It’s King Cake season and the perfect time to try your hand at making one of your own. @LSUDining’s full recipe@LSUhttps://t.co/mKFYRbnpfC pic.twitter.com/k2fd7rHJTw
— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) January 8, 2022
It’s King Cake season and the perfect time to try your hand at making one of your own. @LSUDining’s full recipe@LSUhttps://t.co/mKFYRbnpfC pic.twitter.com/k2fd7rHJTw
— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) January 8, 2022
In most jurisdictions the standard of care for operation and maintenance of education facilities is discovered and promulgated by a “fabric” of consensus products developed by a kind of “shadow government” created by a network of non-profit publishers; among them the International Code Council. The ICC has one of the most dynamic catalogs in the construction industry and today we drill into the the International Property Maintenance Code which completed another revision cycle in 2021. Operation and maintenance of education facilities is the (much larger) part of #TotalCostofOwnership of the real assets of a school district, college or university. Public access to most recent revision to the IPMC is linked below:
2021 International Property Maintenance Code
The transcript of public comment on the 2021 revision provides insight into the back-and-forth among the technical committee experts:
2021 IPMC Group A Public Comment Agenda
Note the concern for swimming pools, radon, light, ventilation and occupancy limits.
The ICC Group A tranche of titles will undergo another cyclic revision starting in 2023. Since so much of the ICC catalog underlies occupancy safety for education, healthcare and nearly all other aspects of the built environment we track the action on a near-daily basis. You may join any of our daily colloquia, shown on our CALENDAR, or interact directly with the ICC with the link below:
2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
The ICC catalog is regarded as the most authoritative for education facility management. We maintain the IPMC on the standing agenda of our Hammurabi and Interiors colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the next colloquium; open to everyone.
Issue: [Various]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben, Jerry Schulte
More
“I am not an Athenian or a Greek,
but a citizen of the world.”
— (Plato quoting Socrates, Phaedo 64a)
ISCED 2011 is an updated version of the previous classification, ISCED 1997, and provides a framework for organizing education programs according to their level of complexity and content. The classification is designed to facilitate the comparison of education systems across countries and regions, and to improve the collection, reporting, and analysis of education statistics.
ISCED 2011 introduces several changes and updates, such as the introduction of a new level of education called “early childhood education,” the expansion of the tertiary education level to include short-cycle tertiary education, and the inclusion of a separate category for vocational education at the secondary level. The classification also includes detailed descriptions of the content and characteristics of each education level, as well as guidelines for classifying educational programs that do not fit neatly into the existing categories.
ISCED 2011 is widely used by national and international organizations, including UNESCO, to collect and report education data, and it provides a common language for discussing education across borders.
NFPA 1078 Standard for Electrical Inspector Professional Qualifications identifies the minimum job performance requirements for electrical inspectors. Qualifications for electrical inspectors are heavily regulated by state public safety agencies. Many, if not most electrical inspectors are former electricians. This means that part of their career has been spent working as an Labor/Installer/Maintenance stakeholder, and another part of their career has been spend as an Enforcement stakeholder. (See NFPA Classification of Committee Members). This can be a sensitive condition in large research universities that have a resident full-time enforcement staff ; the subject of a separate post.
Free access to the current 2024 edition is linked below:
The 2028 revision is now open for public input. It is always enlightening to follow the transcripts of the previous revision cycles to see what ideas have been in play.
Electrical Inspection Practices (EEP-AAA)
Professional Qualifications (PQU-AAC)
Public input on the 2028 revision will be received until June 4, 2025
We have found that passions are elevated among stakeholders whenever compliance and conformance revenue is involved — i.e. in any consensus product that covers labor (i.e. billable hours).
We include this standard on the standing agenda of our monthly Human Resource, Power and Infotech teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.







Accreditation and certification are relatively modern concepts that have evolved over time as formalized methods of establishing and maintaining standards in various fields. The concept of accreditation or certification, as it is understood today, may not have existed in the same form in the distant past. However, there were likely individuals or groups who played roles similar to that of accreditation or certification specialists in history, although the formalized systems of accreditation or certification that exist today were not present.
For example, in ancient times, there were guilds and associations in various professions that set standards for their members, oversaw training and apprenticeship programs, and ensured the quality of their work. These guilds and associations, which existed in various civilizations such as ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, could be seen as early forms of accreditation or certification bodies.
Similarly, in religious contexts, there were individuals who held authority to certify or accredit others. For instance, in medieval Europe, there were religious orders, such as the Knights Templar, who were known for their specialized skills and were often called upon to certify the expertise of others in their areas of knowledge, such as architecture or finance.
In the field of education, ancient universities and centers of learning, such as the ancient Indian Nalanda University or the Islamic madrasas, could also be seen as early forms of accreditation or certification bodies, where scholars were recognized and certified based on their knowledge and expertise.
However, it’s important to note that the formalized systems of accreditation or certification that we are familiar with today, with standardized processes, documentation, and oversight, have developed over time and are relatively modern phenomena. The history of accreditation or certification is complex and multifaceted, with various practices and traditions that have evolved and influenced the modern systems we have today.
The pandemic provides background for the importance of ventilation systems in healthcare settings and reminder that there is plenty of work to do. The scope of ASHRAE 189.3 – Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable High Performance Health Care Facilities — lies in this domain:
Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to prescribe the procedures, methods and documentation requirements for the design, construction and operation of high-performance sustainable health care facilities.
Scope.This standard applies to patient care areas and related support areas within health care facilities, including hospitals, nursing facilities, outpatient facilities, and their site. It applies to new buildings, additions to existing buildings, and those alterations to existing buildings that are identified within the standard. It provides procedures for the integration of sustainable principles into the health care facility design, construction and operation process including:
Noteworthy: Related title ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities
Public consultation on Addendum m regarding definition of “room units” and the heating and cooling of such units closes January 27th
Public consultation on Standard 189.3-2021, Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable High-Performance Health Care Facilities closes November 11.
We maintain this title on the standing agenda of our periodic Health, Energy and Mechanical colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the online meeting; open to everyone.
October 9 Update
As of the date of this post, two redlines have been released for public consultation
Proposed Addendum L to Standard 170-2021, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities
Proposed Addendum i to Standard 170-2021, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities
The consultation closes October 29th.
Other redlines are released and posted at the link below:
Public Review Draft Standards / Online Comment Database
Because this title is administered on ASHRAE’s continuous maintenance platform, public consultations run 30 to 45 days. You may also submit an original idea to the ASHRAE standards development enterprise. CLICK HERE to get started.
We maintain this title on the standing agenda of our periodic Health, Energy and Mechanical colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the online meeting; open to everyone.
Issue: [Various]
Category: Mechanical, Electrical, Energy, Facility Asset Management
Colleagues: David Conrad, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel
La zona deportiva de la Universidad, que hoy protagoniza #historiaunav, es contigua a @etsaunav, bordea el río y la carretera de Esquiroz y se apoya en una ladera empinada que cierra el valle. pic.twitter.com/F6kjnLUf8J
— Universidad de Navarra (@unav) January 22, 2024
Estudiantes de @tecnun y @MedUNAV desarrollan un simulador de electromiografía.
La práctica se ha enmarcado en el curso BioDesign, organizado por la Escuela de Ingeniería y el Laboratorio de Ingeniería Biomédica.
👉 https://t.co/8RzNLrU5Ky pic.twitter.com/bdcdH9E0ln— Universidad de Navarra (@unav) February 1, 2024
“I have no special talent.
I am only passionately curious”
— Albert Einstein
Standards are the seed corn for compliance revenue; hence the hegemony of conformance and enforcement enterprises that dominate the global standards system.
Accreditation is a relatively recent breakout topic so we approach it gently; respectful of the business models of the hundreds of education community charitable associations involved in the safety and sustainability of the physical spaces of education communities.
Accreditation 100 tracks facility management credentialing:
Ferris State University | Certificate Program in Facility Management
University of San Diego | Facilities Management Program
Arizona State University | Facility Management Certificate Program
Later in 2024 we will sort through other issues in the credentialing domain:
Accreditation 200: Recent innovations in credentialing
Q. There are about 150 hospitals in the USA with the word “university” in their name. Are they tax-exempt? Should they be? A. Whether a hospital with “university” in its name is tax-exempt depends on various factors, including its ownership, structure, and purpose. Non-profit hospitals, including those affiliated with universities, may qualify for tax-exempt status under certain conditions. However, the mere presence of “university” in the name does not automatically confer tax-exempt status. Tax-exempt status, the hospital’s activities, such as providing charity care, medical education, and research, are typically considered.
Accreditation 300: Requirements for baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees
Accreditation 400: Advanced Topics
Open to everyone. Use the login credentials at the top of our home page.
Breaking: Florida lawmakers approve a certification for classical educators
Florida just keeps winning. https://t.co/C0zpDHUedv
— Jeremy Wayne Tate (@JeremyTate41) March 13, 2024
Readings:
Two Yale University seniors have created a product they believe will cure what ails their peers — and many others: hangovers.
Margaret Morse and Liam McClintock wanted a supplement that would allow them to have fun on a night out, but would not impede on being able to work the next morning.
What causes hangovers to begin with? Morse, a molecular cellular and developmental biology major, told local news outlet WTNH, “There’s an acetaldehyde build up. There is a vitamin and electrolyte loss. There is a glutamine rebound and there are immunological disturbances.”
Their proposed solution is SunUp, a powdered citrus-flavored supplement filled with vitamins and nutrients.
“This is a powder that you take before you start drinking and it helps your liver deal with the stress you’re putting it under when you drink,” McClintock told WTNH. According to the New Haven Register, one would drink SunUp in a glass of water around an hour before they start drinking. While one might believe dehydration is the cause of hangovers, SunUp’s website explains that it is actually a symptom. “These two phenomena are concurrent because of the diuretic effects of alcohol, but dehydration does not cause the actual hangover feeling,” says the site’s FAQ. SunUp instead focuses on combating four root causes of a hangover: acetaldehyde building, vitamin and electrolyte loss, glutamine rebound and immunological disturbances.
“It’s intended for productive workers,” McClintock told WTNH. “Like ourselves who like to have a social life, like to go out and have a couple of drinks but also need to be productive the next day and get up and have work to do.”
Morse and McClintock have received positive feedback from fellow students and the Yale community. They’ve brought it to a pharmaceutical company, and it could be available in April. SunUp will retail for $5; if you want to pre-order, you can purchase through the company’s Indiegogo page.
Join us for our in-person event hosted by the Silicon Valley Chapter, #IP year-in-review on 1/18, 2023, from 4 – 5:30 PM ET in which leading experts will review key IP-related developments during the 2022 calendar year. Reserve your spot now: https://t.co/yVZSv28hb6. pic.twitter.com/nVEG2H5Pn4
— LES (U.S.A. and Canada) (@LESUSACanada) December 28, 2022
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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