Jamie Schaefer-Wilson, a safety consultant,  and Joan Muratore, an engineer who specializes in testing children's products, were awarded second place in the 2007 ASTM International Advantage Award paper competition. The contest called for original case studies that demonstrated the impact and benefits of the use of ASTM standards.

Schaefer-Wilson's and Muratore's winning paper, "The Effectiveness of the ASTM International Standard for Infant Walkers in Reducing Injuries and Fatalities," described how the work of ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the standard for infant walkers resulted in a significant decrease in the number of deaths and injuries associated with these products. 

Schaefer-Wilson joined ASTM International in 2006 and is a member of many juvenile products subcommittees within Committee F15.  She works with the nonprofit KIDS AND CARS and Consumers Union, and is a certified passenger safety technician.  She is the author of The Baby Rules: The Insiders Guide to Raising Your Parents, and has been featured in newspapers and magazines including American Baby, Pregnancy, Consumer Digest, Woman's World, Working Mother and Parent Guide.  

A graduate of Manhattan College, Riverdale, N.Y., with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Muratore began her career with Consumers Union in 1987.  Over the years, she has worked on testing various types of consumer products, concentrating on personal care and baby and child products.  An ASTM International member since 2005, Muratore serves on several juvenile products subcommittees within Committee F15.  In addition to ASTM, she is also a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. 

"The Effectiveness of the ASTM International Standard for Infant Walkers in Reducing Injuries and Fatalities" can be found on the Web at http://www.astm.org/SNEWS/NOVEMBER_2007/schmur_nov07.html.

Release #7381