Mr. Durund Elzey currently serves as the Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management Division for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. In this position, Mr. Elzey is responsible for management decisions related to all of the District’s major Civil, Environmental, and Support for Others programs and projects. Programs and projects under his purview include flood risk management, storm damage prevention, navigation (channel improvement, and lock & dam construction), environmental and coastal restoration/sustainability, river stabilization, harbor development, Mississippi River & Tributaries Project, $14.7B Hurricane and Storm Risk Reduction System, IIJA, BBA-18 Program, the Environmental Infrastructure Program, Interagency Support Program, the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP), the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Program, and other projects. Mr. Elzey is responsible for execution of the aforementioned project portfolio which averages an annual appropriation of ~$450M.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and standards development is no exception. This session will explore how standards development organizations (SDOs) are leveraging AI to enhance and streamline their processes, from drafting and reviewing standards to engaging stakeholders and managing vast amounts of data. As the demand for standards in rapidly evolving fields like AI, autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing grows, SDOs are increasingly turning to AI-driven tools and techniques to meet these challenges efficiently and effectively. In this series of presentations, experts will discuss the current and potential applications of and ethical considerations for using AI in the standards ecosystem. Presenters will delve into real-world examples of AI tools being implemented by SDOs to accelerate the drafting of technical content, enhance standards searchability and classification, inform decision-making, and predict market shifts and emerging technologies that will require standardization. Participants will come away with an understanding of how AI is reshaping not only the standards creation process but also related activities such as stakeholder engagement, compliance monitoring, and certification. This session is designed for standards professionals, technology experts, and policymakers interested in how AI can be strategically integrated into standards work to drive efficiency, innovation, and global collaboration. Join us to learn about the practical, cutting-edge AI applications that are enabling SDOs to work smarter, faster, and more effectively in shaping the future of industry standards.
In the midst of today's digital revolution, businesses face a common challenge: incorporating standards, often in PDF form, into their digital ecosystems. The push to digitize product development and procurement processes has underscored the need for efficiently converting traditional PDF documents into usable digital formats. Often originally authored in Word documents, standards are subject to diverse interpretations. While new authoring guidelines may enhance machine readability for new standards, the primary focus lies in digitizing the thousands of existing legacy standards. In this presentation, SAE International will share our lessons learned around digitizing standards using natural language processing models. We provide guidance about what to look for in standards structure to determine whether a standard is a good fit for natural language processing models or not. We also share lessons learned about upfront planning that is critical to ensure that the digital artifacts created will support your use cases.
As emerging technologies continue to reshape industries, standards development organizations (SDOs) are evolving to meet the demands of rapid innovation. This session will explore how SDOs are collaborating in innovative ways to develop cohesive and comprehensive standards that support the successful deployment of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, hydrogen, and renewable energy systems. Through a series of presentations, participants will gain insight into new collaborative frameworks and models that foster greater interoperability, reduce duplication, and accelerate the standards development process. Presenters will highlight specific case studies where SDOs have joined forces to tackle complex challenges in technology standardization, focusing on how shared expertise, global coordination, and cross-sector partnerships are leading to more agile and responsive standards development. Topics will include inter-SDO working groups, harmonization efforts across regions and industries, the role of digital tools in streamlining collaboration, and the importance of stakeholder engagement from diverse sectors, including academia, government, and industry. Attendees will also learn about how SDOs are addressing the need for flexible and adaptive standards that can evolve in step with rapidly advancing technologies, ensuring their relevance and applicability in real-world applications. This session will provide valuable insights for standards professionals looking to better understand and engage in the future of standards development. Whether you are involved in writing, reviewing, or implementing standards, these presentations will offer actionable strategies for fostering collaboration, overcoming traditional barriers to cooperation, and driving innovation through standards that are built to serve the needs of tomorrow's technologies. Join us for an inspiring look at how the standards development community is evolving to stay ahead of the curve in a world of fast-paced technological change.
With more product development happening in digital platforms, the way industry standards are developed and used must follow suit. As a leader in developing best practices around creating and using digital standards, SAE International shares some recommendations for creating clear, consistent, and simple digital-ready materials standards that are readable by both machines and humans. This presentation focuses on recommendations for materials standards and how to: •Plan ahead considering the different types of materials standards you may have to digitize •Convey material composition •Document different types of material properties •Other findings related to units of measure and table data
Developing an equipment standard is a huge investment that can take hundreds of hours of effort. Knowing the investment will be worth it is necessary before making the decision to develop a standard. Factors to consider include planning for conformity assessment, determining the desired outcome of the process, and identifying drivers motivating use of the standard. Many times, identifying drivers for use of a standard is overlooked resulting in frustration and waste. The drivers range from regulations to manufacturer desire to differentiate. This interactive session will explore 9+ drivers motivating the use of standards and the effectiveness of those drivers.
Standards are ubiquitous and affect all aspects of our lives, though not equally for men and women because of anthropometry differences and the traditional prevalence of men in technical standards creation. In the process of international standards development, countries set up Mirror Committees to represent their interests and vote in favor of decisions that will benefit their economies. Chairs in those committees play a critical role in shaping the outcome of standardization processes. Yet, empirical studies on standardization from a gender perspective, and more specifically the relationship between gender and leadership positions in standard development activities have been scant. This paper fills this gap using the 2019 Standards Council of Canada Members’ Satisfaction Survey and logistic regressions. We find that women members of Canadian Mirror Committees are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to serve as chairs. However, among committee members, experience or the number of years served on mirror committees increases the likelihood of taking up leadership positions, and particularly so for women from visible minorities. These findings have important policy implications regarding the reduction of gender disparities in standardization, intersectionality, and the retention and training of women
Academic research can be used to further develop the standardization profession. Standardization management can be seen at three levels: managing standardisation within a company, managing standardisation projects in which multiple stakeholders participate, and at the ‘meta level’ of standards bodies, business sectors and even countries. Based on his 40 years of experience in standardization practice and research, Henk de Vries will share some insights and suggest an agenda for the future.
This session explores the transformative potential of AI in the standards industry, addressing both the opportunities and risks involved. By examining AI-driven solutions like Nimonik's regulatory tools, we will discuss how similar technologies can be applied to standards management. The session will highlight key concerns, such as intellectual property and data security, while showcasing how AI can be leveraged in the world of standards. Join us to explore the future of standards through the lens of AI innovation.
Public speaking skills are amongst the greatest gift that you can give to yourself. Which in turn becomes one of the greatest gifts that you can share with others. The ability to speak more effectively allows you to SHOW UP. Fitness is defined as the condition of being physically fit & healthy & the quality of being suitable to fulfill a certain role or task. SPEAKness is the condition of being able to speak effectively & the quality of being able to show up impactfully on all the stages of your life, with clients, with family, in your community. This unique & engaging presentation will provide the beginning steps to improving your SpeakNess
This flash talk will explore the pros and cons of four fundamentals of standards content development - prescriptive rules, performance rules, permissive rules, and prohibitive rules. Should standards be inclusive of all four fundamentals or do these concepts conflict with each other? Does the fundamental type change the user experience with the standard or potentially obscure the standard's intent? This session will cite examples where each fundamental has been used most effectively and examples where their use has been a detriment to the standard.
This talk will explore how the FAIR principles have become established in the research data world and how the standards world could learn from these experiences.
In our modern age of energy transition, the need for more efficient heating and cooling technologies is growing. As technology continues to advance and market needs grow, the Building Performance Institute (BPI), an ANSI-accredited standards development organization (SDO) dedicated to residential energy efficiency and weatherization retrofit work, is working on updating its cold climate air source heat pump technical standards and certifications to meet the needs of the housin
