Steel Companies Attend AIST Funded Steel Day at Michigan Tech
10/18/2013 - Contrary to popular belief, the death of the steel industry has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, steel is booming, more than 200 Michigan Technological University students who gathered to talk with industry leaders learned at Michigan Tech’s first annual Steel Day, held earlier this week.
Representatives from Gerdau, Nucor, ArcelorMittal and Cliffs Natural Resources came to the campus in Houghton, on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to share their excitement about steel with Michigan Tech students.
“Safety is our number one value,” Dyas told the students. “Unlike earlier days, the steel industry is committed to safety and operating in a sustainable way,” he said.
The day started with a cookout with interactive displays for the students to visit in the Dow Building atrium. In the evening, a panel of industry experts answered questions and talked with students in the Memorial Union Building.
Michigan Tech’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise and the student professional society Materials United worked with the University’s Career Services to organize and publicize the event, which was funded by the Association of Iron and Steel Technology (AIST). The AIST Foundation provided a US$35,000 grant, which is renewable for an additional two years, to help Michigan Tech educate its students about careers in the steel industry.
“Steel Day was meant to engage all students who might be interested in pursuing a career in the industry,” said James Desrochers of Michigan Tech’s Career Services. “We consider this first year’s event a success and are already discussing plans for next year’s Steel Day.”
Michigan Technological University is a leading public research university in Houghton, on the shores of the Portage Waterway in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michigan Tech's mission is preparing students to create the future. The University's world-class faculty conducts research and develops new technologies to help build a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech’s five colleges and schools offer more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business and economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.
Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. It has more than 45,000 employees and industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of more than 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York and Madrid and has approximately 140,000 shareholders.
“We love Michigan Tech students,” said Derrick Dyas, a human resources representative from Gerdau’s North American special steel mill in Monroe, Mich. “They’re the hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of employees we want. They really hit the ground running.”
Some of the questions curious students asked included:
- How has the steel industry changed over the past 20 years?
- What kinds of jobs do engineers have in the steel industry?
- Do you hire co-ops or interns?
- What kind of safety programs do you have in your mills?
“Safety is our number one value,” Dyas told the students. “Unlike earlier days, the steel industry is committed to safety and operating in a sustainable way,” he said.
The day started with a cookout with interactive displays for the students to visit in the Dow Building atrium. In the evening, a panel of industry experts answered questions and talked with students in the Memorial Union Building.
Michigan Tech’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise and the student professional society Materials United worked with the University’s Career Services to organize and publicize the event, which was funded by the Association of Iron and Steel Technology (AIST). The AIST Foundation provided a US$35,000 grant, which is renewable for an additional two years, to help Michigan Tech educate its students about careers in the steel industry.
Michigan Technological University is a leading public research university in Houghton, on the shores of the Portage Waterway in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michigan Tech's mission is preparing students to create the future. The University's world-class faculty conducts research and develops new technologies to help build a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech’s five colleges and schools offer more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business and economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.
Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. It has more than 45,000 employees and industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of more than 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York and Madrid and has approximately 140,000 shareholders.
