Dr. Jess Waller, materials scientist at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, with GeoControl Systems, Inc., received the 2015 Robert J. Painter Memorial Award for Meritorious Service from ASTM International and the Society for Standards Professionals for his significant contributions to standards. Waller, part of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s (OSMA) Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) program, was chosen for this award out of ASTM’s approximately 32,000 members.

The award makes particular note of Waller’s invaluable work with the ASTM subcommittee E07.10 Task Group on Nondestructive Testing of Aerospace Materials, which he chairs.

“It’s very gratifying, we have a great team,” said Waller.

ASTM announced Waller as the recipient during a meeting in June, and ASTM President Katharine Morgan officially pronounced him as this year’s winner in August.

Waller’s work with committee E07 has contributed to the development of eight standards on the NDE of composites. He also supports four other ASTM committees, which has resulted in three other standards. Waller has been active in ASTM since 1997, and also authored various ASTM Special Technical Publication papers.

“We are now working on a Standard Guide for NDE of metallic parts made by Additive Manufacturing, so we’re branching out into areas with a different materials focus,” said Waller.

Waller noted that he is not actually NASA’s — or White Sands’ — first recipient of this award: White Sands’ Joel Stoltzfus won it in 1998 for his work on fire hazards and oxygen systems.

“So we had that pedigree, that experience of NASA receiving that award in oxygen compatibility, and this is an acknowledgement of NASA’s support of work in NDE,” said Waller. “It’s great kudos for White Sands.”