A planning meeting will be held to determine if the Michigan Technological University and the University of Utah can establish an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fundamental Studies of Advanced Sustainable Iron and Steel. This proposed center will take advantage of the tremendous strides that have been made in instrumentation, materials characterization, and reaction modeling to advance the understanding of iron oxide reduction reactions. The proposed center will promote research that will improve understanding of what is happening in the iron reduction and steelmaking process.
The proposed center will focus on iron and steel, both because iron accounts for approximately 85% of all the metals produced in the U.S., and techniques developed for iron production will also be broadly adaptable to improving the efficiency and sustainability of processes for reducing oxides of other based metals. The center will integrate research with education, involving a diverse group of pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate students in substantive research activities.