FeMET Initiative Awards Design and Curriculum Grants
08/27/2008 - The American Iron and Steel Institute and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation’s FeMET Initiative awards its design and curriculum development grants for the academic year 2008-2009.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation’s FeMET Initiative has awarded its design and curriculum development grants for the academic year 2008-2009. The FeMET Initiative—which stands for “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today”—aims to attract top talent to the North American steel industry.
A team of metallurgical and mechanical engineering students and their professor from Colorado School of Mines have been selected for this year’s FeMET Design Grant. The awardees were selected for their proposal titled “Weldability, Processing, Microstructure and Fracture Toughness Relationships in Advanced High Strength Steel”. Their proposal was submitted in response to the 2008-2009 design theme “Technologies for Welding of New Generation Steels.”
The FeMET Initiative’s 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 is to indicate how each team of professors and undergraduate students would approach the problem, including budget and schedule requirements. The maximum allowable time for the project is one year beginning in the fall of 2008. The number of awards granted depends on the funds availability; the maximum grant per award will be $50,000.
“Weldability is one of the most important characteristics of new steels that are being developed” said Andrew G. Sharkey, President and CEO of AISI. “Focusing on such vital issues with metallurgy and material science students and professors is a great way of collaborating between academia and the steel industry to advance steel’s properties.”
Seven FeMET Curriculum Development Grants in the amount $5,000 each were issued to professors of ferrous metallurgy or materials science. Of that total, six grants represent renewals from 2007 including:
- Dr. Robert H. Wagoner, The Ohio State University (Year 4 of 5)
- Dr. Harvey Abramowitz, Purdue University Calumet (Year 4 of 5)
- Dr. David P. Field, Washington State University (Year 4 of 5)
- Dr. Thomas J. Balk, University of Kentucky (Year 3 of 5)
- Dr. Sivaraman Guruswamy, University of Utah (Year 2 of 5)
- Dr. Thomas E. Graedel, Yale University (Year 2 of 5)
One new grant was awarded to:
- Dr. Alan P. Druschitz, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Year 1 of 2)
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. Proposals are to indicate how the professor would approach the task, including budget and schedule requirements. The number of grants depends on fund availability; the maximum grant award will be $5,000 per year for five years for a total of $25,000.
“A record number of proposals were submitted for the FeMET Curriculum Development Grant this year,” said Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director. He added, “Ferrous metallurgy curriculum and steel industry awareness at the academic level are improving as a result of this program. We have good traction now, and look forward to expanding the program to involve more universities.”
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 comprises 27 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 approximately 75% of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org.
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 $403,000 will be awarded in 2008 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. As the industry evolves, the AIST Foundation will strive to develop new and innovative programs to support the future of the iron and steel technology. For more information about AIST, visit www.aist.org.
