Tri-State University Professor Darryl Webber of the Wade Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, along with TSU student delegates Christopher Burns, Chris Rethmel, and Karl Gast attended the 60th annual Foundation for Metal Casting Education (FEF) College Industry Conference (CIC) in Chicago in November. The conference brings together students and professors from across North America to interact with and meet the leaders in metal casting face-to-face.

Special scholarships and awards of $57,000 went to FEF-accredited schools during the conference, with Rethmel and Gast receiving CIC Student Delegate Scholarships. Burns has since been hired by Sloan Valve after meeting with company representatives at the CIC. TSU is one of only 24 in the world to be accredited with the foundation, in addition to 13 affiliated schools.

During the past year, 74 percent of all FEF registered students were placed in metal casting jobs, and 82 percent of students receiving scholarships went into the casting industry, according to statistics released by the FEF.