ASNT – An International Society
by 2011-2012 ASNT President Bob Potter*
A CHALLENGE FOR ASNT is continuing the role as a nondestructive testing (NDT) leader on the international stage. It is incredible how much our world has changed since the first ASNT meeting 70 years ago. We are truly living a time of exponential growth, particularly with respect to technology. I have taken a few of the quotes from the online video, Did You Know? 3.0, produced by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman, that I would like to share:
- The amount of new technical information is doubling every two years. For students starting a four-year technical degree this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.
- We are currently preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.
Hopefully we will understand the impact of these ideas as we plan for the future.
"The membership and efforts to promote NDT by ASNT sections are fundamental"
The role of ASNT on the international stage has many considerations and the first is membership. As our world shrinks, our membership becomes more diverse. In the past five years, international membership has grown to 40% of our total membership. Our international presence is also evidenced by the number of chartered sections. Over the past two years, we have chartered two new international sections, bringing the total to 16. The membership and efforts to promote NDT by ASNT sections are fundamental and it is important to the future of not only ASNT, but NDT as a whole.
ASNT has 46 NDT sister societies. We support the international conferences of these societies with promotional recognition, by providing technical speakers and through our membership on technical councils. An all-important role that ASNT has embraced is the involvement with international NDT societies and organizations. Our involvement supports our mission, hoping to have a positive impact on the NDT profession, and provides us the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual concern. We want to make sure that the decisions made are in the best interest of ASNT members, ASNT sister societies and our mission.
The certification schemes offered by ASNT have been driven by industry and regulatory demand. Since 1966, Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A has been one of the more widely used NDT programs in the world. Each revision of SNT-TC-1A reflects the dynamics of the NDT profession, emerging technologies, and the social and political concerns of the industries that it serves.
ASNT’s certification programs continue to serve the needs of both our domestic and international members. Certifications examinations are developed by subject matter experts; the questions are psychometrically validated and continually developed to address the latest in test methodologies.
One of the premier certifications offered by ASNT is ACCP Professional Level III certification. As a Society, our international membership now holds a majority of the ACCP Level III certificates, with approximately 3200 certificates versus 2600 in the U.S. In 2011, three times more ACCP Level III examinations were administered internationally than domestically.
In line with the mission of the Society, conferences continue to be one of the most prestigious member benefits. The opportunity for networking, attending workshops, courses, technical presentations and of course the vendor show provides all members access to the latest information. As part of the new website access being developed, there is consideration for webcasts of conference events for the ASNT members. We view this as a positive benefit to our members who can’t attend conferences due to geography restrictions.
* E-mail: bpotter@metalfinishingco.com
Copyright © 2012 by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. ASNT is not responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of information herein. Published opinions and statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ASNT. Products or services that are advertised or mentioned do not carry the endorsement or recommendation of ASNT.IRRSP, NDT Handbook, The NDT Technician and www.asnt.org are trademarks of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. ACCP, ASNT, Level III Study Guide, Materials Evaluation, Nondestructive Testing Handbook, Research in Nondestructive Evaluation and RNDE are registered trademarks of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. ASNT exists to create a safer world by promoting the profession and technologies of nondestructive testing.