Mark Vender
Standards Australia has announced the 2018-19 participants in its NEXTgen (Young Leaders) program. The program takes emerging industry and technical experts and involves them in the national and international standardisation processes.
“The goal of the program is to support the future of standards development through investing in the next generation of standards leaders and experts,” says Standards Australia. “Participants gain the necessary skills to further increase their involvement in standardisation and contribute to the development of important standards in their field.”
Two HVAC&R specialists have been selected for this year’s program: Robert Simic (Engineering Commissioning Services) and Abraham Corona (TechIn). Both are members of AIRAH.
Robert says he joined the program with the aim of contributing to the industry and making a lasting positive change within the built environment.
“I firmly believe that the primary vehicle for industry-wide change and improvement is through the update of existing and introduction of new standards that are subsequently adopted/mandated within industry,” he says.
Simic says he hopes to gain a greater understanding of the standards development process, and would particularly like to be involved in developing the recently approved project to create a Building Commissioning Technical Specification.
Corona is the president of AIRAH’s special technical group on Infection Control and Operating Theatre Practices and is eager to advance some of the work in this specific area.
“My main drive to get involved with the program originated from the professional passion I have gained over the past five years working as a social architect with the HVAC and healthcare industries,” he says, ” and creating the spaces to establish a discussion between both sectors looking to remove boundaries and develop together a national standard/guideline that addresses the infection control issue regarding operating theatre HVAC design, construction, commissioning and service.”
Although Corona says he will endeavour to get involved with as many HVAC standards processes as possible, he is especially interested in working with the committee on AS 1668.2 (Part 2) – The use of ventilation and airconditioning in buildings.
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