At the Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) and Missouri Protoplex, the team is proud to introduce Dr. Katelyn Kiser, a Senior Metallurgical Engineer whose journey into engineering is both unique and inspiring.
Growing up, Katelyn thought she was avoiding following her father into a career in engineering. Initially, she aimed for veterinary medicine for farm animals, but the idea of eight years of school was daunting. “My path to STEM was kickstarted by the FIRST program,” she recalls, participating in FIRST Lego League in junior high and continuing into FIRST Robotics in high school. It was at a FIRST Robotics Worlds competition that she first encountered a company specializing in Biomedical Engineering, which combined her love for biology and medicine without the stress of handling live animals. This led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech.
However, during her first semester, Katelyn realized her primary interest, tissue engineering, was not a focus in the program. “Most research was on medical devices, involving a lot of coding and electronics,” she explains. This prompted her to explore other fields, leading to a discussion with the Materials Department advisor about double majoring. After attending ASM Materials Camp in high school, she thought materials engineering could be applied to tissue engineering. One semester of double majoring was enough to hook her on Materials Engineering, leading her to drop Biomedical Engineering. By the time she finished her Bachelor’s, she was passionate about metals and decided to pursue a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering at Missouri S&T, home to the Peaslee Steel Center.
Joining CAM and Missouri Protoplex was a unique opportunity for Katelyn to engage in research that directly addresses industry problems while also participating in workforce development, K-12 outreach, and potentially curriculum development or teaching. “I love variety and the projects I get to work on reflect that,” she says.
As a Senior Metallurgical Engineer, Katelyn leads research projects rooted in metallurgical principles and provides metallurgical support on other engineers’ projects. Her work involves characterization, testing, and analysis of materials ranging from aluminum to steels, cast irons, titanium, and nickel-based alloys. The variety of day-to-day activities is a highlight for her, allowing a flexible schedule filled with diverse tasks from her project roster. “I think my favorite thing right now is the sheer variety of day-to-day activities,” she shares. “I get stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over again every day. The beauty of this position is that I have a flexible schedule that I can fill with any number of tasks from the handful of projects I have on my roster.”
One memorable achievement since joining CAM was commissioning a new rod continuous caster. Although she has just started and is getting projects off the ground, officially earning her PhD in December was a significant accomplishment. “I think the biggest accomplishment since starting was officially getting my PhD in December,” she notes.
In her free time, Katelyn enjoys maintaining her new house and indulging in various hobbies. “Right now it seems like all my free time is going into maintenance on my new house,” she says. Currently, building Legos is a favorite pastime, along with light PC and console gaming. She also looks forward to resuming quilting, a hobby she hasn’t had space for in nearly eight years.
Throughout her career, Katelyn has been influenced by multiple mentors. Early on, her father’s influence guided her towards materials engineering and internships at Caterpillar. During her PhD, working with Dr. O’Malley and Dr. Bartlett helped her grow as a metallurgist and researcher. “They showed me how much I didn’t know and helped push me to learn and grow as both a metallurgist and even just as a researcher,” she reflects.
Her long-term career goals include growing as a researcher, making connections with industry leaders, and eventually transitioning to a teaching professor role. She also dreams of writing fiction novels centered around materials science from the comfort of a corporate retreat dude ranch. “I think in my current role I’d love to grow as a researcher and make connections with industry leaders,” she says.
To stay updated with the latest trends and technologies, Katelyn relies on focused searches of technical papers, professional societies, webinars, and conferences. She advises her younger self to be flexible and open to new opportunities, as unexpected paths can lead to fulfilling careers. “Learn to be flexible,” she advises. “You always have an idea in mind of where your future is going and what you have planned for yourself. However, if you are flexible, and keep yourself open to new opportunities, your path may take an entirely new direction you wouldn’t have ever thought to go on your own.”
Katelyn’s journey into metallurgical engineering was influenced by her father’s involvement in the field and her experiences at ASM Materials Camp. She emphasizes the importance of materials science in manufacturing, from tools to products, and solving manufacturing challenges. “Ultimately everything in manufacturing from the tools being used to the products being produced or remanufactured requires materials engineering. You may not think about it, but even the bits used in machining require engineering,” she explains. Recent advancements in metallurgy, such as “Foundry 4.0,” excite her, as traditional industries adopt new technologies for melt control and traceability. “One of the things I’m most excited about is seeing the start of a shift to ‘Foundry 4.0’ where such a traditional and fundamental industry is starting to employ new and exciting technologies for melt control and traceability,” she says.
Ensuring the quality and reliability of materials involves adhering to standards for testing processes and alloy compositions. Katelyn conducts composition and hardness tests, along with destructive and non-destructive testing, to ensure parts are free of defects. Statistical analysis helps develop acceptance criteria for new materials, always with a factor of safety in mind. “Standards can be used to help dictate what acceptance criteria will create a repeatable process,” she explains.
Sustainability plays a crucial role in her work, particularly in addressing the limitations of critical minerals and metals. She focuses on updating alloys to limit or remove critical materials, recycling in steelmaking, and exploring new methods for scrap usage and electrification of steelmaking processes. “There’s a push to update these alloys to limit or remove critical materials from their process,” she notes.
Katelyn Kiser’s journey and contributions to CAM and Missouri Protoplex exemplify the innovative spirit and dedication that drive the team. Her work not only advances metallurgical technology but also inspires the next generation of engineers, ensuring a bright future for U.S. manufacturing.