Ideas that Matter | 2009 Call for Entries

- 2006 Grant Recipient
- Design firm
  Amy Wang
- Non-profit organization
  U.S. Metric Association
- Grant awarded
  $27,570

The U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc., advocates U.S. conversion to the International System of Units, also called the modern metric system. The process of changing measurement units to the metric system is called metric transition or metrication.

The United States is one of three nations today still not committed to metric conversion, keeping company with liberia and Myanmar. Using a measurement system other than the international standard has caused inefficiencies in education and manufacturing, and put US business and labour at a competitive disadvantage in the global market.

The USMA qualifies Certified Metrication Specialists, encourages the public to enrol as members and as spokespeople for metrication, withthe ultimate goal of converting the United States to the metric system.

Using outdoor advertising, such as bus shelters, phone booth posters, wrapped buses, painted trucks, electronic taxi billboards, as well as indoor media, Amy’s campaign injects cheeky humor into a subject that is generally quite dry.