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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U N E 2 0 1 5
NEW REPORT CALLS FOR
STEM-CAPABLE WORKFORCE
Does the U.S. have too many or
too few STEM workers? A new report
from the National Science Board (NSB),
the policymaking arm of the National
Science Foundation, explores this top-
ic. Revisiting the STEM Workforce shares
insights about longstanding workforce
debates and aims to spark constructive
discussions about this critical com-
ponent of the U.S. economy. Based
on its biennial Science and Engineer-
ing Indicators report, the STEM report
highlights the growing need for STEM
knowledge and skills in today’s econo-
my. In 2010, 16.5 million individuals—
including many in non-STEM jobs such
as sales and marketing—reported that
their job required at least a bachelor’s
degree level of science and engineering
(S&E) expertise. This represents about
three times the number of individuals
working in occupations classified as
S&E (5.4 million).
The report underscores that a
consensus definition of the STEM work-
force does not exist. Depending on the
definition used, the STEM workforce in-
cludes employees across a wide range
In his article on the early history
of titanium (“Metallurgy Lane,” March
2015), Charles Simcoe refers to the
interest of Kennecott Copper Corp.
in newly available samples from the
Bureau of Mines in the late 1940s.
Actually, Kennecott’s interest in
titaniumpredates these events and
eventually took a different direction.
The Canadian subsidiary of Kennecott
discovered a large ilmenite (FeTiO3)
deposit on the north shore of the St.
Lawrence River in Quebec in 1946
after two years of exploration. This
turned out to be the world’s largest
ilmenite deposit. Kennecott’s interest
in titaniumwas due to potential com-
petition with copper.
Coincidentally, the New Jersey
Zinc Co. was also interested in ilmen-
ite as a source of titaniumdioxide,
an alternative to zinc oxide white
pigment. The two companies joined
forces, with New Jersey Zinc devel-
oping an electric smelting process
at its pilot plant in Pennsylvania. In
1948, jointly owned Quebec Iron and
TitaniumCorp. (QIT) was formed with
the construction of a production-scale
smelter at St. Joseph-de-Sorel about
40 miles northeast of Montreal.
Courtesy of NSB.
Conversion of ilmenite to a TiO2-rich
slag and a high purity iron began in 1950
and this plant became a leading source
of rawmaterial for the titaniumdioxide
pigment industry. The market for this
pigment developed rapidly in subse-
quent decades to a multimillion ton per
year business, with additional sources
from TiO2-rich beach sands deposits
around the world.
Themarket for titaniummetal
never really took off in themanner that
was originally expected, largely due to
the difficulty and expense of extraction
and fabrication. QIT, nowRio Tinto, Fer
et Titane, supplies various grades of TiO2
slag to the worldwide pigment industry
as well as high purity iron for ductile iron
castings, high purity steel billets, and iron
and steel powders. Upgraded slag with
~95%TiO2 content is sold to pigment
producers using the chloride process and
to titaniummetal producers.
Joseph Capus, ASM Life Member
We welcome all comments and sugges-
tions. Send letters to
.
TITANIUM: THE OXIDE IS THEMAIN STORY
of disciplines and jobs, possessing ev-
erything from a non-degree certificate
to a Ph.D. What is typically called the
STEM workforce is actually a complex
aggregate of sub-workforces. Each has
its own unique makeup based on occu-
pation, education level, geography, sec-
tor, and a host of other factors. Broad
generalizations fail to capture this com-
plexity, according to analysts.
“The report’s take-home message
is that STEM knowledge and skills en-
able both individual opportunity and
national competitiveness,” says NSB
Chairman Dan Arvizu. “Ensuring access
to high quality education and training
experiences for all students at all levels
and for all workers at all career stages
is absolutely essential.” To read the full
report, visit