Welding engineering grad student confirms industry readiness through Ma2JIC, NSF INTERN program
Conner Sarich is a graduate student in the welding engineering program and an intern at Thermo-Calc. The position allows him to apply his lengthy welding engineering background to a cross-functional role blending research, technical sales and product support.
Students, whether in the welding engineering or materials science and engineering program, are quite familiar with Thermo-Calc interface as part of their curriculum. Thermo-Calc develops "software and databases that are used by materials scientists and engineers to generate data that helps them design better materials and improve materials processing conditions."1 Conner's research focuses on Thermo-Calc's Primsa module, which models precipitate evolution in materials that contain precipitates. An example would be modeling carbides in steel. All the tools and settings for modeling/replicating precipitation evolution exist to create a model that matches the real-world microstructure exactly. However, there are a few inputs that need calibrated in order for Thermo-Calc to create an accurate model. Conner spends most of his time at Thermo-Calc analyzing well-known or commonly-used alloys and calibrating various inputs to create models that match past experimental measurements found in literature.
The eclipse of education and real-world application is an intentional paradigm benefitting students like Conner. Hailing from a highly esteemed welding engineering program with world-renowned faculty, welding engineering students at Ohio State are poised to succeed, in part, because of a strong relationship between academia and industry. Fold in Buckeye alumni, and the opportunities become sweeter.
Conner's internship experience nods to this design, "When I learned about the internship from my advisor, Dr. Alexandrov, and WE alumnus Jim Rule (PhD '19), it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get experience in industry and do something that is applicable to my own research. One of the difficulties of doing an internship as a graduate student is trying to maintain progress on your primary research project while working as an intern. Since this internship encompasses work that I can use for my main research project, it seemed like the perfect fit for me."
Mr. Sarich's research at Ohio State focuses on stress relief cracking, which depends largely on carbides forming and growing in the microstructure. This project was proposed to Conner by Ma2JIC, an Industry and University Cooperative Research Center located at Ohio State, and qualified for NSF INTERN funding. Thermo-Calc is a member of Ma2JIC, whose multidisciplinary research approach to joining and additive manufacturing supports materials innovations and substantiates materials performance. "By calibrating models for the steels I study during the internship, I am able to create models which replicate the conditions I study and use the findings to help further understand stress relief cracking." Knowledge of Thermo-Calc software is leveraged at Ma2JIC because most member projects can benefit from modeling to gain a fuller understanding of materials, which amplifies the importance of Conner's role as a student, intern and researcher. Currently, multiple projects at Ma2JIC focus on precipitation-strengthened materials, so Conner hopes his work can be used to aid other projects and fellow students who require modeling.
As is the nature of internships, education and on-the-job skills are transferable. "The OSU WE education gave me a great foundation for numerous alloy systems (Steel, Stainless Steel, Nickel, Aluminum), so I am able to apply a lot of what I learned to this internship experience. Additionally, many precipitates in these various alloy systems are discussed in class due to their large impact on mechanical properties and weldability. For many of the simulations I conduct at Thermo-Calc, I already have a good idea of what should occur in the model. This strength can be attributed to what I learned in either the classroom or the research done on my primary graduate research project for my PhD. Even in unchartered territory, I can depend on fundamentals learned in WE classes. My welding engineering education allows me to quickly determine an alloy and the precipitates that should form."
As Conner closes in on the summit of his educational climb, the most valuable takeaway from the opportunities provided by Ma2JIC, Thermo-Calc and NSF is self-confidence. "I always questioned if I would be ready to tackle what comes my way once I get into the work force. After starting my work with Thermocalc, I realized this was a silly thing to think and that I am much more prepared than I gave myself credit for. So when I graduate and am ready to take on a full-time job, I will have much more confidence that I will be ready for anything."
The Thermo-Calc internship played out thanks to his advisor, Professor Boian Alexandrov, and fellow WE alums and Thermo-Calc employees, Jim Rule and Adam Hope (PhD '16). Adam and Jim interact with Conner on a weekly basis by attending meetings and being on-site advisors. "It has been really easy to interact with Adam and Jim because I worked alongside them when they were working towards their PhDs in welding engineering at Ohio State. Jim and I were both grad students at the same time, and I was an undergraduate lab assistant while Adam was working towards his PhD."
In addition to his research at Thermo-Calc, the 5th-year grad student also manages Thermo-Calc webinars, which are focused on graduate students presenting their research. His fluency with Thermo-Calc software also comes in handy when customers need assistance.
Conner, a native of Grandview Heights, completed his undergraduate degree in welding engineering at Ohio State in 2016 and is set to graduate with his PhD in spring 2021.
By Libby Culley, Communications Coordinator | culley.36@osu.edu
