AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarship
Daniel Giganti Dima
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at Universal Stainless & Alloy Products in their specialty rolling facility in Dunkirk, N.Y., USA. As a second-summer intern coming from their melting and rolling facility in Bridgeville, Pa., I was excited to get more insight into the later parts of the steelmaking process. From the first day, I was excited to jump back into the steel industry and see what more I could learn.
My projects allowed me to meaningfully contribute to various departments including operations, technology and quality. This included production data analysis, the creation of digital organizational tools, and technical report writing based on customer requirements. Additionally, I was able to help with the process metallurgists’ daily tasks by keeping records updated, supervising critical rolling campaigns, and generating certifications of testing before material shipped to the customer. One of my favorite parts of the summer was learning more about client specifications and presenting my findings to an end-use customer. However, what made my internship the most valuable, in my opinion, was working with and learning from a wide range of people at Universal Stainless and its three plants, from directors to supervisors to operators. Understanding how to communicate important information to a wide range of people and adapting to industry standards is a skill that will help me in all aspects of life.
Overall, this internship has given me experience in the broader operations of a specialty steel company while improving my professional and technical skills. I am grateful to the entire Universal Stainless team for welcoming me back and trusting me to contribute to meaningful projects. Finally, I want to thank Lori Wharrey and the AIST scholarship selection committee for giving me the ability to fund my education to continue my career in the steel industry.