When Morrow Steel welder Matthew Brooks clocks out at the end of a long shift, he doesn’t leave his passion for metalworking at the door. It materializes in the form of fire pits, plant stands, and other ornamental projects welded by hand for his family.

“I don’t know if it’s just the primal thing that happens when you see fire, but I love welding––structural or ornamental,” Brooks says. “I just love it. I go into a meditative flow state, and before I know it, my ten-hour shift is over.”

Brooks entered the workforce during a nationwide financial crisis 17 years ago and found himself stuck for more than a decade in a career he wasn’t passionate about. Now 34 and a new father, Brooks is finally pursuing the path he always wanted––a stable and fulfilling career in the skilled trades.

AISC is honoring more than 180 structural steel fabricators and erectors for their outstanding safety records in 2023. And the majority of this year’s Safety Award recipients will get the Safety Award of Honor, AISC's top safety honor--79% of them, to be precise, up from 71% last year.

"Structural steel fabrication shops and construction sites are busy places with many activities occurring simultaneously," AISC Senior Director of Engineering Tom Schlafly said. "Skill, experience, and planning are required to accomplish those activities safely. Avoiding accidents is not an accident. AISC is proud of those companies whose employees worked through 2024 with few or no Days Away, Restricted, or Transfer (DART) injuries."

Architecture students spend plenty of time in the studio, but it’s rare for them to see their designs spring into life.

Thanks to grants from the AISC Education Foundation, four classes of university students will get a chance to bring their designs into the real world! They are all part of a design-build studio where they will design and help fabricate steel by collaborating with fabricators, engineers, and community and campus leaders.

"Design-build studios are taught in many architecture schools, but they focus on wood construction and the logistics are difficult," said AISC Architecture Education Manager Jeanne Homer, who taught architecture at Oklahoma State University for almost two decades. "We are providing them the rare opportunity to work with steel and interact directly with fabricators. Going through the whole process gives students a unique insight into how materials behave in the real world--a definite advantage when they are designing."

An AISC-sponsored research project focused on speed has secured a grant to support its next steps.

The Charles Pankow Foundation awarded a $400,000 grant to the FastFloor research project, a modular floor framing and diaphragm system for commercial building structures. FastFloor is a primary steel panelized system that’s fabricated mostly offsite and can be erected 30% to 50% faster than a traditional concrete-on-metal-deck floor system. It was launched as part of AISC’s 2019 Need for Speed initiative, which aimed to design and construct steel buildings 50% faster by 2025 (a goal the industry achieved ahead of schedule!).

A draft of the next edition of the AISC Specification for Structural Stainless Steel Buildings (AISC 370) is now available for public review and comment.

The next edition of AISC 370 will supersede the 2021 version and is anticipated to be finalized later this year.

This draft of the standard includes proposed updates to the proportioning of pin-connected members, a change to the determination of design thickness for tubes and other sections, and revised inelastic design requirements.

John Linn, the former president of the National Institute of Steel Detailing (NISD) and a practicing professional for nearly five decades, died March 6 at the age of 83.

"The NISD lost an industry icon," said Kerri Olsen, NISD’s current president. "John had been involved with the NISD for so long and had done so much for the steel detailing community we remain shocked by the news that he is no longer with us."

A design concept that turns unused space in dense urban neighborhoods into new communities has taken the top award in the American Institute of Steel Construction’s 2025 Forge Prize.

Architect Ho-gyeum Kim of CZS tapped into the potential for rear yards of single-family homes to meet New York's housing demands. A modular system based on the average rowhouse lot width could bring duplex units with semi-private outdoor areas. Kim partnered with Ralph Barone of Barone Steel in Brooklyn, N.Y. to optimize the design.

"It shows how structural steel is critical to unlocking buildable space in dense urban settings within New York and further afield," said juror Matthew Marani, special sections editor for Architectural Record.

A draft of the next edition of the AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (AISC 341) is now available for public review and comment.

The next edition of AISC 341 will supersede the 2022 version and is anticipated to be published as a 2027 edition.

The new draft includes updates to the seismic width-to-thickness limits for braces and columns, revised design requirements for special truss moment frames, and changes to the detailing requirements for base connections of composite plate shear wall systems.

David L. Hirschfeld, the former president of Hirschfeld Industries, died February 28 at the age of 88. Under Hirschfeld's leadership, the eponymous firm, which was acquired by W&W | AFCO Steel in 2018, grew to 16 facilities with 1,300 employees and more than 3 million sq. ft. under roof in 2002, when he retired.

"David was bigger than life--you knew when he was in the room," said Karl Frank, PE, PhD, a professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin and the former chief engineer at Hirschfeld Industries. "Upon returning from Texas Tech to the family business, he grew it from a small welding shop to one of the largest steel bridge fabricators in the country. When I asked how he did it, he said he bid each job bigger than the last one."

Hannah Kessler, a PhD student at Georgia Tech, has an exciting year ahead of her.

Kessler is the 2025 recipient of the AISC Education Foundation’s Reidar Bjorhovde Outstanding Young Professional Award. She intends to become a structural engineering faculty member after completing her PhD this spring. Kessler holds a bachelor’s and master of science in civil engineering from Clemson University.

"In addition to Hannah's impressive record of academics, leadership, teaching, and research, Hannah has already taken on an active and impactful role as a mentor to others," said Director of Foundation Programs Maria Mnookin. "Through this award, we are excited to connect Hannah to opportunities, resources, and mentors to further propel her forward in her career as an academic in the steel industry."

Five organizations representing the American steel industry today wrote to President Trump to express strong support for restoring 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and eliminating the exclusion process for that tariff program.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and U.S. OCTG Manufacturers Association (USOMA) today sent a joint letter to the president reiterating the steel industry’s support for steel tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and for "the elimination of the steel Section 232 exclusion process that has been exploited as a loophole by foreign producers seeking to avoid tariffs."

Six women from AISC-member fabricators and erectors are being recognized by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) as part of its 2025 Steel Strong Women in Construction campaign. They are among 17 total honorees, and all will be recognized during the SEAA Convention and Trade Show May 6-9 in Pittsburgh.

Accomplished bridge engineer Frank Russo, PE, PhD, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Steel Bridge Task Force’s Richard S. Fountain Award, which recognizes leadership in steel bridge research and outstanding efforts to advance AASHTO specifications.

"Frank's contributions to steel bridge engineering have been nothing short of extraordinary," said Dan Snyder, vice president of construction for the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). "His advancements in forensic investigations, design provisions, and girder standards have improved the way we approach bridge design and construction. His dedication to education and mentorship--through the development of curricula and his extensive teaching of National Highway Institute courses--has strengthened the knowledge base of the industry and shaped countless engineers."