U.S. Steel and CarbonFree, a leader in carbon capture technology, announced an agreement to capture carbon emissions generated from U. S. Steel’s Gary Works blast furnaces using CarbonFree’s SkyCycle technology.

The first-of-its-kind project will capture and mineralize up to 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to emissions produced by nearly 12,000 passenger cars annually, and could be expanded in the coming years.

“Innovating to capture carbon at an integrated mill is the latest example of how steel is enabling a more sustainable future,” said Scott Buckiso, U.S. Steel Senior Vice President & Chief Manufacturing Officer. “Moreover, U.S. Steel has a history of ‘firsts’ that we’re confidently building on. Using SkyCycle technology for the first project of its kind in North America should benefit the community for generations to come.”

Courtney Lilly learned to trust her intuition and maximize her resources from a young age. And at the Southern New Jersey Steel fabrication shop, where Lilly, 28, heads the quality assurance and quality control division, it pays to be intuitive--and knowing your stuff doesn’t hurt either.

Although she spends most days ensuring layouts and fit-ups are up to standard and making sure no beam goes unfabricated, Lilly, a certified welder, always keeps a face shield and gloves at the ready.

“I’ll jump in and help the guys weld if we’re tight on a deadline,” Lilly says. 

The American Institute of Steel Construction and the Steel Joist Institute have teamed up to create a comprehensive reference volume for rain loads and ponding design.

Design Guide 40, Rain Loads and Ponding provides guidance for the design of roof systems to avoid or resist water accumulation and any resulting instability. It includes an in-depth review of rain loads and ponding effects to help design professionals properly and efficiently design for ponding on roofs constructed with structural steel, open web steel joists, and joist girders.

The replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is a critical need for the City and Port of Baltimore--indeed, for this entire nation. Fortunately, the steel industry has the experience, expertise, material, and ability to quickly get the job done.

President Biden boldly called for it to be replaced with American steel--and our nation’s steel industry is ready and able to answer the call. Our steel mills are already producing the plates and shapes that will be needed. Our steel fabricators and erectors are skilled and capable to make the parts and put them in place. Quickly. They’ve done it before and have systems that work.

Many bridge design experts believe a cable-stayed bridge will allow the fastest and most serviceable solution. A number of recent projects show how useful and practical this style of steel solution is: the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Kentucky, the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, the John James Audubon Bridge in Louisiana, and the Kosciuszko Bridge in NYC, to name a few examples.

AISC is now accepting nominations for its T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award, which includes a $15,000 cash prize. The annual award recognizes a lecturer-author whose technical paper(s) are considered an outstanding contribution to engineering literature on fabricated structural steel.

"Theodore R. Higgins made invaluable contributions to the advancement of engineering, both as AISC's director of engineering and research and through his technical papers and lectures," said AISC's current Vice President of Engineering and Research, Christopher Raebel, SE, PE, PhD. "The T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award is a fitting way to honor that legacy and continue the spirit of innovation that he embodied."

Today’s architecture students are community-minded and forward-thinking--and their work deserves to come to life.

The American Institute of Steel Construction’s Education Foundation has awarded three grants from its inaugural Design-Build Grant Program, which promotes the use of structural steel in student-designed projects that will benefit the local community--followed by the construction of those designs by the students in hands-on activities or in partnership with a fabricator.

Freddie Claudio has been working since he was 12 years old.

When Claudio, 63, took a grinding and painting job at Southern New Jersey Steel in 1984 after retiring as a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft mechanic, he would have been content to take any job that would have him. It was a bad time for industry, and hardly anyone was hiring, but SNJS took a chance on him, he says.

"All I did was walk through the door--I was not [specifically] looking for steel work," Claudio recalls. "They asked why they should hire me, and I said, 'I like work. Give me an opportunity, and if it doesn't work out, we’ll shake hands. No harm, no foul.' I started out grinding for $3.85 an hour--that was minimum wage at the time."

Various news stories about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse have discussed the design and noted it included fracture critical steel members, which are more correctly known today as Nonredundant Steel Tension Members (NSTMs).

Broadly speaking, the public misunderstands what this technical language means, and it is commonly incorrectly covered in the press as being a deficiency. Expert engineers at the National Steel Bridge Alliance and the American Institute of Steel Construction are available to the press to provide background.

The American Institute of Steel Construction is accepting nominations for its award programs that honor people who make a difference in the world of design and construction.

"Steel is a special material--and the people in our industry are responsible for its impact on how people live, work, and play," said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "AISC is honored to provide a well-deserved spotlight for their achievements."

Each year, AISC recognizes exceptional industry professionals, designers, and educators with Lifetime and Special Achievement Awards. AISC also presents the Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Awards to tenure-track faculty who demonstrate exceptional promise in the areas of structural steel research, teaching, and other contributions to the structural steel industry.

Jim Rossberg, ASCE’s former managing director for engineering programs, died unexpectedly in late March. He was 65.

Rossberg significantly impacted ASCE and the engineering profession in his 30 years with the society. He joined ASCE as a full-time staff member in 1993 and remained there until his retirement in October 2022. In 1997, he was instrumental in the creation of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), one of ASCE’s first two institutes. He initially joined ASCE as part of the Civil Engineering Research Foundation and was the marketing manager for the Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center.

Later, ASCE named Rossberg its director of codes and standards. He grew ASCE’s standards program from 10 standards when he began the job to more than 50 when he shifted titles.

For Malik Anees, moving from Pakistan to the U.S. meant trading environmental science research and academic journal recognition for a career in quality inspection at Owen Steel. The transition wasn’t easy: in choosing a path with more opportunity, Anees, 35, left behind an established life and an immersive field of study.

“Everything has changed,” Anees says. “I wish I could do the same thing over here, but I’m happy to still be in a related field. A couple of friends of mine were in this industry, and they motivated me. I was lucky to get an opportunity like this with better money. That’s why I chose it.”

Dave Ruby, one of the world’s leading experts on constructability and the founder of Ruby+Associates, a Degenkolb Company, has officially retired from the firm, ending a structural engineering career that spanned more than 60 years.

Ruby is the company’s former chair and a founding principal. He started his namesake company in 1984 to fill a gap and provide structural engineering services to the construction industry. He became an internationally known expert in steel construction and constructability in his decades leading Ruby+Associates, receiving numerous awards from industry groups. He earned the J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award in 2022, AISC’s highest honor for designers. He became just the 12th person since 1941 to receive it. He also received an AISC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Ken Shipman was the unexpected answer to a problem JGM had encountered since its founding: staying organized. As the company's very first material handling specialist, Shipman, 37, takes inventory of all stock deliveries and makes labels for each steel beam before assigning it a spot in the yard.

His job is a small detail that makes a big difference.

"My goal is to alleviate stress from other people, so if I can help make the crew's job easier, that's a good day," Shipman says.

When the design community has a question about steel, they naturally turn to the American Institute of Steel Construction. After all, AISC literally writes the specification for the design of steel buildings. In recognition of the growing importance of sustainability in design decisions, AISC has announced a major expansion of its sustainability efforts--including creating a team of three sustainability experts and working to update steel industry EPDs. 

"Surprisingly few people know that wide flange steel sections, straight from the mill, consist of an average of 93% recycled steel scrap (from things like cars, refrigerators, and decommissioned bridges), and all structural steel is 100% recyclable without loss of properties. It's a truly circular supply chain, which is unique among American structural materials," said newly appointed Vice President of Sustainability and Government Relations Brian Raff. "My team will also work to ensure that all of the sustainable benefits that structural steel offers remain a viable option for designers and builders across the country."