STEM ‘22 Interns’ Hands-on Work Yields Results

Quality employees are the lifeblood of any company, and finding qualified, experienced members of the STEM community is vital to the continued growth and success of the manufacturing industry. HarbsionWalker International’s Summer STEM Internship Program is just one way we have committed to helping to build the future of the manufacturing labor force.

George Meinert, Ian Brunner, Campbell Zantop-Zimlinghaus (mechanical engineering), and Roshen Addullah (materials science) are the latest class of college students gaining invaluable hands-on experience as our HWI Summer Interns for 2022.

The HWI program has allowed each to build on their experience by working alongside industry professionals at HWI with years of prior experience and knowledge.

By allowing our interns to help create real-world solutions to meet our current organizational needs, HWI interns benefit from a two-fold experience: The program is an ongoing, hands-on education supplement to schoolwork, while each member gains valuable firsthand knowledge of HWI systems and processes. Combining these experiences help make HWI interns more attractive candidates for post-graduation employment.

The program also allows our interns to engage directly with customers to learn how our refractory products and services impact the industries we serve. Through coordination with our customer, Cleveland-Cliffs Steel, both HWI and Cleveland-Cliffs interns recently toured each other’s facilities to see manufacturing in action.

Under the leadership of Jonathon McBride, Campbell’s work on extending the working time of DOSSOLITE tundish sprays has yielded promising results aimed at easing installation and preventing downtime in the field. George’s work with Tomasz Ventz in technology development for ultra-low porosity alumina-silica shapes will advance the MO1 product portfolio and improve customer performance.

Ian has focused on evaluating the effect of porosity and different additives on BARRICADE products’ thermal shock and slag corrosion resistance. His initial work has yielded promising results for improving steel ladle performance, and the full-time ATRC staff will continue his project.