Irving Scher. Ph.D., P.E., principal biomechanical engineer at Guidance Engineering and Applied Research, Seattle, Wash., has been elected chairman of ASTM International Committee F27 on Snow Skiing.

Committee F27’s more than 120 members oversee ASTM standards development for sports equipment used for snow skiing and snowboarding to help reduce the potential risk of injury. F27 includes nine subcommittees that cover a variety of topics related to skiing and beyond, including binding devices, skis and boots, ski shop procedures, snowboarding and more.

A member of ASTM International since 1999, Scher also chairs Subcommittee F27.30 on Skis and Boots. He serves on Committees F08 on Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces and Facilities; F13 on Pedestrian/Walkway Safety and Footwear; and F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices in addition to F27.

Scher specializes in injury analysis and prevention in recreational sports and activities through biomechanical engineering. He has dedicated years of research to skiing and snowboarding safety and has conducted award-winning research in the areas of snow sport safety. Prior to joining Guidance in 2010, he was a senior managing engineer at Exponent in Bellevue, Wash., and an adjunct associate professor of clinical physical therapy in the Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. He currently serves as an affiliate scientist in the Applied Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Washington.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Scher received a master’s and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Alaska, California and Washington.

In addition to ASTM International, Scher is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and SAE International; a board member and U.S. national secretary for the International Society for Skiing Safety; and a U.S. delegate on the International Standards Organization Committee TC83/SC4 on Snowsports Equipment.

ASTM PR Contact: Erin Brennan, Phone: 610-832-960; ebrennan@astm.org

Release #9606