer the International Code Council (ICC) recently launched a cloud-based online tool that allows ICC members and other public-safety stakeholders to create and submit code change proposals online. The new tool, cdpACCESS, grew out of earlier efforts to allow online participation in the ICC's Code Development Process.
cdpACCESS allows all ICC members to vote online on assembly floor motions and allows ICC governmental member voting representatives and honorary members to vote online in connection with public comments and proposed code changes. The new tool can be used on tablets and computers running Windows or Apple's iOS, and is compatible with most major Internet browsers.
For more information about cdpACCESS, or to use the new tool, visit www.cdpaccess.com.
ITI Launches New IT Public Sector Alliance
ANSI organizational member the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) recently announced the establishment of the Information Technology Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS), a new strategic initiative targeting local, state, and federal government agencies. ITAPS will work to promote government understanding of information technology (IT) and best practices for its procurement, with the larger goal of encouraging effect governmental IT policies and supporting regulatory approaches that encourage access to cutting-edge IT.
For more information about ITI and its activities, visit www.itic.org.
ASC X12 Now an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer
ANSI's Executive Standards Council (ExSC) has approved ANSI member ASC X12 Incorporated as ANSI Accredited Standards Developer under its proposed operating procedures for documenting consensus on ASC X12 Incorporated-sponsored American National Standards, effective January 9, 2013. For additional information, please contact Lisa Miller, chair of ASC X12's board of directors, by email at [email protected], by phone at 301-685-6517, or by mail at 241 East Fourth Street, Unit 202, Frederick, Maryland, 21701.