Ethan J. Klafehn – 2020 Steel Intern Scholar
This summer, I had the opportunity to work for Steel Dynamics Inc. at their Structural and Rail Division in Columbia City, Ind., USA. Although the length of my internship was cut short due to COVID-19, SDI was still willing to bring me on site for part of the summer as a research and development intern. I got to perform a steel hot rolling study on a new grade of rail steel that is currently in development here, as well as helping with other types of testing, such as K1C fracture toughness testing and optical microscopy. I have been able to do all of this on top of the line testing equipment while performing tests that I haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to yet through my schooling. I have also gotten to work directly with the R&D metallurgist and have been able to sit in on various meetings to see how issues in the mill are handled.
This summer was another great experience given to me by SDI. Last summer I worked at Steel Dynamics Roanoke Bar division in Va., USA, as a melt shop intern. I had a great experience there, and Steel Dynamics allowed me to come to Indiana this summer and experience a new type of metallurgy internship in order to help me to better decide what path I would like to take for my career as a metallurgist after graduation.
Thanks to SDI and AIST, I have been able to experience the development and production steps of the steel making process first-hand, as well as being a part of a company that is definitely worth working for.