June 8, 2006 — The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron & Steel Technology Foundation’s “Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today,” or FeMET Initiative, which is aimed at attracting top scholastic talent to the North American steel industry, is calling for proposals for its curriculum design grants for the 2006-2007 school year.

Proposals are solicited from professors of ferrous metallurgy or materials science at North American universities for funding of a curriculum development assistant to enhance or update industry curricula 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 must indicate how the professor will approach the task, including budget and schedule requirements. Up to five university professors will be awarded $5,000 each to fund initiatives designed to enhance or update industry curriculum in ferrous metallurgy programs.

The maximum allowable time for a curriculum development grant is five years beginning in the fall of 2006. The number of awards granted will depend on fund availability; the maximum grant per award will be $5,000 per year for five years for a total of $25,000.

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Direct benefits to the iron and steel industry and the ferrous metallurgy/materials science programs in North America.
• The plan’s potential to increase the number of students studying metallurgy and materials science in North America.
• The expertise and capabilities of the Professor to fulfill the program objective.

Completed proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF form to lwharrey@aist.org by August 15, 2006. Awardees for the 2006-2007 academic year will be announced September 30, 2006. Questions about the curriculum development program and/or proposal process should be directed to Lori Wharrey by email (lwharrey@aist.org) or by phone (724-776-6040, ext. 621).

According to Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director, “The continuation of this segment of the FeMET Initiative will enable the teaching of relevant steel-related curricula at the university level with respect to production processes, grade properties and applications. Both print and web-based programs are targeted for curriculum development.”

“To build a sustainable future, we must ensure the latest technology is made available at the University level to the next generation of industry engineers. These grants continue the momentum of the FeMET Initiative as we now enter the second year of our five-year plan toward improving curriculum development for an industry offering significant opportunity for technical employment,” said Andrew G. Sharkey III, President and CEO of AISI.

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 with more than 10,900 members 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 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.