May 24, 2006 —The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology Foundation (AIST Foundation) have announced the launch of the Steel Engineering Education Link (STEEL) Initiative to engineering students interested in a career in the steel industry.

The program's goals are to encourage more students to choose a career in the steel industry and to increase the number of professors knowledgeable about steel in North American universities.

“These new scholarships encompassing a number of engineering disciplines will aid deserving students in broadening their knowledge of the steel industry,” Andrew G. Sharkey III, AISI President and CEO said. “At least 10 more top-caliber students will win STEEL Scholarships in 2006.”

Each scholarship includes $5,000 for the scholar’s junior year, a paid summer internship with a North American steel company between their junior and senior years and $5,000 toward their senior year tuition.

The combination of a scholarship and summer internship is intended to provide incentive for students to become involved in the steel industry. As a result, students entering the program are ensured a two-year commitment, provided a satisfactory performance by the student both academically and in their internship.

“With the introduction of STEEL Initiative, engineering students across all disciplines will be exposed to the challenging career opportunities that exist in today’s steel industry,” said Ron Ashburn, Executive Director of AIST. “The program will complement our FeMET Initiative, which focuses solely on ferrous metallurgy and materials science majors.”

Instructions for applying are available on the AISI and AIST Foundation websites, www.steel.org and www.aist.org, respectively. The application deadline is June 9, 2006.

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) was formed on Jan. 1, 2004, by the merger of the Iron & Steel Society and the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. AIST is an international technical association representing more than 9,000 iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers and related academia. The association is dedicated to advancing the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel. The AIST Foundation seeks to attract young technology-oriented professionals to the industry by promoting the high-tech, diverse and well-paying natures of careers in modern steelmaking. For more information about AIST, visit www.aist.org.

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. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 33 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 118 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI's member companies represent more than 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more information, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org.