W. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA -- ASTM International has launched its 2011 academic outreach campaign titled "Jumpstart Your Career." The initiative provides new opportunities for students to increase their knowledge of standards and develop critical technical skills prior to entering the workforce.

ASTM International student membership is an integral part of this year's academic campaign. First launched in 2003, the ASTM student membership category has grown to include over 5,000 college and university students from more than 70 countries around the world. ASTM student membership is offered at no cost to full-time graduate or undergraduate students and includes a wide range of benefits that facilitate student exposure to the field of standards. Further information is available at www.astm.org/campus.  

Highlighting the ASTM “Jumpstart Your Career” initiative will be: the ASTM International Student Video Contest, in which students can produce a video illustrating the application of an ASTM standard and compete for cash awards; project grants to help fund graduate or senior student design projects that contain an ASTM International standards component; podcast interviews with students discussing the benefits of their involvement with ASTM standards; an ASTM International summer internship opportunity through the 2011 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) program; and ongoing college and university campus visits and training sessions by ASTM members and staff.