AIST Executive Director Ron Ashburn Delivered SMSVC Dinner Keynote
On April 9, Ron Ashburn, the Executive Director of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST), delivered the keynote address at the SMSVC Semi-Annual Meeting dinner. His presentation, titled “The Iron and Steel Roadmap,” offered a comprehensive overview of the industry’s current trajectory and future developments. The talk was both informative and insightful, resonating strongly with the audience and sparking a thoughtful and engaging discussion. The evening began with a warm welcome from PNW Chancellor Dr. Chris Holford. The event was attended by over 90 participants, including representatives from SMSVC industry collaborators, as well as faculty, staff, and students from Purdue University Northwest (PNW).
The U.S. steel industry underpins domestic manufacturing and construction, providing a critical material for society. The industry is also poised for growth as it meets anticipated new demand from expected national infrastructure investments such as roads, bridges and buildings, in addition to green energy generation, storage and transport. With the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce and its National Institute of Standards and Technology, AIST has developed a roadmap to identify and prioritize research areas to address the technologies, infrastructure and workforce needs that will decarbonize the iron and steel industry and advance steel manufacturing competitiveness. The presentation summarized the challenges and opportunities identified within the roadmap.
Mr. Ron Ashburn is a true visionary leader in the steel industry and has been a driving force within the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) for many years. His extensive experience spans steel plant equipment engineering, fabrication, commissioning, and plant construction. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and participated in metallurgical process training at University of British Columbia and global business management training at the University of Virginia. In addition to his work with AIST and the AIST Foundation, he is a member of the Board of Trustees for the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and for the United Engineering Foundation (UEF).
Ron gave an insightful speech outlining the history of steel, our current economic situation, and the challenges and opportunities presented to us for the future. He emphasized the needs for steel to embrace and adopt new technologies to set the industry on the right path for decades to come. Our industry must also encourage and support those engineers and technicians who will help usher in the next steel era.
The keynote speech provided valuable insight into how the steel industry is changing on a global scale. New technologies are needed in order for companies to reduce their environmental footprint while remaining competitive in the industry. The research we do at CIVS helps advance these technologies and will continue to play a critical role in the steel industry’s transformation for years to come.
Veronica Pitt-Payne, CIVS Undergraduate Research Assistant
