CIVS Recognized with 6 Awards at International Steel Conference – AISTech 2026
1st place: Shiyu Wang (PhD student in ME) “CFD Modeling of the DC Electric Arc for Improved EAF Electrode Efficiency.”
Congratulations to the CIVS students Anna Eshenbaugh, Shiyu Wang, Calvin Mahida, Nadeem Jaffer Mohammed, and Abdul Mateen Mohammed who earned 4 competition awards at the premier annual iron and steelmaking conference, AISTech 2026, held May 4–6 in Pittsburgh, with more than 9,600 attendees, a record-high, from around the world.
Students contests are open to domestic and international students and judged on overall knowledge of the project topic, thoroughness of the content, and presentation skills.
2nd place: Anna Eshenbaugh (Senior, ME) “Evaluating Coke Oven Gas as a Recycled Fuel Source for Steel Reheating Furnaces.”
CIVS research also received the 2026 AIST Ladle & Secondary Refining Best Paper Award titled “Comparison of Lance and Plug Methods for Gas Purging in a Ladle on Mixing Efficiency”, which was coauthored by faculty, research staff, students, and industrial collaborators.
Furthermore, Purdue University Northwest was also one of the winners to receive AISTech 2026 Material Advantage Chapter Travel Grants! The details of the awards are listed below.
“Comparison of Lance and Plug Methods for Gas Purging in a Ladle on Mixing Efficiency” coauthored by Xipeng Guo (Ph.D. Student in ME), Mohammed Abdul Razzak (MSME student), Nihal Saji (MSME student), Kiranchandru Lingeswaran (MSME student), Nicolas Walla (CIVS Senior Research Engineer), Judy Li (Cleveland-Cliffs), Bill King (Cleveland-Cliffs), and Chenn Zhou (CIVS Director).
Undergraduate Student Project Presentation Contest:
- 2nd place: Anna Eshenbaugh (Senior, ME) “Evaluating Coke Oven Gas as a Recycled Fuel Source for Steel Reheating Furnaces”
- Graduate Student Poster Contest:
- 1st place: Shiyu Wang (PhD student in ME) “CFD Modeling of the DC Electric Arc for Improved EAF Electrode Efficiency”
- 3rd place: Calvin Mahida (MSME student) “Impacts of Misaligned Submerged Entry Nozzle on Flow in a Thin-Slab Continuous Caster Mold”
- Real Steel Video Contest:
- $1,000 award winner: Nadeem Jaffer Mohammed (MSCS student) and Abdul Mateen Mohammed (MSME student) “Green Steel: From Research to Real”.
- 2026 AIST Ladle & Secondary Refining Best Paper Award
- “Comparison of Lance and Plug Methods for Gas Purging in a Ladle on Mixing Efficiency” coauthored by Xipeng Guo (Ph.D. Student in ME), Mohammed Abdul Razzak (MSME student), Nihal Saji (MSME student), Kiranchandru Lingeswaran (MSME student), Nicolas Walla (CIVS Senior Research Engineer), Judy Li (Cleveland-Cliffs), Bill King (Cleveland-Cliffs), and Chenn Zhou (CIVS Director).
- AISTech 2026 Material Advantage Chapter Travel Grants:
- One of the winners
Calvin Mahida (MSME student) “Impacts of Misaligned Submerged Entry Nozzle on Flow in a Thin-Slab Continuous Caster Mold.”
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) is a non-profit organization with over 18,500 members from over 70 countries. AIST represents a large network of steel industry professionals with tremendous knowledge and expertise.
AISTech provides a platform for these amazing future leaders to showcase their research and connect with industry collaborators. It provides a global perspective on today’s marketplace by featuring technologies worldwide that help steelmakers compete more effectively. AISTech is hosted by The Association for Iron & Steel Technology.