Mines Mechanical Engineering Students Receive Nucor Mentor Awards

October 02, 2024
Mines Mechanical Engineering Students Receive Nucor Mentor Awards
Pictured left to right: Gina Elmore, environmental manager Nucor Kingman; Portia Lenczowski, junior mechanical engineering major and Nucor mentor; Tegun Thomson, senior mechanical engineering major and Nucor mentor; and Cody Henrichsen roll mill process engineer Nucor Norfolk.

For nearly a decade, Nucor Steel, North America's largest steel manufacturer and recycler, has selected South Dakota Mines students in the mechanical and metallurgical engineering programs as Nucor mentors.

This academic year's Nucor mentor scholars are Tegun Thomas, senior mechanical engineering major, and Portia Lenczowski, junior mechanical engineering major. These students train and assist their fellow students in safety, manufacturing practices and design for manufacturability.

“These students must possess outstanding ability in leadership and project management as well as have an interest in training their fellow students,” said Aaron Lalley, Ph.D., professor of practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Through their experience with Nucor, these students have been able to develop their engineering skills, including project, process, design and modeling experience, with time in the melt shop being the highlight for each.”

Nucor has long been one of the university’s greatest supporters and top recruiter of Mines graduates. In 2022, the manufacturing company donated $5 million, the largest corporate gift in the university’s history, for the Nucor Mineral Industries Building. The building’s ribbon cutting is scheduled for April 25, 2025.