ASTM International Launches New Student Chapter

ASTM International has established a new ASTM student chapter at Central Philippine University, residing in the school’s Packaging Engineering program.

Coursework for students in the program includes ASTM’s various packaging (D10) and primary barrier packaging (F02) standards.

Located in Iloilo City, Philippines, CPU was founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1905. Part of its College of Engineering, ASTM’s program at CPU will be overseen by engineers Bernie Cangrejo and Danielle Sentillanosa, who will serve as program head and faculty advisor, respectively.

"As the pioneering packaging engineering program in Southeast Asia, the establishment of the ASTM Student Chapter at CPU fosters our vision to be a globally recognized institution of premier packaging education for producing quality packaging engineers committed to serving the country and the world,” said Cangrejo. “The connections and opportunities that it will bring means capacity building for our faculty and helping our students to prepare for their future."

ASTM’s packaging committee (D10) is the lead sponsor for the chapter, working closely with the primary barrier packing committee (F02). Taken together, these committees have developed over 150 packaging standards and have over 600 members. In the coming years, they plan to build more opportunities for students beyond this new chapter.

“I firmly believe that what makes ASTM so successful is our ability to attract and engage with a diverse array of global technical experts who help drive standards development forward. And ASTM’s ability to advance standards and transform markets relies on an influx of technical experts to our open and transparent process," Andy Kireta, ASTM’s new president, said at the chapter launch.

ASTM launched its student chapter program in 2020. CPU now joins student chapters formed at Florida International University; the University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru; the University of Central Lancashire in the UK; and the Florida Institute of Technology.

There are more than 12,000 ASTM standards that operate globally.