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2010 FeMET Grants Awarded to North American Professors

10/14/2010 - The Association for Iron & Steel Technology Foundation and the American Iron and Steel Institute’s “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today,” or FeMET Initiative, has awarded its grants for the 2010–11 academic year.

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation and the American Iron and Steel Institute’s (AISI) “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today,” or FeMET Initiative, aimed at attracting top talent to the North American steel industry, has awarded its grants for the 2010–11 academic year.
 
“We are pleased to be awarding grants through this very worthwhile program geared toward showing the best and the brightest a window into a future in steel,” said Thomas J. Gibson, AISI President and CEO. “Clearly, FeMET is supporting this objective, which will help build a strong vision and secure future for the steel industry.”
 
“Now in its sixth year, the FeMET Curriculum Development Grants and Design Grants are working to ensure students attending universities in North America have access to technical information pertinent to and representative of today’s steel industry. With this initiative, the steel industry continues to make a sound investment in its future,” said Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director.
 
FeMET Curriculum Development — Six grants in the amount of $5,000 each were issued to professors of ferrous metallurgy or materials science. Of that total, three grants represent renewals from 2009, including:
 
  • Dr. Thomas J. Balk, University of Kentucky (Year 5 of 5)
 
  • Dr. Sivaraman Guruswamy, University of Utah (Year 4 of 5)
 
  • Dr. S. Komar Kawatra, Michigan Technological University (Year 2 of 5)
 
Three new grants were awarded to:
 
  • Dr. John A. Nychka, University of Alberta (Year 1 of 5)
 
  • Dr. Marian Kennedy, Clemson University (Year 1 of 5)
 
  • Dr. Randy J. Bowers, University of Windsor (Year 1 of 5)
 
Proposals are solicited from North American universities for funding of a curriculum development assistant to enhance or update industry curriculum in ferrous metallurgy programs. The program objective is to utilize students to assist in the editing and updating of textbooks and/or other course materials for use in ferrous metallurgy education, with an underlying objective to increase industry awareness within the academic community.
 
The proposals must indicate how the professor will approach the task, including budget and schedule requirements. University professors will be awarded $5,000 each to fund initiatives designed to enhance or update industry curriculum in ferrous metallurgy programs. The number of awards granted depends on fund availability; the maximum grant per award will be $5,000 per year for five years for a total of $25,000.
 
FeMET Design Grant — Dr. Patricia Morris and a team of materials science and engineering research students from The Ohio State University have been selected for their proposal, “Design of a Virtual Metal-Oxide Sensor Array Device for Off-Gas Detection and Monitoring in Iron and Steel Processing.” Their proposal was submitted in response to the 2010–11 design theme, “Improvements in off-gas control/sensors.” The Ohio State University was granted US $50,000.
 
The Design Grant program challenges North American university teams (students and professors) to submit proposals for grant funding in the theme area selected by the steel industry. The proposal should indicate how each team of professors and undergraduate students will approach the problem, including budget and schedule requirements.
 
The maximum allowable time for the project is one year beginning in the fall of 2010. The number of awards granted depends on fund availability; the maximum grant per award will be $50,000.
 
The AIST Foundation is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation organized for charitable, education, and scientific purposes that seeks to attract technology-oriented professionals to the steel industry by educating the public about the high-tech, diverse, and rewarding nature of careers in modern steelmaking. Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis to talented and dedicated students to encourage the pursuit of a career within iron and steel-related industries. Approximately $400,000 in scholarships and grants was awarded in 2010 through the AIST Foundation and its affiliated groups. The AIST Foundation is part of AIST, an international professional and technical association of more than 14,000 professional and student members.
 
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. The Institute also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. It comprises 23 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent more than 75% of both U.S. and North American steel capacity.