The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life around the world. This once-in-a-lifetime global health crisis has not only taken its toll on human life, but has also created devastating ripple effects felt well beyond. From the countless disruptions to existing infrastructure, to the creation of new social norms, the effects of this will undoubtedly last for years to come.
It is in times like these that standards continue to play a critical role in dealing with such large-scale emergency situations. In order to highlight the importance of standards, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 2021 Student Paper Competition asks you to explore the use, or absence, of standards in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
For your paper, look to specific aspects of the pandemic and identify any specific standards used, or needed, to address that particular issue. Some examples are the expanded use of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical equipment, social distancing, telecommuting, distance learning, vaccine development, transportation, contact tracing, etc. You may draw from your own personal experiences during the pandemic. You should also reference specific standards and the organizations responsible for their development whenever possible. An available source of information is ANSI's COVID-19 information page.
Submissions will be reviewed by top-level industry experts participating on ANSI's Committee on Education (CoE) as well as by ANSI staff. A small number of finalists will be invited to give an online presentation to the review team before a winner is chosen.
Winning entries will be published on ANSI.org and potentially in other media outlets. Winning submissions will be shared with and widely read by the domestic and international standards community, including experts in government, industry, professional societies, and academic institutions. Cash prizes will be given to first- and second-place winners; ANSI reserves the right to award no prizes based on the determination of the judges.
The winning papers will be announced in Q3 2021.
