*Election to National Academy of Engineering membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer.  Members have distinguished themselves in business and academic management, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations.  Members are elected to NAE membership by their peers (current NAE members)
 

Staff Changes for 2017

Back in 2015, Dr. Iain D. Sommerville indicated that 2016 would be his last year as a Course presenter, so as to allow more time for his charitable efforts in education, clean water, and medical services in the developing world. Iain had been a presenter since the first week-long Course was presented in 1985. During his long tenure with the Course, his presentations concentrated on aspects of steelmaking and ladle metallurgy, which was consistent with his background. Iain received his Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966, and is now Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto. Prior to his tenure at UT, he taught at the University of Strathclyde. He has written extensively and presented at numerous international conferences in the area of metallurgy, with an expertise in thermochemistry of steelmaking and ladle metallurgy, extractive metallurgy and applied thermodynamics.

The Brimacombe Continuous Casting Course was indeed fortunate to have the wisdom and guidance that Iain provided over the life of the Course. In addition, Iain contributed to the espirit de corps of the course through his warmth and willingness to engage with the participants. He was also very dedicated to the quality and success of the course and will be missed. In appreciation, Iain was presented a plaque, in recognition of his great contribution

Staff Changes for 2016

Alan W. Cramb, who was a presenter in the Course for nearly 30 years of its existence, up to and including 2015, stepped down to devote full time to being the ninth president of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).   Prior to becoming IIT president on August 1, 2015, Alan served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at IIT since 2008, as well as being the Charles and Lee Finkl Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.  Previously, Alan was Dean of Engineering and Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Prior to that, he served 18 years as POSCO Professor of Iron & Steelmaking in the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.  Before academia, he worked at both Inland Steel and Bethlehem Steel.  In February, 2014, Alan (along with Indira) was inducted into the US National Academy of Engineering.

To replace Alan, the Course was fortunate to enlist the services of Ronald J. O’Malley.  Ron is presently the F. Kenneth Iverson Chair Professor and Director, Kent D. Peaslee Steelmaking Manufacturing Research Center at Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO.  After conducting post-doctoral research at MIT, he joined Alcoa Research and later Armco Inc.’s Technology Center in Middletown, OH, (now AK Steel) where his research included steelmaking and casting as well as development of specialty steels.  Subsequently, Ron became chief metallurgist at Nucor Steel - Decatur, where he was responsible for metallurgical development and for steelmaking and casting process support within Nucor.  Ron was awarded AIST Distinguished Member and Fellow status in 2012, received an AIST Presidential Citation in 2013, and has received both the ISS Charles H. Herty Jr. Award and the AIST Jerry Silver Award in 2015 for his publications.  Dr. O’Malley is currently serving as an executive officer on the board of directors of AIST and is a lecturer for AIST short courses in steelmaking and continuous casting.