Dr. Irwin has shown outstanding leadership in developing and promoting the State IOF Program in West Virginia, where he enlisted strong support from prominent federal, state, and local officials. OIT's 2001 Plant of the Year is USX Corporation. USX Corp. is comprised of the Edgar Thomson Plant, located in Braddock, Pennsylvania, and the Irvin Plant, located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The Edgar Thomson Plant created an Energy Conservation Team to generate energy conservation ideas and implement activities with a cost- effective return on investment. The plant was also active in OIT's Pittsburgh Regional Steel Showcase.
Polylactic acid is a biodegradable polymer produced from sugar.
Cargill Dow designed and formulated the Polylactic Acid Polymers project. Ten student teams and their sponsors were honored for their winning solutions to the High School Engineering Challenge. Approximately 2,000 teams of talented U.S. high school students from across the nation participate in the annual competition.