University Programs

AISC Innovation Scholar

AISC is excited to welcome Josh Schultz and Ashley Thrall as the inaugural Innovation Scholars!

Joshua Schultz

Joshua Schultz, PE, PhD, LEED AP
Associate Professor
Gonzaga University

Joshua Schultz entered the AEC world with visions of becoming an architect, but he has found his fit in academia after nearly a decade at Gonzaga University. Hear about Schultz's career in his own words in the Field Notes podcast.

Ashley Thrall

Ashley Thrall, PhD
Myron and Rosemary Noble Associate Professor of Structural Engineering
University of Notre Dame

When she discovered engineering after college, Thrall quickly immersed herself in the field. Now she's a respected researcher who runs a cutting-edge campus laboratory! Learn more about Thrall and her career in the Field Notes podcast.

About the Program

Educators: Join AISC for a two-week summer residency to get an inside look at all things steel at our Chicago headquarters!

AISC’s new Innovation Scholar program is designed to boost collaboration on a steel-focused project (TBD based on Innovation Scholar’s goals and Institute needs, in collaboration with the Scholar’s home institution and academic department).

In addition to fully reimbursed travel to and from Chicago, fully reimbursed lodging in downtown Chicago, and a stipend for meals, the Scholar will receive a $5,000 stipend from the AISC Education Foundation. Depending on timing and availability, the Scholar may also join tours, site visits, committee meetings, or other related events. And if you’ve never been to Chicago in the summer…well, suffice it to say that Chicago summers are what convince us to put up with Chicago winters!

Requirements for application:

Applications for the summer 2024 program are now closed. Stay tuned for information about the next opportunity to participate.

  • Employment at a U.S.-based institution of higher education
  • Teaching and/or research duties in civil engineering, architectural engineering, construction engineering/management, structural engineering, or a closely related field
  • The candidate will preferably be the instructor for undergraduate and/or graduate steel design coursework, and preferably have taught these courses at least once
  • Ability to join AISC in the Chicago headquarters for a continuous two-week period

For more information, contact Christopher Raebel, AISC's vice president of engineering and research, at raebel@aisc.org.


About AISC 

The American Institute of Steel Construction, headquartered in Chicago, is a non-partisan, not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC's mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building activities, including specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, market development, and advocacy. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information. 

The Innovation Scholar is not an employee of AISC and will be considered an independent contractor for employment and tax purposes.