Word to the W.I.S.E. #whystandardsmatter

As we round up season two of the Word to the W.I.S.E. podcast, we present you with an episode that unpacks why standards matter and touch every aspect of our lives.

UL Standards & Engagement embarked on a project to align its standards catalogue and standards development process with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We're joined by the principal movers of that mission, David Wroth, Director, Data Science at UL Standards & Engagement and Grace Callahan, International Standards Specialist for UL Standards & Engagement.

One of the key indicators of the move toward gender responsive standards is the increased participation of women experts in decision making and technical bodies. Toward that effort, we travel today to Shanghai to speak to Miss Lin Xing, Director Standards and Institute of Testing Technology, Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute (SEARI). She is part of multiple UL Standards and Engagement Standards Technical Committees (TCs) today.

For standards to be relevant and sustainable, having younger voices at the standards development table, or "age diversity," is becoming an important point of discussion. On this episode we speak to Carrie Schmaus, Technology Manager, US Department of Energy and Chair of the Young and Emerging Professionals, YEP Committee, the USNC and Grace Callahan, International Standard Specialist for UL Standards & Engagement, selected for the 2022 IEC Young Professionals Workshop at the IEC General Meeting this year.

We explore the institutions or systems out there to support the next generation of standards and encourage younger professionals to look at standardization as a career prospect.

Developing standards that are truly gender responsive and representative of current realities requires working with a diverse set of voices and perspectives. In this conversation, we speak with Filwah Alqahtani, manager of the National and International Technical Committees Department at the Saudi Standards Meteorology and Quality Organization (SASO), and Dr. Azizah Alogali, who oversees the organization's aspects of strategic planning. Both are working toward creating more opportunities for women to have a say in standardization, not just locally or regionally, but globally as well.

Greater participation by women, especially young and emerging professionals, will be pivotal to the future of inclusive and representative standards globally. What will it take for more diverse voices to take the lead on standards development? In this episode we speak with Veronica Lancaster, Vice President of Standards Programs at the Consumer Technology Association, North America's largest technology trade association. Veronica is also the President of the Board of Directors at Women in Standards, a community of Standardization professionals focusing on the elevation and education of the standards development community on the importance of diversity, inclusion and gender responsiveness.

Stakeholder diversity is critical to facilitating innovation in the way standards are developed. So, what changes must take place to ensure the voice of diverse groups are in fact counted on in technical committees and decision-making bodies? On this episode we speak with Megan Hayes, Senior Technical Director, Operations at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). She also serves as the Chair of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC).

Do listen till the end as Megan extends an open invitation to listeners.

For gender responsive standards to become a reality. What are the tools required to ensure they're universally applicable?

Today we look at the development of more inclusive language or terminology, both by Standards Development, Organizations, or SDOs as well as industry stakeholders who put them into practice.

Joining us on this episode are Muhammad Ali, Senior Standards Strategy and Policy Leader at HP Inc., who leads Diversity and Inclusion efforts in the Industry Standards Program office, and Caroline Treuthardt, Project Manager at UL Standards & Engagement, who works with stakeholders, industry, and SDOs to develop impactful standards.

Through Word to the W.I.S.E. We aim to have those conversations, build awareness, and explore future strategies to increase women’s participation in the development of both standards and technical regulation. We will also explore examples of international standards that are truly gender responsive.

Remember, you too can have your say.

Just use the #whystandardsmatter across social media and pose questions for us on the Word to the W.I.S.E. podcast. And we will try to address those in future episodes.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and like us on any of your favorite podcast platforms!

In this agenda setting episode, we have a very interesting exchange between Mark Ramlochan Operations Manager, UL Standards, and Engagement, who is passionate about diversity and inclusion and Sonya Bird, Director of International Standards at UL Standards and Engagement, who is also member of the Joint Strategic Advisory Group or JSAG. Created by the International Electro Technical Commission, IEC and the International Organization for Standardization ISO to focus on developing gender responsive standards.

Recently ULSE memorialized all the work it has done so far by signing the Declaration for Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe or UN ECE. It is a development that adds to the global push for standards bodies to align their gender action plans with UN sustainable development, goal five, achieve gender equality, and empower all women and girls.

This podcast is integral to UL Standards and Engagement's commitment to building greater consensus on achieving diversity, equity and inclusion in the standards development process so that they are gender responsive.

What are gender responsive standards and why are they so critical to the universal application of standards?

We speak to Michelle Parkouda, the author of a recent report 'When One Size Does Not Protect All Understanding Why Gender Matters for Standardization'. Michelle is the Manager Research at the Standards Council of Canada, responsible for leading research to demonstrate the economic and social value of standardization.

Through Word to the W.I.S.E. We aim to have those conversations, build awareness, and explore future strategies to increase women’s participation in the development of both standards and technical regulation. We will also explore examples of international standards that are truly gender responsive.

Remember, you too can have your say.

Just use the #whystandardsmatter across social media and pose questions for us on the Word to the W.I.S.E. podcast. And we will try to address those in future episodes.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and like us on any of your favorite podcast platforms!

Welcome to Season 2 of the Word to the W.I.S.E… Why Standards Matter.

A podcast series brought to you by UL Standards & Engagement.

In the first season we featured remarkable women who used their careers in science and engineering to create a safer, more secure and sustainable future.

This season we shift our focus to gender in the development of safety standards.

Why safety standards? Standards touch almost every aspect of our lives. They are a set of requirements for how products and systems must perform or are made to instill safety, security and sustainability. Standards can facilitate trade, reduce costs and support innovation.

As one guest from Season 1 eloquently put it – a standard is a common language. Regardless of which company manufactures a product or in what country, it will be tested to the same core requirements found in a standard.

So, the next time you see hazmat suits fit snugly on men but not women, ask yourself how we can come together to update safety standards to equally address the needs of all genders.

Gender equality is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

Yet, in a world in which half the population is women, and many are leaders in the fields of science, engineering, and innovation, only 10% of standards development experts are women.

Through Word to the W.I.S.E. we aim to have those conversations, build awareness, and explore future strategies to increase women’s participation in the development of both standards and technical regulation.

We will also explore examples of international standards that are truly gender responsive.

Remember, you too can have your say.

Just use the #whystandardsmatter across social media and pose questions for us on the Word to the W.I.S.E. podcast. And we will try to address those in future episodes.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and like us on any of your favourite podcast platforms!