The region that built the 20th century has been saved by a small group of grad students and company leaders who realized collaboration comes before trade secrets, according to a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
Alejandra Y. Castillo, now a Senior Fellow for Economic Development with Purdue Northwest, told a packed house in Alumni Hall Wednesday night that had PNW initiative the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium — which was composed of 16 steel producers and suppliers — not taken off, the steel industry might’ve met its demise as plants closed and jobs moved overseas in the 1980s and 1990s. Led by PNW’s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation Director Chenn Zhou, however, the group decided it was worth saving when CIVS established itself in 2016.
“For 100-plus years, Gary, East Chicago, Hammond, Portage and Burns Harbor built the 20th Century, and a job in the mill meant the difference between renting and owning, and a welder’s paycheck became a nursing degree,” Castillo said during the SMSVC 10-year anniversary keynote. “A blast furnace isn’t a hot toy to you. You were the ones who asked, ‘What if we can see inside?’ Then (Chenn) was … able to convince 16 steel companies to share research, which is like getting chefs to agree on recipes.”
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Because of the consortium, the industry has saved $40 million over the course of five projects in its 10 years, she said, but, more importantly, graduate students who’ve worked with it have stayed in Northwest Indiana. She encouraged those in decision-making roles to keep doing what they’re doing.
“Send SVC your hardest problems, the ones that keep your engineers up at night,” she said. “These students are rebuilding their communities one degree at a time.”
Tyamo Okosun, a research associate professor with CIVS, recalled being a grad student at the program’s start in 2016. His supervisor let him lead a call with the SMSVC members, and to say he was panicked was an understatement.
“In between the moments of imposter syndrome, I realized we were trying to achieve something powerful,” Okosun said. “In my 10 years, what sets this group apart is the open, honest discussions they have with us. CIVS owes its success to you.”
The consortium’s mission uses “state-of-the-art simulation, visualization, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address challenges and growth for advanced manufacturing and ensure competitive advantages for the steel industry,” according to a release. PNW researchers, together with SMSVC member companies have also developed and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to simulate various iron and steelmaking processes, including blast furnace, direct-reduced iron, electric arc furnace, ladle, continuous casting, and reheating furnace.
CIVS and the consortium have also developed a well-recognized application-driven approach to integrate CFD, augmented reality/virtual reality visualization and AI for the development of physics-based and data-driven 3-D digital twins, and interactive virtual training tools for operational guidance, workforce development, operator training and more, the release said.
“SMSVC’s first decade demonstrates what is possible when industry and academia work side by side to deliver impactful, real-world solutions,” Chenn said in the release. “We are proud of the impact we have made and even more excited about what lies ahead. Our collaborative model will continue to drive innovation and workforce development that transforms our industry and region for future economic needs and outcomes.”
“The decade-long leadership of CIVS through the SMSVC is a distinct example of how Purdue University Northwest advances our region through the integration of applied research, advanced technology and workforce development,” added PNW Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford in the release. “As we mark this milestone alongside PNW’s 10th anniversary, we take great pride in the CIVS team’s role in driving transformational innovation across Northwest Indiana. The groundbreaking research that CIVS shares with its industry partners helps many of the nation’s leading manufacturers overcome new and existing challenges.”
CIVS students produced award-winning posters for the occasion. Jacob Schulman received first place for “CFD Modeling of Supersonic Jet Impingement on Molten Bath During Electric Arc Furnace Refining”; Calvin Mahida received second place for “Impacts of Misaligned Submerged Entry Nozzle on Flow in a Thin-Slab Continuous Caster Mold”; and the team of Preshita Jaiswal and Ghaayathri Devi Kannan earned third place for “Impact of AI-Driven Silicon Prediction on Blast Furnace Thermal Stability and Sustainability.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.