Molly Wardlow - 2018 Steel Intern Scholar
Over the summer of 2018, I worked for Steel Dynamics Inc. at their flat roll division in Columbus, Miss. It was my second time working at this particular mill and I was excited to see what projects they had for me. I worked on a project to prove that reducing aluminum in high-strength, low-alloy steel below what is required by ASTM A6, in order to avoid prior austenite grain size measurement does not change the mechanical properties of the steel. I also worked with several other interns and metallurgists at the plant on a titanium automotive grade in an attempt to solve the separation issue a stamping facility was seeing.
I worked closely with the IT intern as he developed a model that connected more than 60 variables including process parameters and chemistry to predict mechanical properties. We used this model to help make a more informed decision for a trial heat, which resulted in improvements in yield strength variation. I hope that I will be able to follow through with this project during the school year.
Throughout the summer, I had the pleasure of working with many incredible people and I got to see a new part of the industry that I hadn’t been exposed to previously. For me, the most challenging part of my internship was getting people with different viewpoints to understand each other’s opinions.
With this being my final internship in college before I graduate, when I look back I see how much I really have learned. I am taking away new knowledge about the steel industry and the thin-slab casting process. The experience has shown me that what I am learning in school has an application in the real world. Overall, this internship has further solidified my desire to work in the steel industry. It has also brought to my attention that I do have the skills to make a difference in the steel industry.
After I graduate college, I would like to take a few personal months to travel the world. After fulfilling that dream, I would like to start working in industry as a metallurgist and see where my career takes me from there. After this summer, I have some interest in working in automotive product development.