American Institute of Steel Construction

As steel industry professionals, we all talk about our role in developing the built world--but what about the people we’re building along the way? Schuff Steel Vice President Chris Crosby advocates for prioritizing strong mentorship programs. Visit https://lnkd.in/g9QxD555 for Crosby’s insights and some tips he’s learned from the mentors who helped shape his career. Looking for more? Explore AISC’s full collection of workforce development resources at aisc.org/workforce!

What can you do with a streamlined single-story truss? Support a two-level IDEAS2 Award-winning pedestrian bridge, of course--one that’s particularly sustainable because it uses as little material as possible! The truss lies at each side of the bridge’s top level, while the lower level is hung from hollow structural section (HSS) hangers at the truss panel points. In addition to making the bridge as efficient as possible, this arrangement allows for maximum transparency and light in the bridge’s lower level, which connects public spaces in the two hospital buildings. Head to aisc.org/puzzles for a closer look at the structural steel supporting this sleek Atlanta pedestrian bridge! When you’ve completed the puzzle, find out more about the sustainable innovation that guided the design and construction of the Winship Cancer Institute’s pedestrian bridge at aisc.org/winship-bridge.

School is back in session--and so are three AISC Student Clubs! Hearty welcome to the clubs at Tennessee Technological University, the University of the District of Columbia, and the University of South Florida. If you’re at a U.S. college or university and want to start your own AISC Student Club, all you need is at least three students and a faculty advisor. We’ll provide insurance coverage for official Club activities, tax-exempt status, and the support of AISC staff and our extensive membership network. Visit aisc.org/studentclubs to find out more about the AISC Student Clubs program!

What are you doing during the week of October 14-18? Celebrate America’s structural steel industry alongside us! During SteelDays, AEC professionals, students, educators, and the general public get a rare opportunity to explore the dynamic world of structural steel and witness its vital role in constructing our nation's buildings and bridges. There are plenty of in-person events, but even if you’re stuck in the office all week, there are opportunities for you, too! Attend the Flash Steel Conference (aisc.org/flash) for essential, engaging tidbits of content you can put into play today. Then, on Friday, October 18, join our free webinar on the latest AISC Seismic Design Manual and Provisions! Get the scoop on all things SteelDays at aisc.org/steeldays.

Last week, more than 50 Gonzaga University civil engineering students got the perfect introduction to steel fabrication with a visit to Metals Fabrication Company, Inc. in Airway Heights, Wash.! Their instructor, Associate Professor Joshua Schultz, PE, PhD, LEED AP (a 2024 AISC Innovation Scholar!), organized the trip as part of a construction materials and engineering lab. Between the informative introduction from Metals Fabrication Company CEO and President Todd Weaver and the full shop tour--highlights of which included the robotic welding system and massive 70-ft spanning transfer girder--Schultz said the students were blown away by the experience. “Students learned the importance of coordination with fabricators, suppliers, and erectors as engineers,” Schultz said. “Many of them expressed that they appreciated the chance to see ‘real-world’ steel and that it helped them better understand the concepts being taught in class at Gonzaga.” The AISC Education Foundation is proud to help facilitate field trips like this that help students get up close and personal with the world of structural steel. Visit aisc.org/fieldtripgrants to find out more about the faculty-led field trips program!

*looks at calendar* ?? ?? ?? That’s Monday, folks! Have you worked on one of the best projects in America recently? You have less than a week to enter that project for the 2025 IDEAS2 Awards! Just a handful of projects in the country will receive the structural steel industry's top design honor next year. The IDEAS2 Awards recognize outstanding projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of structural steel in the following areas: engineering excellence, architectural excellence, adaptive reuse, sustainability, and constructability. Winners will be invited to present their project to the industry at the Architecture in Steel conference, which is part of NASCC: The Steel Conference, April 2 to 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. They’ll also be featured in the May 2025 issue of Modern Steel Construction magazine and in other media throughout the year. Visit aisc.org/ideas2 to submit your project today!

This Thursday: Expand your problem-solving toolkit with a new attitude on failure! Join DWA Principals Carol Drucker and Carrie Warner on September 26 as they discuss reframing failure into successful solutions through creative problem-solving techniques. At the live webinar, “Fail Foward: Reframing Failure into Successful Solutions,” they'll dive into lessons learned and the importance of root cause analysis. You'll walk away with thoughtful and efficient new strategies for addressing failure--and you can earn 1.5 PDHs, AIA LUs, or HSWs for participating. Save your spot today at aisc.org/failforward!

Using topology optimization tools, the design team behind an Atlanta hospital expansion minimized the overall embodied carbon footprint of a pedestrian bridge! Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) used several academic and internally developed structural optimization tools to arrive at an efficient form and minimize total material usage. The result? A super efficient structural system consisting of truss bays with skewed X-bracing that is symmetrically oriented about the mid-span of the bridge. Find out more about the sustainable design of the IDEAS2 Award-winning Emory Midtown Winship Cancer Institute pedestrian bridge at aisc.org/winship-bridge. ?? Submissions for the 2025 IDEAS2 Awards close in exactly ONE WEEK--what are you waiting for? Tell us all about cutting-edge projects you finished this year at aisc.org/ideas2! ?? Project team: Owner: Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta Owner's representatives: Turner & Townsend Healthcare, Atlanta General contractor: Batson-Cook Construction, Atlanta Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), New York; May Architecture, Atlanta Structural engineer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), New York

With student and faculty housing atop spaces requiring long spans (think: regulation sporting and performing art facilities), New York University’s Paulson Center was designed with many column transfers--over 220, in fact! A five-story podium stands at the center of these transfers, and most of its weight is, in turn, transferred on four floor-deep trusses. The fifth-floor transfer truss pictured here helps provide a column-free space for the performing arts venues and basketball courts below! Head to aisc.org/puzzles to try your hand at assembling the fifth floor transfer truss! Curious about how the transfers in this IDEAS2 Award-winning structure work? We’ll give you the scoop at https://lnkd.in/gxstQgxJ.

Did you catch AISC VP of Bridges Brandon Chavel, PE, PhD in today's NYT opinions section? A September 4 article spread false information about the impact of climate change on America's steel bridges--including the absurd and irresponsible claim that extreme temperatures will cause one in four steel bridges to collapse by 2050. That's flat-out wrong. Bridges will not be falling down en masse anytime soon simply because the bridges Americans drive on today are already designed to accommodate extreme temperatures. In fact, some engineers will check a bridge’s performance up to an ambient temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. For real facts, check out Modern Steel Construction: https://lnkd.in/g83j-SVD