September 24th, 2018
by Tara Lukasik

Last year, Professor Cary Coglianese at the University of Pennsylvania Law School (commonly known as Penn Law) contacted International Code Council Government Relations Senior Vice President Sara Yerkes for her involvement in a very important initiative. She was interviewed for a series of short, informative videos on voluntary codes and standards for the Penn Program on Regulation, a pilot course for law students.

The videos were developed by the Penn Program on Regulation, using federal funds under grants 70NANB15H343 and 70NANB15H344 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce. The Penn Program on Regulation offers resources for faculty to integrate attention to technical codes and standards into the curriculum of core and elective courses in law school or public policy graduate programs. Course modules and multi-media case studies use examples from the world of voluntary codes and standards to teach broader legal concepts.

The case studies feature real-life narratives and video interviews with key participants and experts designed to engage students and stimulate lively discussion. The materials are intended to be integrated into existing law school courses with the aid of teaching materials that can be used by instructors without any prior background in working with voluntary codes and standards.

Below are the segments from the Voluntary Codes and Standards Project video series interviews with Yerkes where she clearly explains key concepts and issues about codes, standards and the process in the United States for development and use of those codes and standards to educate law students.

 

What is the International Code Council?

What role do private-sector organizations play in the development of ICC codes?

How does the ICC interact with other standards developers and regulators?

What is the difference between a code and a standard?

Why should the public care about codes and standards?

How should the public be able to access private codes that have been incorporated into regulations?

Why should law students know about voluntary codes and standards?

 

Click here to view all the videos.

About the Author
Tara Lukasik
Tara Lukasik is an editor for the International Code Council, working out of its Western Regional Office in Southern California. Starting with the International Conference of Building Officials as the managing editor of its Building Standards Magazine, she has more than 25 years of experience in writing and editing feature content and advancing digital newsletters and magazines from conception to completion. She is currently putting her experience to good use managing the Code Council's Building Safety Journal and its BSJ Weekly newsletter, which connects construction professionals with the Code Council community and the latest industry news and resources. A California native, she enjoys volunteering in her local community and exploring the Golden State with her husband and three spoiled dachshunds. Follow her on Twitter @ICCTLukasik and Linkedin at linkedin.com/in/taralukasik.