Cameras were rolling this week inside the University of Northern Iowa metal casting facilities as a national video crew visited campus.

Hosted by the Steel Founders' Society of America, the “Cast in Steel” competition challenges college teams from across the country to design, cast and battle-test fully functional steel creations. The competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, aims to generate excitement about manufacturing careers and highlight programs preparing the next generation of industry leaders.

“That’s really what the competition is about – getting students excited about manufacturing again,” said videographer Christian Monckeberg, who has covered the competition for seven years.  

Co-videographer Cory Miller highlighted UNI’s new engineering facilities and collaboration with industry partners, which give students real-world experience beyond the classroom.

“University of Northern Iowa has a fantastic facility for students,” Miller said. “The professors really care about them and their education, and they really have a lot of hands-on experiences with them. That’s really what these types of facilities are all about – getting your hands dirty and really getting in there. It’s not just going to a classroom and hearing a professor speak. It’s really getting that hands-on experience, and the University of Northern Iowa is doing a great job of that.”

For students involved in the project, that hands-on experience is what makes the difference. 

“With having all the hands-on projects that we’ve been doing, it really has helped use the things we are learning in the classroom and actually apply it to the projects we’re doing,” said UNI student Austin Wildeboer, who's from Waterloo, Iowa.

Wildeboer, who works part-time at Deere designing parts for casting, said the connection between coursework and industry is immediate.

“I’ve been designing parts that are for casting, so it helps me take what I’ve learned already in the classroom, and I’ve already immediately applied it to composition,” he said.

Fellow student Mehmet Aydin said faculty and Metal Casting Center staff play a key role in helping students build those industry connections. Aydin is the president of UNI's chapter of the American Foundry Society.

“The first thing is the faculty members, the professors, and also Metal Casting Center staff are very helpful to build those connections and network,” he said.

Wildeboer added that the support system within the program is critical.

“It really just helps having people that want you to do these projects,” he said. “Obviously, we would not be doing this project without faculty helping organize it. It just really helps having them as a support system.”

The segment featuring UNI is expected to air later this spring. In addition to national recognition from the video series, the “Cast in Steel” competition also includes a cash award for the winning team.