Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation of members and partners, highlighting recent accomplishments and new resources related to standardization.
ASHRAE and AIA Sign MoU for Continued Collaboration
ASHRAE, an ANSI member and audited designator, and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), an ANSI member, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in a number of areas related to the built environment.
The MoU outlines that the organizations will jointly address development of young professionals, technical activities and research, publications, education, and advocacy and public outreach. This agreement builds on past collaboration between the organizations.
Read more in the ASHRAE news item.
ISO Promotes Health Standards across the Globe for World Health Day
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has announced a new social media campaign to promote health standards around the world.
The campaign, launched on World Health Day on April 7, aims to bring awareness to the importance of health standards that support reliable and safe medical equipment, laboratory testing, and evaluations. Health standards also assure the protection of patient data, and provide an environment that allows health care workers to perform their jobs in the best possible conditions.
Elements of the social media campaign will include videos, infographics, and articles on a dedicated website. Constituents are invited to join an international conversation on health standards using the hashtag #healthstandards, and to take a daily quiz on medical symbols.
Read the ISO news item to learn more, and visit the #healthstandards website here.
ASME Article Details Employment Statistics for Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, published an article outlining the Department of Labor's statistics on the job market for mechanical engineers.
The article states that the market for mechanical engineers is growing slightly faster than the market for engineering jobs overall, but slightly slower than total job growth in the United States. By 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 290,000 jobs for mechanical engineers - a 5.3 percent growth over today's market. Notably, mechanical engineering jobs may increase more dramatically in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry, as well as in construction.
ASME also reviewed statistics on salaries for mechanical engineers. In 2014, the median salary in the U.S. for mechanical engineers was $83,060 - more than double the median salary for all jobs.
More information can be found in the ASME news item.
SPI Report Explains Bioplastics' Impact on Plastics Industry, Sustainability
SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, an ANSI member, has released a free report outlining the basics and benefits of bioplastics in simple terms for consumer.
"Bioplastics Simplified: Attributes of Biobased and Biodegradable Products" provides a base of knowledge on biobased plastics and plastics that are biodegradable. The report helps consumers to parse claims that companies may make about a product's biobased content. Readers will also learn about the possible environmental benefits of bioplastics, including reduced carbon footprint, reduced global warming potential, and reduced fossil fuel usage.
Learn more and access the free report in the SPI news item.