Two SIE PhD Students Take Top Prize in ANSI Student Paper Competition

Two SIE doctoral students won first place in the American National Standards Institute student paper competition for their paper, “How Standards Can Facilitate the Global Fight Against Pandemics and Improve Preparedness.” ANSI oversees standards and conformity assessment in the U.S., representing the interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations. The competition is part of an effort to raise awareness among U.S. undergraduate and graduate students about the strategic importance of industry standards.

The winning students, Jannatul Bushra and Md Habibor Rahman, addressed the 2021 competition theme, which was focused on the importance of standards in the fight against COVID-19. Their paper focused specifically on the use of additive manufacturing to produce critical medical products, such as nasal swabs and face masks.

“This is more than an award to me – it’s an acknowledgement of our hard work, and I will always cherish the winning moment,” said Bushra, who is a part of the Manufacturing and Design Exploration Research Group led by assistant professor Hannah Budinoff. “Special thanks to my PhD supervisor Dr. Budinoff for her inspiration and guidance.”

Their paper highlighted the importance of standards to ensure quality, improve efficiency and reduce waste. They also made specific recommendations for future large-scale crises, such as making standards more widely available and continually updating them as new technologies emerge.

“I want to humbly convey my utmost thanks to ANSI and its Committee on Education for considering our work for this award,” said Rahman, who works in the Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems Lab led by SIE assistant professor Mohammed Shafae. “This award not only boosts my confidence, but also motivates me to attain further success in the future.”