Steel Educators' Tip Sheet

April - May 2012

This month, students have the opportunity to meet with and learn from industry leaders in special sessions at the NASCC. AISC 2012-13 scholarship applications are due May 1, 2012.

Students Connecting with Industry Sessions (SCIS) at the NASCC will be on Thursday, April 19, 2012 from 10AM - 2:30PM. In the morning session, Larry Griffis, P.E. of Walter P. Moore and Ted Zoli, P.E. of HNTB will speak on "Introduction to Life In the Workplace." In the afternoon, students will have one-on-one opportunities with industry experts at the "Direct Connect" session. The students will also receive lunch and an exhibit hall tour. Students who attend the entire SCIS will receive a complimentary ticket to the Thursday conference dinner, up to $100 in expense reimbursement, and a chance to win a new iPad! We will conduct the iPad drawing at Direct Connect; students must be present to win. See http://aisc.org/scis for more information. Online registration for NASCC closes 5 PM (CST) on April 12, but student AISC members can still register on-site for free.

Meanwhile, Juniors, Seniors and Masters students can apply for scholarships made available by the AISC Education Foundation and various structural steel associations. Go to www.aisc.org/scholarships for more information, the application, and a list of 2011-2012 winners. The deadline is May 1, 2012.

Install MASTAN2 on your laptop before the conference to experience this virtual lab.

Ronald Ziemian, Bucknell University, will present “Stability: Using Computer Software as a Virtual Lab for Learning Structural Stability,” at this year's Educator Session, Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 8 a.m. to noon. Work tables and electrical connections will be provided so that session attendeees can follow along as learning modules are presented. These modules provide a virtual lab for better understanding topics such as elastic and inelastic flexural and lateral-torsional buckling, inelastic force redistribution,local buckling, and second-order effects.

To download MASTAN2, go to www.mastan2.com, select 'Downloads,' and download the standalone option (version 2 which includes both PC and Mac editions and does not require Matlab). Double click on the downloaded file and follow the instructions for installing MASTAN2. It is recommended that you complete the tutorial. At a minimum, please confirm before the Educator Session that the MASTAN2 software starts, as there will be no internet access.

The Educator Session will also include a wind turbine stability case study, and updates on AISC Research and University Programs. For attendance at this Session, full-time faculty members can receive up to $300 for travel expenses. Be sure to register for both the NASCC and the Educator Session. E-mail Maria Mnookin at mnookin@aisc.org with your name and university to register for the Educator Session. Visit www.aisc.org/nascc to register for the NASCC or to download the Final Program for more information (p.62). Educators can register online until 5 PM (CST) April 12 for $125. On site, the registration fee is $175. For more information on the Educator Session, go to www.aisc.org/content.aspx?id=30696

Learn what came out of workshops on research needs in steel design and construction and provide feedback at NASCC Session N32 on Thursday, April 19.

U.S. steel design, fabrication and construction must continue to improve in knowledge, methods, technology and practices to compete in a continually advancing global marketplace. Possible innovations, and research needs, in steel design and construction were discussed at workshops held in the past two years. This session will discuss the outcomes and recommendations of the AISC Innovations Meeting, held in December 2010, and the ASCE/SEI workshop “Innovation in Design of Steel Structures: Research Needs for Global Competitiveness” held at the Structures Congress in Chicago, March 2012. Be sure to attend -- we are looking for your feedback, as well!

The SteelWise feature in Modern Steel Construction provides practical knowledge on a number of topics, ranging from stability analysis, to how choice of corrosion protection affects connection design, to practical considerations for expansion joints in buildings.

The April 2012 article, "Introducing the AISC Manual Resource Page," is a guide to an interactive reference list that can be found at www.aisc.org/manual14. Hyperlinked references take you to corresponding background documents in AISC ePubs or freePubs, or the appropriate website, if available. The article is the last installment in a three-part series on new companion materials for the 14th edition AISC Manual. The article also provides a guide to AISC's reorganized and expanded online reference collection.