2024 Steel Intern Scholarships
Rebekah A. Smith
People often ask me what I do, and I readily respond, “I work in the steel industry.” And it is always with a smile. There is something captivating about the steel manufacturing process, throughout which metallurgy is displayed on a large scale. From a rock mined out of the ground to a journey through intense melting, thermomechanical deformation, cold rolling, heat treating, and coating, a versatile engineering material is born.
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern with Cleveland-Cliffs at the Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio, USA. In contrast with my previous internships in the steel industry, which were directly involved with hot end production (melting, refining, casting), this summer’s internship focused on finishing. This meant that initially, I was doing a lot of reading, learning and asking questions — especially to understand the myriad new acronyms! My internship also provided exposure to a unique perspective on steel production, offering a vantage point from the intersection of research, development and process support.
During my time there, I worked with metallic coatings research group on a variety of different projects, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. Everyone was super supportive, responded to my enthusiasm, answered questions and provided mentorship. My projects were fascinating and involved application of metallurgical principles from planning experiments to interpreting results. The projects additionally allowed me to further develop my abilities by utilizing various software tools, including image analysis, thermodynamic computation, electron backscatter diffraction data analysis and 3D modeling.
My primary projects focused on production support through applied physical metallurgy and materials testing. One of my projects was “self-inflicted,” because I asked a question and there wasn’t an answer yet, which led me to assist with an alloy development project. Other projects were similarly diverse, allowing me to experience so many different aspects of research within the finishing realm. These included production sample analyses, investigation of metallographic mounting techniques for coating evaluation, characterization of coating pot samples, assisting with designing a test rig for evaluating an alternative production method, and providing support to the other researchers in the group. Working with the finishing side of things provided greater insight into the process as a whole, which has expanded my experience within the steel industry.
Furthermore, being a part of the metallic coatings research group didn’t prevent me from exploring other areas during my summer. In addition to visiting various finishing lines, I had the opportunity to experience other areas such as the meltshop and hot strip mill. I also engaged in several conversations with researchers from other groups about their projects, which was a very rewarding experience. I truly appreciated the opportunity to learn from those around me who had so much knowledge (and the patience) to share.
I would like to thank both the AIST Foundation and Cleveland-Cliffs for providing me with this opportunity to continue my own journey of “refining and finishing transformations.” I really enjoyed what I was able to experience this summer at the research center and with the finishing process of steel, and I look forward to the opportunities that the steel industry has to offer.