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NIST Names Two Additional Experts to National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee

Two additional building and fire experts have been appointed by Arden Bement Jr., director of the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to serve on the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee. The 10-member committee will advise the NIST director on carrying out investigations of building failures conducted under the authorities of the NCST Act that became law in October 2002. That includes advice on the composition and function of investigation teams and other responsibilities under the Act.

The two newest committee members are David S. Collins, president, The Preview Group Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Charles Thornton, chairman and principal, Thornton-Tomasetti Inc., New York, N.Y.

Members were selected based on their technical expertise and experience, established records of distinguished professional service, and their knowledge of issues affecting teams established under the NCST Act.

The NCST Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on April 29, 2003, at NIST in Gaithersburg, Md.

Another eight members were appointed by NIST Director Bement in March. They are:

  • John M. Barsom, president, Barsom Consulting, Ltd., Pittsburgh, Pa.;
  • John L. Bryan, University of Maryland, professor emeritus, and consultant, fire protection and life safety, Frederick, Md.;
  • Glenn P. Corbett, professor, public management-fire science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, N.Y.;
  • Philip J. DiNenno, president, Hughes Associates, Inc., Baltimore, Md.;
  • Paul M. Fitzgerald, formerly with FM Global, Johnston, R.I., Holliston, Mass.;
  • Robert D. Hanson, University of Michigan, professor emeritus, Walnut Creek, Calif.;
  • Kathleen J. Tierney, professor, department of sociology and criminal justice, and director, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.; and
  • Forman A. Williams, professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and director, Center for Energy Research, University of California at San Diego.

More information about the NCST may be found online. Learn more about NIST's more than 30 years of experience investigating building fire and structural failures.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurement, standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade and improve the quality of life.

Released April 28, 2003, Updated January 13, 2023