The Surfside, Fla., condominium partial collapse justifies a renewed look at how materials are tested, especially as low-carbon and climate-resistant materials come to market, says Frances Yang, a sustainability expert at Arup. What's needed is "more data and transparency about the origin, the provenance of the materials and what potentially could be present so the proper kinds of tests could be run," Yang says.

Standards are critical to international trade and global supply chains. Jeffrey Weiss, former lead US negotiator and policymaker on Technical Barriers to Trade at the World Trade Organization talks about his experience in this critical field of work.

Terminal B at New York City's LaGuardia Airport has become the first in the world to obtain LEED v4 Gold certification, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced. Among measures meriting the honor were efforts to recycle nearly all the debris from a garage demolition during the new construction, and a design that supports a 43% reduction in water usage and an 18% reduction in energy costs.

The Kitty Hawk Heaviside electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft has received its airworthiness certificate from the US Air Force, enabling the plane to commence flight tests under the Air Force Research Lab. Kitty Hawk is participating in the AFWERX Agility Prime electric aircraft program.

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology has tapped 18 technology companies to examine zero-trust security arrangements as the federal government tries to form guidelines. "Implementing a zero-trust architecture has become a federal cybersecurity mandate and a business imperative," says Natalia Martin, acting director of NIST's National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

Additive manufacturing is agile, can be quickly scaled to match demand and can reduce cost and production time, and it's moving beyond prototyping to a practical option, writes Velo3D CEO Benny Buller. "Advanced additive systems now conduct real-time, in-situ, process monitoring and control -- delivering critical quality and repeatability for novel designs that simply couldn't be achieved in the past," Buller writes.

A soft robotic hand dexterous enough to beat the first level of Super Mario Bros. was 3D printed in a few hours thanks to a single process that left no need for subsequent assembly. The hand's need for complex microfluidic circuits complicated the 3D printing process, but researchers with the University of Maryland overcame that obstacle with the use of a multimaterial printer that solidifies one layer before moving on to the next.

Duke University engineers have designed a special 3D printer that produces titanium scaffolding to allow bone to grow in patients who suffer breaks. The technology could one day be used in other types of reconstructive surgery, said professor Kenneth Gall.

Zaha Hadid Architects and The Block Research Group at ETH Zurich have built a 3D-printed concrete footbridge without reinforcements. Holcim's concrete ink for the arched footbridge was printed at specific angles to minimize waste.

Jean-Louis Constanza created an exoskeleton so that his son, who has a genetic neurological condition, could stand up and walk. Constanza is now selling the devices to hospitals around the world through a company he co-founded.

One difficult-yet-crucial leadership skill to learn is being able to let go and empower people in areas in which you are not an expert. Trying to do everything yourself can limit career progression.

From the successful Emerging Professionals program to project grants that fund research, ASTM International is connecting with the next generation of leaders in the field of standards.