The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation’s “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today,” or FeMET Initiative, has awarded its first design grant.

A team of material science engineering students and their professor from The Ohio State University have been granted $30,000 to put toward their efforts in addressing an industry technological problem by working collaboratively to determine how the problem is best solved. Their proposal included anticipation of exposure to important problems in the steel industry, as well as learning various technical and economic aspects in creating a solution.

The winning proposal from Ohio State University will tackle the 2005-2006 design theme “Assessment of non-acid technologies for continuous coil scale removal, evaluation of the technical and economic (cost, productivity, quality) aspects of various alternatives, identification of promising candidate technologies, and preliminary design of a commercial process, with capital and operating cost estimates.”

“AISI is pleased to take part in awarding the grant to The Ohio State University and we look forward to seeing the progress the team and project makes in the coming year,” said Andrew G. Sharkey, president and CEO of AISI. “The Design Grant Program, a part of FeMET, will prepare metallurgy and material science students and professors with better knowledge and experience of the North American steel industry.”

“Not only will this segment of the FeMET Initiative bring a practical, working knowledge in ferrous metallurgy and materials science to these Ohio State individuals, but it will also bring insight into the steel industry on how to solve a technological problem facing many North American flat-roll producers,” Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director said.

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 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 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. For more information, view AISI’s website.