Orrcon Steel Manufacturing and Australian Steel Institute Announce Inaugural Scholarship Winner
About the Winner
Orrcon Steel Manufacturing, in collaboration with the Australian Steel Institute (ASI), is proud to announce the winner of the inaugural ASI Student Scholarship. This scholarship reflects a shared commitment to advancing education and a deeper understanding of steel’s capabilities for use in Australian construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors, now and into the future.
The first recipient of this prestigious scholarship is Julian Alber, a fourth-year student at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Julian, with a background in civil engineering and practical experience as an undergraduate structural engineer, has demonstrated a keen interest in contributing to the development of design guidelines and specifications for innovative steel products.
Julian’s scholarship thesis, titled Screw in Steel Piles (SiSP), focuses on a recent product developed by Orrcon Steel Manufacturing – ORR500®. ORR500® is a high-strength tubular pipe used in screw piling for foundations in residential and light commercial construction. The product was designed to meet customer demands for a minimum 500MPa yield strength, and Julian’s research is aimed at improving its performance, particularly in terms of addressing issues related to yield, tensile strength, and weld quality under torsional loads.
David Haynes, Technical & Product Development Manager at Orrcon Steel Manufacturing, praised Julian’s dedication and the quality of his work, stating, ““Impressive! What stands out most is that Julian approached it not so much as a Fourth Year thesis project, but with the commitment and effort you’d expect from a professional engineer.”
Julian’s scholarship not only recognises his academic excellence but also his can-do attitude and willingness to explore the steel industry further—qualities that both Orrcon Manufacturing and the ASI value highly.
Supporting Education and Innovation
Steel plays a pivotal role in Australia’s construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors, contributing significantly to employment and innovation in both urban and regional areas.
The ASI Board first proposed the idea of a student scholarship at its February 2023 meeting. After further discussion, it was decided to offer a fourth-year scholarship in conjunction with a thesis topic for a successful student. ASI National Education Manager John Gardner collaborated with QUT representatives to finalise the scholarship, which includes a $10,000 grant to the winner.
Tony Schreiber, General Manager of Orrcon Steel and Chair of the Australian Steel Institute, emphasised the importance of this scholarship for the future of the steel industry. “By providing scholarship grants to emerging engineers to work on real-life issues or opportunities, we are strengthening our industry’s intellectual capacity for the future. We hope that this annual scholarship will motivate and enthuse engineering students to be thinking steel both in terms of a research topic and as a career choice.”
This scholarship’s announcement underscores Orrcon Steel Manufacturing and the ASI’s shared dedication to representing and fostering the growth of the Australian steel industry, with the hope of inspiring the next generation of steel professionals.