CIVS researchers and students are working with The College of the Florida Keys staff and instructors to develop immersive underwater labs to enhance existing Marine Science and Technology courses through the NSF-sponsored DREAM STEM project (Developing Reliable Educational Avenues to STEM Careers). The DREAM STEM project is part of NSF’s HSI program (Award #1928591) and is estimated to run through the end of 2024.

CIVS Senior Research Scientist John Moreland, CIVS Senior Research Engineer Kyle Toth, CIVS Visualization Research Assistant Iftequar Iqbal Mohammed, and former CIVS Visualization Research Assistant Cristina Cabascango in partnership with Patrick Rice, Chief Science & Research Officer, and NSF Principal Investigator at The College of the Florida Keys developed a series of underwater VR lab modules for Marine Science and Technology courses.

The DreamStem Project encompasses two distinct sub-projects, each with its unique focus and purpose:

The first sub-project is known as Coral Restoration Virtual Reality (CRVR). CRVR effectively recreates the intricate process of coral restoration within a virtual reality setting. This immersive experience allows users to don a VR headset and actively engage in the various steps and techniques necessary for coral restoration. Through CRVR, individuals can practice hands-on tasks such as identifying healthy coral specimens for propagation, safely fragmenting corals, and securely attaching them to underwater structures. This not only serves as a valuable training tool but also helps ensure that real-world coral restoration efforts are carried out with precision and minimal environmental impact. Former CIVS Research Assistant Cristina Cabascango presented “Development of a Coral Reef Restoration Training Simulator” at PNW Days of Discovery on April 10, 2023.
The second sub-project, Reef Visual Census Virtual Reality (RVCVR), plays a vital role in the educational aspect of the DreamStem Project. RVCVR serves as a course evaluation tool, especially for students undergoing training in reef visual censuses. During these exercises, students are guided through a series of steps to document the species they encounter while conducting visual surveys of reefs. They must provide detailed specifications for each species observed. Subsequently, their recorded data is evaluated against an answer key, enabling students to receive prompt feedback and a clear performance assessment. RVCVR not only ensures that students grasp the critical skills required for effective reef monitoring but also enhances the overall learning experience.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science recently announced $19 million in funding over four years for DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory to lead the multi-institutional Center for Steel Electrification by Electrosynthesis (C-STEEL). The center aims to develop an innovative and low-cost process for alternative steelmaking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85%.

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PNW CIVS is a sub-recipient of a new DOE grant on a project entitled “Scaling Hydrogen-Direct Reduced Iron Pathways to Decarbonize Iron and Steelmaking.”

The project is led by the Center for Iron and Steelmaking Research (CISR) at Carnegie Mellon with industrial partners from Nucor Steel Corporation and United States Steel Corporation, with the objective of increasing the Technology Readiness Level of the hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron oxide (DRI) process. Led by Associate Director for Research Dr. Tyamo Okosun, CIVS will perform research on one of the project’s key tasks to develop and validate a Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the H2 DRI process. This CFD modeling will be used in tandem with physical modeling developed by CMU to allow for a more comprehensive exploration of the parameter space to characterize and scale up DRI from pilot scale to industry scale.

In this project, Carnegie Mellon University and its partners will evaluate a hydrogen-based system for eliminating the process emissions involved in reducing iron ore into direct reduced iron (DRI)—a key feedstock in zero-carbon steel production. Extracting the oxygen from iron ore is necessary to produce steel-grade iron. To do this, carbon is typically introduced with coal or natural gas (methane), releasing carbon dioxide (CO2). These emissions can be eliminated by using hydrogen instead of carbon.

The project includes (1) building a physical pilot reactor to evaluate the performance of hydrogen DRI under industrial conditions and (2) developing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to simulate hydrogen DRI processes, benchmarked to experiments. By the end of the project, an integrated set of results from experiments, simulations, and impact analysis will inform decisions regarding further development and deployment of DRI produced with more than 90% hydrogen.

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On July 27th, CIVS hosted local and national representatives from U. S. Steel for project overviews, progress presentations, and a facility showcase. The visit also included open trials of the customizable crane training simulator, just one day before the project team’s progress demonstration with crane operators and training personnel from U. S. Steel Gary Works.

The visit was an opportunity for U. S. Steel representatives to see firsthand the projects and progress on those projects that specifically involve collaboration between the Gary Works plant and CIVS. An overview hosted in the CIVS Immersive Theater included several key projects and was opened by a few words from Dr. Chenn Zhou, as well as an introduction from industry partner Joe Morey of U. S. Steel.

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On October 5, faculty members from PNW held a student-centered civics event in the CIVS Immersive Theater.

“Literature and Politics: When Nobel Prize Winners Speak” was a collaborative effort between Professor Jin Lu’s French students & Professor Yu Ouyang’s political science students. The event took place on the same day that the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced.

Students in French impersonated various winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature by studying their Nobel lectures and presenting a three-minute speech about what literature is and where he/she stands on various historical, social, and political issues. Students in political science chose a Nobel Prize in Literature winner from the presenting students.

The purpose of this event is to help students study the Nobel Prize winners and learn about the historical, social, and political issues they dealt with, as well as expand student awareness of the processes and options for civic participation.

In June 2021, the Purdue University Board of Trustees adopted a civics literacy graduation requirement for undergraduates, including all transfer students. This requirement applies to all undergraduate students who enter Purdue University Northwest in Fall 2022 or any subsequent semester. The CIVS Immersive Theater is an integral part of serving student needs on campus and in the community.

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On October 10, more than 25 CIVS undergraduate and graduate research students, faculty mentors, and professors attended the AIST Midwest Member Chapter Dinner at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville. During the event, words of praise and acknowledgment were given to CIVS students in attendance, who were called to stand up by the speaker and given a round of applause. This impactful gesture allows students to be recognized as the next generation of the industry’s workforce.

The event started with a speech by Mike Schwentor, AIST Midwest Member Chapter Chair, highlighting the growth of the Midwest chapter as the largest AIST member chapter. The keynote speaker, Ron Talbot, Senior Vice President of Electrical Operations at Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), highlighted NIPSCO’s roadmap to retire all coal-fired generation by 2028. This drive toward renewable energy has environmental benefits and lower-cost energy options for customers. Adding wind, solar, and battery technology to our region’s electric generation portfolio is an essential transition for the infrastructure of Northwest Indiana.

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Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a major partner from Indiana in an alliance awarded up to $1 billion in funding to develop a regional clean hydrogen production and distribution hub in the Midwest, as announced by President Biden on Oct. 13.

PNW, through its Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS), will be integrally involved in the research and workforce development to create sources of clean hydrogen production that will reduce emissions from industrial sectors, including the region’s steel mills, refineries and power plants. The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, hub is one of seven selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for funding to accelerate the domestic market for low-cost, clean hydrogen.

“We at PNW are extremely proud to be part of this ground-breaking initiative that will improve the quality of life for communities throughout Northwest Indiana, the Midwest, and the country. This will also provide economic opportunities through new applications of technology that will create jobs and industrial innovations,” said Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. Keon. “The longtime efforts by CIVS, led by Dr. Chenn Zhou, to support decarbonization while improving steelmaking and other industrial processes, will continue to accelerate through the research led by CIVS faculty and students.”

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Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) along with industrial, education, federal, and elected leaders gathered Oct. 11 to recognize a significant grant of nearly $10 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office to support decarbonization research, development, and demonstration in the steel industry.

As part of a sweeping federal initiative to reduce carbon emissions and progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050, the DOE awarded $9.96 million to a CIVS project pioneering an industry-scale demonstration of a hydrogen-fired continuous reheating furnace operation. Partners in the project include Argonne National Laboratory, Cleveland-Cliffs, Gerdau, Linde, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium.

“We thank the Department of Energy, our project partners and PNW leadership for supporting this important project, which is expected to make positive impacts to our region and nation,” said Chenn Zhou, NIPSCO Distinguished Professor of Engineering Simulation at PNW and founding director of CIVS. “Our CIVS faculty and student researchers are excited to begin and are looking forward to collaborating with our industrial and research partners to develop and demonstrate the technology to improve the U.S. steel industry’s global competitiveness and reduce carbon emissions.”

Federal and elected officials praised the project for its potential to improve air quality while increasing efficiencies in the steel producing process.

“I am grateful for the continued leadership of Purdue Northwest’s invaluable Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation and this outstanding partnership with the Department of Energy,” said U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan. “Let us continue to build on this momentum to show how Northwest Indiana is the example of how we can create at the same time both a greener future and more economic opportunities.”

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Congratulations to recent Purdue Northwest MSME graduate and CIVS research assistant Neel Busa for joining SMSVC member company ArcelorMittal as an Electric Arc Furnace Engineer.

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On September 26, around 20 AIST Ironmaking Technology Committee members held their meeting at CIVS, facilitated by Committee Chair Joe Morey of US Steel and AIST manager Anne Voss.

During the meeting, several technical presentations included: “Impacts and Dynamics of Shaft-Level Tuyere Injection with Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling” presented by CIVS PhD student Sam Nielson; “EasyMelt, Electrically Assisted SYngas sMELTer” and “Benefits and Retrofit of a Slag Granulation Plant to an existing Blast Furnace” presented by Brian Black from SMS group; as well as “Hydrogen production and supply from BP refinery” presented by Jill Lenders, the Transformation and Modernization Manager. There was also an opportunity for members to participate in CIVS live demos of the crane simulator and the virtual reality fire extinguisher training.

Members in attendance started planning sessions for AISTech 2024 and discussed paper submissions as well as technology committee award details. The meeting concluded with a productive roundtable discussion on various initiatives across the ironmaking industry.

The mission of the AIST Ironmaking Technology Committee is to provide members with information regarding ironmaking manufacturing, including developing technologies, maintenance, and process and operating information.

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