The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation (AIST Foundation) have teamed up to create the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today (FeMET) Initiative. The initiative has three goals: to compel more students to choose metallurgy or materials science as their field of study; to recruit more of such graduates into the steel industry; and to increase the number of professors knowledgeable in steel in North American universities.

“The four-point program, set to launch on March 4 and be effective in the fall, 2005 demonstrates the steel industry’s innovativeness and aggressiveness,” Andrew G. Sharkey III, AISI President and CEO said. “It provides the industry with not only talented new people, but a competitive edge.”

“The steel industry needs to cultivate the next generation of skilled metallurgists who will create the innovative products that will strengthen steel’s position as the material of choice for thousands of industrial and consumer applications,” said AIST Executive Director Ron Ashburn. “This program brings us one step closer to that goal.”

The program’s comprehensive strategy includes a scholarship and summer internship program for college juniors and seniors, a design grant program, a curriculum development program and a steel industry-university advisory roundtable.

Ten recipients of the scholarship and summer internship program will be awarded $5,000 their 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 scholarships and summer internships are intended to provide incentive for students to become involved in the steel industry. Students entering the program are ensured a two-year commitment by the program, provided the student performs satisfactorily in both their academic studies and their internship.

The Design Grant portion of the program will direct a team of students and professors to address an industry problem or challenge by working collaboratively to determine the best solutions. Design Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.

The Curriculum Development program, an important element in the FeMET Initiative, will develop steel-centric course materials and themes to deepen students’ exposure to ferrous metallurgy and to the steel industry as it functions today.

In order for the program to work successfully, a ‘Steel-University Advisory Roundtable’ made up of universities and steel companies in North America, as well as representatives from AISI and the AIST Foundation, will be formed. This group will help to ensure a close working relationship between its members on critical issues within the FeMET Initiative, including relevant curriculum, recruiting and student placement.

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) is an international technical association representing iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers and related academia. Dedicated to advancing the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel, the association was formed on Jan. 1, 2004, by the merger of the Iron & Steel Society and the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. 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.

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 development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 32 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 approximately 75% of both U.S. and North American steel capacity.