ANSI Announces 2016 Annual Conference Focused on Preparing the Next Generation of Standardizers

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will hold an annual conference focused on preparing the next generation of standardizers from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at the FHI 360 Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC. The event is part of the World Standards Week (WSW) series of meetings and celebrations hosted annually by ANSI, coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system.

Entitled, "Zero to Hero: Standards Know-How Isn't Just for Nerds," the free conference is designed to bring together companies, educators, and emerging professionals to discuss how we can ensure that the U.S. has a standards-savvy workforce.

The keynote address will be given by Kenneth Hyatt, Acting Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration. He will discuss the critical role that standards play in spurring innovation and boosting the transatlantic digital economy. In particular, an emerging workforce that is engaged with standards – and understands the technical and geopolitical ramifications of standardization – will be an asset to the U.S. looking ahead, not just with respect to trade agreements that are currently on the table, but also to the future competitiveness of U.S. industry and interests.

Speakers from the company/industry perspective will include representatives from Microsoft, John Deere, Accenture, United Technologies Climate, Controls & Security, Oracle, and the Electronic Components Industry Association.

Educators will include representatives from Purdue University, the University of Maryland, City College of New York, the Project Management Institute, and San Jose State University.

And the emerging professional perspective will be provided by panelists from Intertek, Salus Analytics, the Medical Imaging & Technology Association (MITA/NEMA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The goal for the session is for each group to share its perspective, understand the challenges that other groups face, and come away with some clear steps for ANSI and the broader U.S. standardization community to take.

"An emerging workforce that is engaged with standards – and understands the technical and geopolitical ramifications of standardization – will be an asset to the U.S. looking ahead," said Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "Our purpose in hosting this event is to make sure that the standardization community is thinking strategically about these issues, not only for our own sake, but also for the future competitiveness of U.S. industry and interests."  

ANSI members and all interested stakeholders including those from government, industry, business, consumer groups, and academia are encouraged to attend and share their perspectives on these critical issues.

Attendance is free of charge, but advance registration is required. To sign up for this and other World Standards Week events, visit the registration page.

World Standards Week, to be held this year from October 24-28, is an annual event where members of the standards and conformity assessment community come together in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. For more information, including registration for other WSW events and details on all meetings and conferences, visit www.ansi.org/wsweek.

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), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute