I often report on the latest standards being released by the SAE, IEEE, ASTM, and other engineering societies. In this issue, for example, you'll find an article that will help you choose and use sensors that conform to IEEE P1451.4.

These standards are a great aid to test engineers, but they don't appear out of thin air. They're the result of a lot of hard work by engineers like you and me. Standards committees consist largely of engineers working for instrumentation companies, but there's a place at the table for users, too. I'd say that the most successful standards committees are those who make a real effort to include users.

That being the case, I encourage you to take part in one or more standards committees. Find a standard that you use regularly or that you have a particular interest in and volunteer to help out. The Web site of the society that publishes the standard should provide the contact information you need.

Participating on a standards committee will be both challenging and rewarding. The biggest challenge might be convincing your employer to let you participate and foot at least part of your travel bill.

The rewards are worth the effort, though. You'll enhance your professional image, and even better, you'll feel good about giving something back to the industry and making life easier for other test engineers.

Contact Dan Romanchik at dan@danromanchik.com .