“When I first started working with the university in 2013 as a student, I was blessed with the opportunity to work with a brand-new 3D sand printer,” said Bryant. “I didn't realize just how important this would be for my career. In 2014, after working with the equipment for about a year, I gave my first presentation about additive manufacturing of sand at a conference in Minneapolis covering the basics. I was very surprised to see upwards of 150 attendees, and the buzz around this new technology was palpable. A lot of the attendees that I met there are still my friends to this day. That research and the subsequent projects we've done in additive manufacturing have really made a difference in the way we make castings. I'm very honored to receive an award, but the real reward is seeing the technology adopted throughout our industry.”

The Technical Achievement Award will be presented to Bryant as part of the Volunteer Leadership Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, April 23, at the 128th Metalcasting Congress in Milwaukee.

“Nate has shown an extraordinary ability to push the boundaries of technology in the foundry industry,” said Jerry Thiel, director of the UNI Metal Casting and Foundry 4.0 Centers. “Starting with a strong foundry materials background he’s been a large part of the center’s research activities. His work with IoT process sensors and machine learning is already changing how the industry makes castings. I look forward to even greater accomplishments in the future.”