AISC is presenting a two-hour continuing education course, “Sustainability and Multistory Residential: Structural Steel Framing Solutions,” at AIA Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dinner will be provided.

Fourteen leaders from across the structural steel design, construction and academic community will receive distinguished awards from AISC at the 2016 NASCC: The Steel Conference (April 13-15 in Orlando). 

Forty-five young architects toured the construction site of Chicago’s new River Point office tower last week, hosted by AISC on behalf of the Young Architects Forum of Chicago.

Congratulations to our sole winner: Jeff Rodeheaver, detailing manager for SWF Industrial, Inc., Wrightsville, Pa.! 

Construction employment increased in 243 out of 358 metro areas between January 2015 and January 2016, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released last week by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Employment in the sector was unchanged in 43 areas and declined in 72.

Public voting is open until April 1 for the fourth annual Architizer A+ Awards in the Popular Choice category. The awards program honors the best architecture, spaces and products across the globe.

For students and teachers, NASCC: The Steel Conference can serve as a spring break of sorts--albeit one where steel, not sand and sun, is the focus. In addition to the nearly 150 specialized sessions on buildings and bridges that will take place at the Steel Conference (April 13-15 in Orlando), special educational opportunities are also available for students and educators. 

The first steel roof truss for the new Detroit Events Center was lifted into place last week. 

Fernando Friás, longtime president of the Mexican Institute of Steel Construction (IMCA), passed away on March 8 at the age of 90. 

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is seeking licensed structural engineers to participate in a professional activities and knowledge study (also known as PAKS) for its Structural Engineering exam. 

More than 70 structural steel facilities are being honored with an AISC Safety Award for their excellent records of safety performance in 2015. 

If you’re a steel bridge professional interested in exchanging ideas with others in the industry, you should consider attending the next AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration meeting, to be held in Virginia Beach, Va., May 3-5 at the Wyndham Virginia Beach. 

A new, taller Ferris wheel was recently installed at Chicago’s Navy Pier. The nearly 200-ft wheel will open on May 27 and kick off the city’s Centennial Celebration. 

The 2016 ASCE/AISC National Student Steel Bridge Competition (NSSBC) is underway! The season kicks off with three regional competitions being held today through Saturday and 15 more to follow in late March through April, culminating with the national competition over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. 

To help keep participants informed about program updates and changes, AISC Certification has released Certification Bulletin 2016-1: Current Participant Conversion to Standard Based Erector Certification Program. The bulletin is available at www.aisc.org/certification.

New York City’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub, also known as the Oculus, partially opened to the public last week. 

This week is Women in Construction Week (March 6-12), a national celebration of women’s achievements in the construction industry. Organized by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), the event is dedicated to raising awareness of the opportunities available for women in construction and emphasizing the growing role of women in the trades. 

Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50, sets NFL records for seismic design and timely completion. 

The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) is collaborating with Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), a nonprofit organization that builds footbridges in isolated communities across the world, to travel to the hamlet of Lura, in Churuquita Grande, Coclé, Panama April 9 to 22. The team will build a 51-m (about 168 ft) suspension bridge across the Lura River to replace the existing bridge. With the new infrastructure, 500 people will be connected to vital services such as healthcare, jobs and markets and nearly 200 children will be given the opportunity to attend school through the rainy season. 

The remnants from a brutal 27-year civil war in the southern African country of Angola are still littered throughout its capital city, Luanda. Under a new project, an abundance of scrap metal from decommissioned tanks and weaponry is being collected and recycled into steel at the country’s first steel mill — and the largest in west and central Africa. 

Architects and engineers will receive a comprehensive introduction to blast-resistance design of steel buildings by joining AISC’s two-part webinar series on March 17 and 24.