Janet Gbur, Research Associate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, served on an educator panel for ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) International.  Two other engineering instructors, Angelo Lampousis (City College of New York) and Jay Bhatt (Drexel University), joined Gbur for the panel on teaching standards.

“As an educator, I feel it is important for us to infuse standards education into existing curricula early in the program,” Gbur said of the importance of standards and standards development.  She pointed out that while organizations and employers have long recognized a need for technical standards education, literature shows that engineering students do not receive much exposure.  “Students begin seeking internship opportunities as early as their sophomore year, many of which are in industry,” Gbur continued.  “Fundamental exposure to standards and how they impact the global community can help provide a framework for what students may do in internships, upper division labs, and capstone projects.”

Standards have been an important part of Gbur’s career both as a researcher at CWRU and as an adjunct instructor of mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University.  Every semester, she mentors students with their individual research, where she encourages  them to search for and learn standards for mechanical testing and materials characterization.  For her own research, standards play an important role in her evaluations of the reliability of micro-scale medical devices and associated components and materials.  In her materials engineering course at YSU, she covers standard development organizations and makes research and reading standards an important part of her teaching, sometimes encouraging students to find standards on topics that interest them.

“If you were to create a Venn diagram with my degrees, the intersection is where I work: a combination of materials, mechanics, and medicine,” said Gbur.  “What attracts me to this area of work is the ability to see projects from the basic science stage and their translation to applications that positively impact people.”  She earned her Bachelor of Science in biology with a pre-medicine focus, her Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering.

Gbur serves on the Metallography, Fatigue & Fracture, Mechanical Testing and Medical & Surgical Materials & Devices committees with ASTM.  She holds leadership positions on their Metallography and Fatigue & Fracture committees.

Gbur’s full interview is available on the ASTM website and will appear in the September/ October 2020 print copy of Standardization magazine.