AISC is honoring more than 180 structural steel fabricators and erectors with a Safety Award for their outstanding safety records in 2023.

The majority of this year’s Safety Award recipients will get the Safety Award of Honor, AISC's top safety honor.

"Avoiding accidents is not an accident," said AISC Senior Director of Engineering Tom Schlafly. "Structural steel fabrication shops and construction sites are busy places with many activities occurring simultaneously. Skill, experience, and planning are required to accomplish those activities safely. AISC is proud of those companies whose employees worked through 2023 with few or no Days Away, Restricted, or Transfer (DART) injuries."

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The AISC Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Degenkolb Engineers’ Ahmad Hassan has received the second-ever Reidar Bjorhovde Outstanding Young Professional Award.

Hassan graduated from the University of California, Davis, with his PhD in structural engineering in December 2022. Shortly thereafter, he went to work at Degenkolb Engineers.

He will kick off his upcoming year of steel industry exposure in March at NASCC: The Steel Conference, where he will receive recognition and connect with industry leaders and peers. Later this year, Hassan will visit a structural steel mill and fabrication shop to get an up-close look at the process before joining AISC at its November Task Committee meetings in Chicago.

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AISC will present the J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award--which recognizes the pre-eminent steel designers of their era--to bridge industry legend Michael A. Grubb, PE, executive director at M.A. Grubb & Assoc., LLC.

Grubb is just the 13th person to receive the Kimbrough Award since 1941. Previous recipients include Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Fazlur R. Khan, Leslie E. Robertson, John Kulicki, and, most recently, David I. Ruby.

"It’s hard to overstate Mike's contribution to American infrastructure over his career," said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "He's been a relentless contributor, and nobody can communicate the big picture and the details behind it better. AISC is proud to recognize his accomplishments."

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Jim Harris, W&W | AFCO Steel's senior vice president for bridge contracts, died February 6 while on a business trip in Alabama. He was 63.

Harris was a regular presenter at National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) steel bridge forums throughout the country. He also frequently spoke at the World Steel Bridge Symposium, held annually at NASCC: The Steel Conference. He represented W&W | AFCO at many steel bridge industry meetings and was an involved industry partner.

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The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) will hold its Convention and Trade Show April 2-5, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. at The Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa. The event will feature several education sessions, networking opportunities, the George R. Pocock Memorial Golf Tournament, a pickleball tournament, and more.

“Attending and exhibiting at SEAA’s convention is an investment in time and money, but members tell us that participation makes it possible to meet people and learn about industry trends and products that will shape your company for the future,” said Kathy Epperson, SEAA events and digital content manager.

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In the light-filled rotunda of the Milwaukee School of Engineering's (MSOE) Grohmann Museum, eight stained-glass windows tell an evolutionary story. Each colorful panel depicts a gritty moment in industrial history, from early blacksmithing and quarrying to one of the first iterations of metallurgical engineering--and each echoes a masterwork housed in the museum's galleries.

"These works are at once fine art and documents of the history of technology," Museum Director James Kieselburg said. "We can see exactly what iron smelting looked like in 1600."

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Everyone is talking about collaboration these days, but is everyone on your project team defining it the same way?

AISC and AIA Contract Documents have just released the second part of a document intended to provide guidance for three common strategies: informal involvement, design assist, and delegated design. Part II focuses on the implementation of design assist in the fabricated structural steel industry.

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Duane Miller, the leading authority on structural welding and a previous recipient of the AISC Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence recipient, has added another honor to his already lengthy list: membership in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Miller was elected on February 6 in recognition of his contributions to engineering “for design, fabrication, and performance of welded structural steel connections and for contributions to welding education.” He will be inducted during a ceremony at the NAE Annual Meeting September 29 to 30, 2024.

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A stunning steel space frame to kickstart a day of adventure. A series of glass boxes that seem to hang in the sky while uniting a community. A sustainable shade system that uses steel tubes for water capture.

These three projects are finalists for AISC’s 2024 Forge Prize. One of these projects will win $10,000. But which one?

The Forge Prize, established by The American Institute of Steel Construction in 2018, recognizes visionary emerging architects, architecture educators, and graduate students for design concepts that embrace innovations in steel as a primary structural component. The three finalists now move to the final stage, which features a live presentation of their ideas on youtube.com/@aisc.

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A draft of the next edition of the AISC Specification for Safety-Related Steel Structures for Nuclear Facilities (AISC N690) is available for public review until March 18, 2024. This is a planned revision to the 2018 edition of the standard and will supersede the 2018 version.

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Innovation abounds in the steel bridge industry, but eight recent bridges rise above the rest.

The American Institute of Steel Construction and the National Steel Bridge Alliance are recognizing these eight bridges with 2024 Prize Bridge Awards--the structural steel industry’s highest design honor for bridges.

"Steel bridges have connected American communities for centuries," said NSBA Senior Director for Market Development Jeff Carlson, PE. "This year’s Prize Bridge Award winners continue that proud tradition and showcase the innovation--at all scales, from showcase bridges to local lifelines--that will keep Americans moving for centuries to come."

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Gerdau has improved how it powers one of its biggest U.S. mills while making steel even more sustainable.

The company recently completed the construction of a solar farm next to its steel mill in Midlothian, Texas. The plant started providing power to the steel mill in summer 2023 and was built in partnership with 174 Power Global, a leading solar energy company, and TotalEnergies, a global multi-energy company.

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Project teams across the country continue to push the boundaries with structural steel. This year, there are six projects that you need to know about.

They’re this year’s winners of the structural steel industry’s highest design honor: the Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (or IDEAS²) Awards, presented by the American Institute of Steel Construction.

"In previous years, the jury has considered projects in budget-based categories, but innovation comes in projects of all scales and sizes," said AISC Senior Vice President Scott Melnick. "This year's jury set out to find the projects that take full advantage of the specific benefits like sustainability, cost, speed, reliability, and resilience that make structural steel the best choice for designers--and they succeeded."

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Renowned engineering professor and researcher Wallace Sanders, PhD, died January 6. He was 90.

Sanders taught in the Iowa State University Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering for 34 years until his retirement in 1998. He was a passionate advocate for engineering education, with an emphasis on steel bridge design. He had many roles during his Iowa State tenure: professor; associate professor; assistant and associate director of the Engineering Research Institute for 11 years; associate dean of the College of Engineering for three years; director of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium for four years; and interim assistant vice provost for research and graduate students.

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At engineering firms, fabrication shops, and erectors across the country, new project managers are tackling novel challenges every day.

AISC’s new three-year Career Accelerator Program with Steel (or CAPS) is designed to help them hone their leadership skills while building valuable connections with other project managers throughout the structural steel industry.

Applications for the inaugural cohort are due February 15, 2024.

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After 30 years of working in membership strategy, Charmaine Osborne knows what draws people in, what brings them together, and what keeps them around.

And she has brought that experience to her role as AISC’s new membership director, providing fresh insights on how AISC can connect with its members and best serve their needs.

Charmaine joins us from the American Society for Health Care Engineering of the American Hospital Association, where she spearheaded membership programs and served as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council. Just two weeks into her new role at AISC, Charmaine sat down with Kate Duby, AISC’s communications content specialist, to share her thoughts on membership, what she’s most looking forward to, and more.

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San Antonio is the place to be this March for everyone involved in the design or construction of steel buildings and bridges!

Register today to get the best price on the industry’s top education event, featuring more than 250 sessions full of must-have practical information that you can implement as soon as you get home, an exhibit hall packed with more than 280 innovations you need to know about right now, and a chance to network with thousands of the nation’s preeminent designers, fabricators, erectors, and educators! The 2024 NASCC: The Steel Conference, scheduled for March 20-22 in San Antonio, is expected to attract nearly 7,000 participants.

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Engineering icon Charles Thornton died December 12 following a brief illness. He was 83.

Thornton’s career in structural engineering spanned more than 60 years, and its highlights included serving as chair and CEO of Thornton Tomasetti and founding the ACE Mentor Program of America. He retired from Thornton Tomasetti in 2004, but held an advisory role for several years afterward. He also served as chairman of the Charles H. Thornton Company, LLC, a management and strategic consulting firm, following his retirement from Thornton Tomasetti.

“Charlie Thornton was driven to succeed,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “He did so in many ways, but the most poignant one for me comes from the story he told me about how he used to dislike public speaking. He didn’t just overcome that—he became a generational voice in our profession.”

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AISC has awarded the 2024 Milek Fellowship to a researcher working toward bringing automation to the steel design process.

Mohannad Z. (M.Z.) Naser of Clemson University has earned the fellowship, which is given out annually by the AISC Committee on Research, for his research proposal “SteelGPT: Automating Structural Design of Steel Structures.” Naser aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create a virtual assistant named SteelGPT that will help enhance the steel design process.

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Nucor has unveiled a plan for reaching net-zero emissions within 30 years.

The company announced Nov. 13 a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas output by 2050 and an interim target for 2030, aligning with the Global Steel Climate Council’s (GSCC) “Steel Climate Standard” similar target date for emissions reduction across the steel industry.

The targets include scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions from hot-rolled steel production as defined by the GSCC. In setting them, Nucor became the first diversified steelmaker in the U.S. to establish greenhouse gas reduction targets across all three scopes. The new targets are more rigorous than Nucor’s 2021 goals, which called for a 35 percent reduction in steel mill scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas intensity by 2030.

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An I-95 overpass in northern Philadelphia has opened with permanent lanes about five months after it collapsed due to a tanker fire.

Six lanes--three on each side--paved over steel girders reopened to traffic Nov. 6, marking the completion of the first of two phases to repair the overpass near Cottman Avenue that partially collapsed June 11 when a tanker lost control while exiting the highway, crashed under the bridge, and caught fire. The crash collapsed the six northbound lanes and rendered the six southbound ones unsound.

High Steel Structures was tapped as the fabricator for the new bridge in the days following the crash. It fabricated 16 106- to 108-ft girders, the first of which arrived on site in late August. Eight of those support the newly constructed lanes, which opened ahead of schedule.

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Two notable structural engineering firms are combining forces.

San Francisco-based Degenkolb Engineers and Michigan-based Ruby+Associates announced a purchase agreement and acquisition that took effect Nov. 1. Degenkolb will take on Ruby+Associates' 55 employees and, with the acquisition, now has more than 330 employees in 10 offices across the country.

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An anonymous donor has contributed $50,000 to the AISC Education Foundation in Steve’s honor. The Steven J. Fenves Scholarship will help develop the next generation of inspired designers and innovative thinkers.

The Education Foundation is trying to double the impact of that generous donation by raising an additional $50,000. AISC scholarships lighten the load for students, allowing them to spend more time focusing on their studies and giving them a head start in life after graduation.

Fenves noted that funding like this provides freedom to let students focus and start their adult lives with less debt. “This scholarship is an immediate, enormous help to young people to free themselves from the constraints of loans and concentrate on doing what they want to do,” he said. “I feel honored that this scholarship was established. And I feel envious of the young people who get it, because it’s really an accelerated path to their future that they wouldn’t have otherwise."

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Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) CEO Ron Klemencic received a prestigious award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this month.

ASCE presented Klemencic with the 2023 Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research at its annual conference Oct. 20 in Chicago. The organization recognized Klemencic for his leadership roles at the MKA Foundation and the Charles Pankow Foundation, which support the research and development of innovative advancements in the built environment’s design and construction. Klemencic has been with MKA since 1992.

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Last week, fabricators, the AEC community, and steel fans connected all across the United States to celebrate the strength and vitality of the structural steel industry. Get a glimpse of what your industry peers did at events outside your area--and even relive the fun of an event you attended--with these snapshots of some of our favorite moments from SteelDays 2023!

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Paul Makovsky, editor in chief of ARCHITECT, the Journal of the American Institute of Architects, will join the jury for the American Institute of Steel Construction’s 2024 Forge Prize.

“Paul’s extensive journalism career has given him a unique perspective on how architecture affects how people live in the real world,” said AISC Senior Architect for University Relations Jeanne Homer, AIA. “We’re delighted to have his expert insights as our panel evaluates cutting-edge visions of the future.”

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Samantha Flores, AIA, RID, has made a career out of innovation--so it’s only fitting that she join the jury for the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Forge Prize, a conceptual competition that challenges emerging architects, architecture educators, and graduate students to dream big and come up with a vision for the future that capitalizes on the full potential of structural steel.

Flores is the vice president and director of the innovation and research team (Hugo) at Corgan.

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The American Institute of Steel Construction is dedicating the latest edition of its flagship publication, the Steel Construction Manual, to William A. Thornton, PhD, former president of Cives Engineering Corporation and a longtime chair and member of the AISC Committee on Manuals.

"Bill Thornton has served our profession, our industry, and AISC so significantly and so completely that his wisdom and work changed the way steel connections are understood and designed," the Committee wrote in its dedication. "Bill Thornton’s life’s work has affected every connection design in a steel building today, and every engineer who designs a steel connection today uses knowledge and understanding that Bill Thornton contributed to our profession."

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A draft of the next edition of the AISC Specification for Safety-Related Steel Structures for Nuclear Facilities (AISC N690) is now available for public review and comment.

The 2024 update of N690 will supersede the 2018 version.

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The New York Times once described Reed Kroloff, Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture dean and Rowe Family College of Architecture Endowed Chair, as “the man with the list at architecture’s party.”

After more than a quarter-century of experience in architecture, urbanism, and design, he knows innovation when he sees it--and this year, he’ll apply that knowledge as a juror for the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Forge Prize, a conceptual competition that challenges emerging architects, architecture educators, and graduate students to dream big and come up with a vision for the future that capitalizes on the full potential of structural steel.

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Hollie Noveletsky, a member of the AISC Board of Directors and president/CEO of Novel Iron Works in Greenland, N.H., is running for the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District of New Hampshire in 2024. (For more information, visit her campaign website).

Novel Iron Works was started by Noveletsky’s father in 1956, and she has worked full-time for the company since 1999, after working part-time while in college and graduate school. She joined the AISC Board in 2015 and is also a past chair and current member of the AISC Government Relations Committee. She is the CEO of Novel-affiliated fabricator Rose Steel, also in Greenland, N.H., and previously served as president of the Structural Steel Fabricators of New England.

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The AISC Education Foundation has grown over recent years--and the Board of Directors that manages its operations has grown along with it.

Its membership now reflects additional sectors of the industry--tripling in size. It now comprises five steel fabricators, five engineers, and five educators.

“Looking at the growth in Foundation assets and the scope of its reach into the education and engineering design communities over a decade, I thought it was a good time to expand the size of the Board and include participation from other stakeholders in these communities,” former Chair David Zalesne (Owen Steel Company) said.

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The Steel Bridge Task Force has presented the 2023 Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award to John O’Quinn, president of High Steel Structures, LLC.

The award honors individuals who have made significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for steel bridge supply, production, design, fabrication or construction.

Dan Synder, vice president of the construction program at the American Iron and Steel Institute, noted that O’Quinn has provided years of mentoring and guidance to researchers as well as financial and materials support for their research.

“His direct support has enabled significant technological advancements for the steel bridge industry,” said Snyder. “John is highly respected and greatly appreciated by his peers, and it is an honor to recognize his contributions and lasting impact on our industry with the 2023 Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award.”

“John is passionate about steel bridges and strives to improve the entire industry on a daily basis,” said National Steel Bridge Alliance Senior Director of Market Development Jeff Carlson. “I’m thrilled to see him recognized for everything he does.”

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Structural steel designers have a valuable new resource for the design of end-plate moment connections in AISC Steel Design Guide 39, End-Plate Moment Connections, which is now available at aisc.org/dg.

"It's a great addition to the AISC toolbox of publications," said Cives Steel Corporation Chief Engineer Brian Volpe, PE, SE, LEED AP. "The team did a fantastic job unifying Design Guides 4 and 16 and adding the latest research."

The new design guide, written by Virginia Tech's Matthew Eatherton, SE, PhD, and Thomas Murray, PE, PhD, reviews how to use yield line analysis to determine end-plate strength, details design procedures for determining required bolt strength, and provides 15 end-plate moment connection configurations.

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AISC will present Benjamin Schafer, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University with the 2024 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award for "Review of Local Buckling Width-to-Thickness Limits."

"Dr. Schafer's work in the areas of structural stability and local buckling in hot-rolled structural members is consistently outstanding," said AISC Vice President of Engineering and Research Christopher H. Raebel, SE, PE, PhD, "and his reputation as a researcher, professor, and lecturer is similarly remarkable--in fact, the jury's selection was unanimous. It is a privilege to have him represent AISC as a T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award recipient."

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The AISC Board of Directors chose new leadership at its most recent meeting.

Hugh McCaffrey of Southern New Jersey Steel in Vineland, N.J. was elected board chair Sept. 9 at AISC’s annual business meeting, and Glenn Tabolt of STS Steel in Schenectady, N.Y. was elected vice chair.

“Hugh and Glenn both have a long track record of volunteering their knowledge, expertise, and leadership skills to the steel industry,” said Steve Knitter, the board’s immediate past chair. “Their wealth of knowledge in the fabrication industry and their varied regional experience will undoubtedly benefit the Institute. I have full confidence in their ability to provide strong leadership and continue AISC’s mission of advancing the steel construction industry.”

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Arkansas’ government is investing in the future of its steel industry.

The Arkansas Office of Skills Development awarded Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) a $1.2 million grant in August to help create the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp, which is expected to train 500 participants in its first year. The program provides entry-level knowledge for workers entering the steelmaking industry. Graduates of the two-week, 80-hour bootcamp earn OSHA-10 General Industry Certification and first aid/CPR certification. 

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Students around the country are gearing up for another exciting Student Steel Bridge Competition--and AISC and American Society of Civil Engineers have just announced the challenge that they'll have to solve by designing, fabricating, and erecting a scale-model steel bridge!

In this year's hypothetical scenario, Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, La., is considering the addition of a disc golf course with a non-invasive, man-made river as a water hazard. And where there's water, there must be a bridge for players, park employees, and maintenance vehicles to get to the other side. Lincoln Parish Park is one of the most popular in the nation because it's particularly beautiful. This bridge must be aesthetically pleasing, too!

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"Early in my career, Bob was instrumental in teaching me about steel," said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "When I first started at AISC, Bob had just retired. He continued with us as a volunteer, and I was lucky to get assigned to many things he was still involved in. I wasn't alone -- a whole crew of us as staff and volunteers grew up in those years and were better for having Bob to help us. We dedicated the 15th-edition AISC Steel Construction Manual to him, and that dedication was a reflection of how much it meant to all of us."

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The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Steel Design Student Competition.

"The vision of the winning projects demonstrates ingenuity in steel and architectural expression," said AISC Senior Architect Jeanne Homer. "It's clear that the future of design is in good hands!"

The competition recognizes 11 exceptional projects, in two categories, that explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. 

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Schuff founded the Arizona-based steel fabrication and construction company in 1976 with his son, Scott. It started in the family’s home garage and grew into one of the nation's largest fabricators and erectors. Operating out of seven fabrication shops and eight offices, it counts the 2023 AISC IDEAS² Award-winning SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. among its recent major projects. 

“You don’t grow from a family-home start-up into one of the largest fabrication and erection companies in the country without vision, ability, and drive,” said American Institute of Steel Construction President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “Dave exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit of our industry.”

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The AISC Education Foundation is helping 48 students pursue their dreams of attending colleges and universities across the country for the 2023-2024 academic year, awarding more than $211,000 in scholarships.

These scholarships support juniors, seniors, and master’s-level students in civil engineering, architectural engineering, construction engineering, construction management, and architecture programs in the U.S. You can learn more about the AISC Education Foundation and how to help us support students and educators at aisc.org/giving.

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High Steel Structures' role in repairing a destroyed Interstate 95 overpass in Philadelphia drew the attention of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who visited the AISC member fabricator’s shop outside of Lancaster, Pa., on August 7 to laud its work.

Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis toured the plant and signed their names on the first of 16 104-ft girders that will be part of the new I-95 overpass, replacing a bridge that collapsed June 11 when a tanker truck caught fire and exploded underneath it. The extreme heat from the explosion felled the northbound lanes and rendered the southbound ones structurally unsound.

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Research drives tomorrow’s structural steel innovations--and AISC is looking for an outstanding researcher to receive its flagship research fellowship.

Applications for the 2024 Milek Fellowship are due September 15, 2023.

Since 2004, AISC has given a promising non-tenured university faculty member the AISC Milek Fellowship (formerly the AISC Faculty Fellowship), a four-year, $50,000-per-year award.

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If you’ve visited Amsterdam in the last two years, you might have strolled across a particularly noteworthy steel landmark: the first 3D-printed bridge.

The challenge now: Can 3D printing be an attractive, economically viable option for large-scale structural steel projects?

Ryan Sherman, PE, PhD, of the Georgia Institute of Technology is working to answer that question--and that research has garnered him the American Institute of Steel Construction’s 2023 Milek Fellowship.

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AISC has released several new free resources to complement the hot-off-the-presses 16th edition of its Steel Construction Manual for download at aisc.org/16thedition.

These additional materials include the v16.0 Manual Companion, v16.0 Shapes Database, v16.0H Historic Shapes Database, Basic Design Values Cards, and an Interactive Reference List. 

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For the last five years, the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Forge Prize has challenged emerging architects to dream up an inspiring vision of the future--and the 2024 competition is now accepting entries from a broader pool of designers than previous iterations.

The basic question is simple: What will the future look like? What will people build with? Where will they live, work, and play? And this year, we’re asking not only practicing architects but also educators and graduate students to consider an answer.

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The 16th edition of AISC’s Steel Construction Manual is now available at aisc.org/publications.

The Manual is the authoritative reference for professionals who design, fabricate, and build with structural steel.

“The Steel Construction Manual has been the gold standard for structural steel design and construction for almost a century--and the 16th edition’s gleaming cover just underscores its role as the go-to reference for industry professionals around the world,” said AISC Director of Manuals Margaret Matthew.

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Five trade associations representing the American steel industry today urged the Treasury Department to ensure that certain wind and solar components use steel made in the United States to qualify for the domestic content bonus tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The agency is responsible for implementing the guidance for clean electricity production and investment tax credits from the IRA.

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AISC Director of Workforce Development Jennifer Traut-Todaro, SE, LEED AP, will take on additional leadership responsibilities next year: president of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI).

Traut-Todaro began her tenure as president-elect earlier this month and will officially begin her term as president July 1, 2024.

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