CIVS Hosts International Visitors from ArcelorMittal

On March 4th, 2024 CIVS Associate Directors Armin Silaen and Tyamo Okosun hosted international members of ArcelorMittal’s research and development team to showcase CIVS’s capabilities and the long-time collaboration efforts between CIVS and ArcelorMittal, as well as to explore further collaboration into the global industry.

Mark Atkinson, Head of Project Management Global R&D, Senior Director Head of Operations at ArcelorMittal East Chicago, visited CIVS with his colleagues:

• Nicolas Bontems, Head of Process Development, Global R&D at ArcelorMittal Maizieres, France
• Charles Martins, Head of Global R&D at ArcelorMittal Spain

They were welcomed into the CIVS Immersive Theater for an overview of the center’s history and the founding of the SMSVC. The presentation also included highlighted research and proposed projects that are being funded by recent Department of Energy grants. Associate Director for Research at CIVS, Tyamo Okosun explained the progression of the center’s applied research efforts and its role in the region’s push for industrial decarbonization. He also took a moment to recognize Purdue Northwest’s growth as a Hispanic serving institution and support of first-generation students.

After the presentation the group toured the Visualization Lab to see firsthand the innovative technology being applied to various projects such as work force development and hazard recognition. Two of the main projects showcased by CIVS Senior Research Scientist Jack Moreland were the crane simulator training, which creates a way for workers to train and prepare for live crane training in a risk free virtual environment, and the AIST Steel Wheel [https://apps.aist.org/steelwheel/index.html].
During the visit Mark expressed his gratitude for facilitating the visit and providing his international colleagues a tailored experience at the center as well as a thank you to Director Chenn Zhou for the university’s support to local industry.

ArcelorMittal is a charter member of the Steel Manufacturing Visualization and Simulation Consortium (SMSVC) and the Manager of Process Technologies and Digitalization, Global R&D at ArcelorMittal East Chicago, Bernard Chukwulebe, serves as the company’s representative on the SMSVC Board.