David Twitty, a professor in the welding technology department, was recently named the national winner of the Dalton E. Hamilton Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) award.
The American Welding Society (AWS) sponsors the award for those inspectors who enhance public awareness and opinion of both the welding society and the CWI program and for those who have made an outstanding contribution to the science of welding inspection. Twitty was awarded after nomination by his peers. He has been a welding technology instructor at Doña Ana Community College (DACC) for 23 years.
“To be so honored nationally speaks volumes of David’s professionalism, and dedication to the science of welding,” said Saundra Castillo, Dean of the Advanced Technology Division. “David is a great example of our nationally accredited instructors at the community college as they have more certifications as well as teaching and welding experience than any other program in the Southwest.”
The welding faculty have more than 74 years of cumulative teaching experience and together have earned more than 190 welding certifications using five different welding processes. These instructors have more than 150 years of combined experience in the aerospace, pressure vessel, nuclear component, and general fabrication industries.
Twitty graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Welding Engineering Technology from Arizona State University in 1992. He was inducted into Tau Alpha Pi, the national honor society for engineering technology students, was a test technician, test driver and test engineer all while attending the university. Twitty has experience in oilfield equipment manufacturing, fabrication of pressure vessels and nuclear components and has earned more than 50 welding certifications.
“I am stunned and humbled to know that I was selected from more than 40,000 AWS CWIs in the world,” Twitty said. “I had been nominated before, but am truly honored to receive this award as it has only been given since 2009.”
Twitty has been a CWI since June 1980 and a senior CWI since 1999. He has mentored 11 people who became CWIs including nine program graduates and seven instructors. In addition he is a certified welding educator and has helped eight DACC instructors receive their certification as welding educators.
DACC students in the welding program learn to weld steels, stainless steels, and aluminum alloy plate and pipe with five welding processes. They also learn basic fabrication skills, oxy-fuel cutting, plasma cutting, and aircarbon arc cutting. The DACC program is one of a handful nationwide that has an orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG) unit that allows students to join tubing as small as one-quarter inch in diameter. Students are also taught blueprint reading, welding symbols and basic heat treating of steel. Since Twitty came to DACC there have been almost 5,500 welder performance qualification tests for students.
The DACC welding laboratory was designated as an AWS Accredited Test Facility in 2013 and was recently reaccredited.
Twitty will receive his award at an AWS luncheon in Chicago in November during the yearly national AWS Fabtech show.
