CIVS Hosted AIST President and Executive Director Highlighting Technologies and Collaborations
AIST visit - 1
AIST visit – 1
CIVS was honored to welcome AIST President and Executive Vice President of Raw Materials at Nucor Allen (Al) Behr and AIST Executive Director Ron Ashburn on February 11th. PNW Provost Dr. Marie Mora greeted the guests at the beginning of the visit. During their visit, the steel consortium SMSVC was highlighted, including its effective organizational structure, technology roadmap, unique methodology of integrating simulation, AR/VR visualization, AI and smart sensors, as well as the state-of-the-art models and simulators. Multiple projects were reviewed and discussed including those in collaboration with AIST, Nucor and other SMSVC companies. AIST-sponsored projects and the AIST awards to CIVS students, staff, and faculty were also showcased. Research areas featured included blast furnace, DRI, electric arc furnace, ladle, reheating furnace, casting, and safety. They also experienced hands-on demos of the crane simulator, AIST steel wheel, and VR/AR hazard recognition training, showing how CIVS technologies are enhancing workforce development and safety.
They also had the opportunity to engage with CIVS students and staff, that underscored the value of industry collaboration in preparing the next generation of professionals. Al also gave a Keynote on AIST and Nucor during the AIST Midwest Chapter Dinner meeting on February 10th. 32 PNW students were among the over 300 audience members. Read more: PNW Record-Breaking Attendance at AIST Midwest Chapter Dinner Meeting – Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS). Thanks to Al and Ron for their outstanding leadership and support of CIVS and SMSVC.
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) is a non-profit organization with 18,500 members from more than 70 countries. With 29 Technology Committees representing all facets of the iron and steel manufacturing process and 22 Local Member Chapters spread across six continents, AIST represents an incomparable network of steel knowledge and expertise. Nucor is a charter member of SMSVC.
The presence of AIST executives motivates me as a student and the work I do for CIVS. The support we get from AIST and from industrial leaders has set my foundation and motivation in research projects at CIVS that I will carry on forever.
Sam Burbage, CIVS Graduate Research Assistant
