March 21, 2006 — The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation are calling for proposals from North American universities under FeMET’s Design Grant Program, seeking innovative designs and solutions to an industry-related theme. This is the second year of promoting interest in the steel industry to students studying metallurgy and materials science under the banner of their “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today,” or FeMET Initiative.

The Design Grant program will direct a team of students and professors to address an important industry issue or challenge by working collaboratively. Proposals must include the team’s approach/methodology, including a budget and schedule requirements. Proposals will be judged based on technical approach and relation to the theme, probability of success, potential benefits, and team qualifications. Projects may be awarded up to a $50,000 grant for their project.

The theme for 2006 is “Comparative Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Assessments of Steel Products.” This involves quantifying the energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions from raw material extraction through end-of-life, including steelmaking, the use phase and the recycling phase. The quantified energy requirements and emissions results for steel are then to be compared to those of other materials in the same market.

AISI and AIST Foundation launched the FeMET Initiative to encourage 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.

“Last year’s submissions to the Design Grant Program were excellent,” Andrew G. Sharkey, III, AISI President and CEO said, “and this year we hope for even greater response from North American universities.”

According to Ron Ashburn, AIST Foundation Executive Director, “This year’s theme will provide a comparative life cycle analysis to benchmark steel against wood, plastic and other consumer materials. This information will help us better understand what is required to build a sustainable steel industry from an environmental perspective.”

Applicants are directed to visit either www.steel.org, or www.aist.org for a complete set of application instructions. Completed proposals must be submitted electronically in pdf format by 5 p.m. EST on May 2, 2006. Winners will be announced July 31, 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 news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org.