May 29, 2008

Malcolm Blair, vice president of technology at the Steel Founders' Society of America (SFSA) in Crystal Lake, Ill., has received the Award of Merit from ASTM International Committee A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys. The ASTM Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow is the highest organizational honor for individual contributions to standards activities.

The committee honored Blair "for outstanding leadership in the integration and management of ferroalloy specifications and in past chairmanship of Subcommittee A01.18 on Castings; for exemplary leadership chairing Subcommittee A01.95 on USA Committee for International Standardization of Steel; and for leadership on the innovative development of SI standards for methods of testing of steel."

An ASTM International member since 1989, Blair works on several A01 subcommittees and is the current chair of A01.95. His work as a subcommittee chair and task group leader has increased participation in Committee A01 and promoted the international acceptance of ASTM steel standards. For his contributions, he received the Committee A01 Award of Appreciation in 2001. In addition to A01, he also serves on Committees E07 on Nondestructive Testing and G01 on Corrosion of Metals.

After graduating with honors from the University of Manchester in Manchester, England, with a B.Sc. in metallurgy, Blair joined the staff at IMI Titanium in Birmingham, England, as project officer. He went on to hold various management and technical director positions at Duport Steel Works, APV Paramount, Duraloy Technologies Inc. and Delray Steel Casting before assuming his current position at SFSA in 1991. His career has focused on metal production, including research and quality control and assistance.

In addition to ASTM International, Blair is a member of the American Foundry Society, the American Welding Society, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Release #7989