Pitt Engineers Honored for "Green Steel"

February 14, 2002

PITTSBURGH—The Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) will honor University of Pittsburgh engineering professors Anthony DeArdo and Isaac Garcia with the ESWP's "Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award" for developing lead-free steel. DeArdo and Garcia will receive the award at the ESWP's Annual Banquet at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers Feb. 20.

DeArdo, William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Garcia, associate research professor of materials science and engineering, developed the "green" steel by replacing lead with tin in machining steel. Lead, a toxin, has been added to steel to make it easier to machine, or cut, in manufacturing. Eliminating the lead has not only made the process more environmentally friendly, but has reduced costs for machine shops.

"I am so pleased that Tony DeArdo and Isaac Garcia are being recognized for their work in the development of lead-free steel," says USX Dean of Engineering Gerald D. Holder. "Their dedication to developing an environmentally safe alternative to leaded steel has been an enormous success and is being recognized for the impact that it will have on the entire steel industry."

The banquet is open to the public, and reservations may be made by calling the Engineers' Society at 412-261-0710.

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