Jonathan T. Barkl - 2017 Steel Intern Scholar
Interning for Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) at its Roanoke Bar Division has been an incredible experience for me. From working with the operators and helpers in the meltshop to running testing equipment in the lab, I’ve gotten a good exposure to steelmaking. The time spent in the lab really reinforced things I’ve learned in school, as far as the process and all the testing of the steel before sending it off. I got some good experience on the spectrometer and tensile tester and had the opportunity to handle customer claims and routine testing.
Working in the meltshop gave me an experience I couldn’t get in school. My main project with running EAF burner trials had a lot of challenges to work through. Making even small changes to the way the burners in the furnace run made huge differences in the usability and efficiency of the furnace. Solutions I thought would work ended up making it harder for the operators to do their jobs and be efficient. This proves the importance of working with people. One of the most important resources available is the input of the people in the shop.This scholarship makes it easier to do well in school and focus without worrying about student loan debt. Overall, the internship and scholarship were invaluable to me and the experience in Roanoke as a whole was exceptional. I want to thank everyone at SDI and AIST for giving me an amazing first experience in the steel industry.