February 5, 2004

Boise State Welding Instructor Wins National Award

Juan Martinez, a welding instructor in the Selland College of Applied Technology at Boise State University, has been selected for a national award. The American Welding Society (AWS) named Martinez winner of the Image of Welding educator award. The award will be presented during the American Welding Society national convention in Chicago April 6-8. Martinez was recognized for work he did with Boise State students and at-risk youth from Canyon County. He worked with local school districts and the Boys and Girls Club of Nampa to identify students to help with the Building Bridges Community Art Project. The culmination was a metal archway sculpture that was installed at Indian Creek in Caldwell’s Pioneer Park last summer. “This award is the result of what different communities can accomplish together,” Martinez said. “The arches in Caldwell represent this. “They also represent the new image of welding,” he said. “The welding trade as a whole is emerging from the depths of the old school mentality that welding has no artistic merit.” Divided into seven categories, the AWS awards recognize individuals and organizations that have excelled in promoting the image of welding in their communities, according to Amy Nathan, AWS communications and public relations manager. “Juan’s inspirational leadership transformed the students into welding advocates and proud fabricators of a beautiful local bridge-arch,” Nathan noted in an AWS press release. The project was funded by the Idaho Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and managed by Caldwell Fine Arts and the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho. Martinez will attend the national convention along with some of his students, who will help create a piece of metal art to take to Chicago. The American Welding Society (AWS) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to advancing the science, technology and application of materials joining. Headquartered in Miami, AWS serves almost 50,000 members in the United States and around the world.   Contact                              Juan Martinez Boise State Selland College of Applied Technology 426-1732 jmartinez@boisestate.edu Media Contact Sherry Squires Boise State communications and marketing 426-1563 ssquires@boisestate.edu