On February 15th, a total of 24 CIVS undergraduate and graduate research students along with faculty mentors attended the AIST Midwest Member Chapter Dinner at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville.

The keynote presentation was given by Keith Howell, Chief Operating Officer of ArcelorMittal North America and AIST President 2022–2023. ArcelorMittal along with collaborating members of the AIST Midwest Chapter remains committed to decarbonization and reaching net zero by 2050.

ArcelorMittal is a charter member of the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), a nationwide industry-led sustainable consortium founded by CIVS in 2016.

Attendees also received a preview of AISTech 2023 which takes place in May of this year in Detroit, Michigan. AISTech welcomes over 7,000 industry professionals from more than 40 countries. It is an opportunity for research students to showcase their findings and contribute their knowledge to their field of study.

“It was great to hear the speaker mention some prominent females in the field. It’s a great reminder that women are making significant contributions to engineering and the steel industry. Encouraging and supporting women like Professor Zhou, in these fields is essential to promote diversity and inclusivity, and I hope to be a part of this movement myself.” -Dianzhi Meng, CIVS graduate research student.

These monthly dinners provide PNW students opportunities to learn about the steel industry and gain practical knowledge through keynotes and networking with over 300 attendees from numerous local and regional steel producers and suppliers.

“Each time, the keynote presentation is about the work that a company is doing and ideas the company is implementing. This is beneficial for everybody, as we can learn from this work and keep up to date from direct sources.” -Orland Ougarte, CIVS Postdoctoral Researcher.

The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) is a non-profit organization with 15,500 members from more than 70 countries. With 30 Technology Committees and 22 Local Members Chapters, AIST represents an incomparable network of steel industry knowledge and expertise. Its mission is to advance the technical development, production, processing, and application of iron and steel.

The Midwest Member Chapter is the largest AIST member chapter with more than 1,600 members and includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Northern Indiana, and a small portion of Northwestern Illinois.

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