The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) recently named Dan Snyder as its new vice president of the construction program. Snyder has been a part of the program for 25 years, most recently serving as AISI’s senior director of business development.

In his time at AISI, Snyder has played an integral role in several successful outreach initiatives. He was part of the team that launched the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) in 2007, and he spearheaded the BuildSteel marketing initiative to raise industry awareness of the benefits of cold-formed steel framing. Snyder also guided the creation of AISI’s implementation directives for metal roofing, metal wall panels, and steel utility poles.

The city of Franklin, Tenn., is long-known for its vibrant, nature-complementary streetscapes that play host to crowded festivals and parades every year. Many of its bridges incorporate shared aesthetic features that allow them to meld fluidly into their surrounding green spaces--a unique challenge for a team of Alfred Benesch & Company engineers selected to design and build an access road and bridge as part of a new park development in Franklin.

Project manager Nitaya Chayangkura, who was recently awarded an AISC Award of Distinction for her work on the Southeast Park Access Road and Bridge project, recalled that city officials had very specific requirements for the bridge’s aesthetics, with a particular focus on the shape and railings--it needed to draw visual interest. “That’s where steel design came in,” Chayangkura said. 

For the second year in a row, student engineers from the University of Florida took first place in the Student Steel Bridge Competition.

This year, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) challenged students across North America to design, analyze, fabricate, and construct a conceptual scaled steel bridge to serve as a hypothetical crossing in the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge.

The conceptual bridge would allow users to access trails on both sides of Sweetwater River and also provide better access for park service vehicles. It would be able to support the weight of pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians as well as maintenance and park vehicles. This is a wildlife refuge, so engineers would have to respect the existing habitat--no construction activity could take place within the river.

The latest versions of two AISC seismic standards, AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 341-22) and AISC Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames for Seismic Applications (ANSI/AISC 358-22), are now available. 

The documents and accompanying commentary can be downloaded for free at aisc.org/standards.

Both documents will be printed in and provide the basis for the guidelines in the forthcoming 4th edition Seismic Design Manual, which is currently scheduled for publication next year.