It was a great night for Dr. Zee as he stepped up to the podium to receive the Colonel George C. Cox award and to recognize those who have worked tirelessly through the years to a establish the Appalachian Underground Corrosion Short Course held at West Virginia University (AUCSC).  As the Erickson Alumni Center only holds about 150 people of so, many who had attended to honor Dr. Zee and support his involvement at the AUCSC as an educator, mentor, friend and associate had to stand as he gave his acceptance speech for this very prestigious award.  Although the training program was originally designed to train technicians in the methods used to inspect, assess and identify below grade pipelines at risk of failure due to corrosion, this outstanding program is now considering providing training courses to those in need in various other industries.  On behalf of all Matcoites please join us in congratulating Dr. Zee and wishing him continued success for many years to come.    

About the Col. George C. Cox Award:  The award is named in honor of the late Col. George C. Cox, a pioneer of the Appalachian Underground Corrosion Short Course (AUCSC).  This excellent program has provided quality corrosion control education for the past 50+ years. The AUCSC is organized to provide both technical and non-technical presentations of the practical and theoretical aspects of the causes of corrosion, instrumentation, corrosion surveys, cathodic protection, below grade coatings, and miscellaneous methods of corrosion control. For the past 15 years, minimum, Dr. Zee has provided training in corrosion engineering and materials analysis to employees, students and vendors within these industries.

The short course is held each May and provides ongoing training for Corrosion Technicians, Field Supervisors, Engineers, and Managers in the field of Corrosion Technology. The AUCSC is the oldest and most respected corrosion control short course in the nation and it has served as the training ground for thousands of employees and vendors of the Oil and Gas Industry, Telecommunication, and Electric Power Industry.