ANSI Introduces Students to Standards at the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival

NEW YORK, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to inspire and help nurture future generations of engineers and standardization professionals, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will present an exhibit at the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo in Washington, DC. Titled "Standards make the whole world work – better!," ANSI's display is designed to engage and show K-12 students, teachers, and other attendees just how ubiquitous and important standards are to every facet of their lives via hands-on toy displays and fun graphic representations. The family-friendly expo will be held from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on April 26-27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and is free of charge.

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a national grassroots effort to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and energize the next generation of scientists and engineers. The weekend expo is the festival's featured event, comprising over 3,000 hands-on activities and 100 live stage performances intended to engage the public and educate students of all ages about the wonders of science and engineering. An estimated 250,000 visitors are expected over the course of the official two-day expo and Friday sneak peek for school groups and military families.

A first-time participant, ANSI developed its exhibit theme and materials through the support of its Committee on Education (CoE) and the U.S. National Committee (USNC) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Along with further details on ANSI's presentation, a number of educational resources created for the event are available for free download at www.ansi.org/students.

In a tremendous display of engagement from the greater standardization community, nearly 30 standards developing organizations and other ANSI members are also scheduled to exhibit at the festival expo, including:

• Acoustical Society of America (ASA) 
• Agilent Technologies
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 
• American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
• American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)
• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)
• American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation
• ASTM International
• Bio-Rad
• Building Performance Institute (BPI)
• Caterpillar
• Dow
• DuPont
• Georgetown University
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
• IEEE-USA
• InfoComm International
• Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• SAE International
• Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
• University of Virginia
• U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

For more information about the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival, visit www.usasciencefestival.org. Click on "2014 Festival" then "Exhibits" to search for individual summaries of the activities being presented by ANSI and its participating members.

ANSI strongly encourages students, families, and all interested science-lovers to attend the free expo at the Washington Convention Center April 26-27. ANSI's exhibit will be located in the Math and Computer Science Pavilion, Hall C, Booth 4209. Pre-registration is available but not required.

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 comprised 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