Welcome, architecture faculty and students!

AISC provides opportunities specifically for architecture faculty and students, including educational resources and hands-on tours at ironworker facilities where students can climb columns, weld, and bolt! We also award many student scholarships and offer free memberships for students. AISC has sponsored the long-standing Steel Design Student Competition every year since 2000, and we're excited to share new opportunities like the Forge Prize Competition and the Design-Build Grant Program.

We're here to help you build connections with structural steel! Check out these free references for download and viewing.

 

Architecture Education News

Building Technology Educators' Society Conference 2025

AISC is co-hosting next year’s Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) in Chicago, June 2-5, 2025. Consider submitting a paper topic in architecture and technology--a call for papers will be out in early fall.

Architecture Resources

Structural Steel Design Tips: Quick Estimates and Rules of Thumb for Architecture Students

Free Cheat Sheet for Architecture Students! Ever wish there were a quick reference with diagrams, terms, and estimates new architects need for designing with structural steel? We've got you covered!

Steel Shorts: Collaboration Case Studies

Integrating technical constraints and an architectural vision is challenging, but it pays off! View a short video lesson on the interdisciplinary collaboration that made the National Museum of African American History and Culture--a 2017 IDEAS² Award winner--such a design success.

Teaching Aids

The AISC steel teaching aids have been developed to assist universities in preparing students to become professionals knowledgeable in the use of structural steel. They are organized by discipline, so check out the architecture teaching aids!

Free Educational Videos about Steel Design

AISC has a variety of free presentations and educational videos about steel design. View presentations about life cycle analysis, architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS), hybrid design, and many other topics.

AISC Guide for Architects

AISC's Guide for Architects is your guide for integrating architectural designs and steel structural systems. Inside, you'll learn how to create structural layouts for steel-framed buildings, how to use various coating systems to fit the needs of your project, how to use structural steel in tandem with other building materials, and much more.

Modern Steel Construction

Looking for inspiration? AISC's monthly magazine, Modern Steel Construction, presents in-depth information on the newest and most advanced uses of structural steel in buildings and bridges. Read a digital copy of this month's issue or browse the archives--all for free. 

Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Awards

Could you or your students use some inspiration? This AISC award program recognizes projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel. Look through the archives of different years. 

Architecture-Focused AISC Programs

Free Membership for Faculty and Students

AISC believes in supporting the next generation of groundbreaking thinkers: your students! To ensure that you get the most out of the education resources AISC offers, we're pleased to extend complimentary memberships to students who are currently enrolled full-time in accredited U.S. undergraduate or graduate programs. As an educator, you also qualify for free AISC membership!

AISC Presentation in Your Class on the Integration of Architecture and Structural Steel

If you would like a 45-minute presentation about the basics of steel, sustainability, case studies, and tips on the Steel Design Student Competition, please contact Jeanne Homer at homer@aisc.org. In-person presentations are possible based on availability. 

AISC/ACSA Steel Design Student Competition

AISC and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) co-sponsor the annual Steel Design Student Competition that challenges undergraduate and graduate architecture students to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction.

Competition for Faculty: The Forge Prize

The Forge Prize is a unique opportunity to experiment with a conceptual design without limit to scope or complexity--the sky really is the limit here. This competition celebrates emerging architects who create visionary designs that embrace steel innovations.

Get AISC Funding for a Design-Build Project

Thanks to the AISC Education Foundation, faculty members and students with faculty sponsors can propose projects to our Steel Design-Build Grant Program, and AISC will fund one or a handful of them every year. Besides project funds, we want to give architecture students the opportunity to engage with steel--that's why we can pair them with fabricators who can collaborate at various stages of the project.

Educator Workshop: Integration of Architecture and Structural Steel

AISC is sponsoring a two-day interactive workshop in Chicago to discuss innovative pedagogies for integrated design, design-build studio using steel, teaching steel structures to architecture students, and embodied carbon. This year’s is June 25 – 27, 2024. The next workshop will be in 2026.

Faculty-Led Field Trip Grants

Apply for a grant from the AISC Education Foundation for transportation costs so you and your students can get first-hand experience on a steel fabrication shop tour, steel jobsite tour, or ironworker training center activities like welding.

AISC Campus Connection Grants

AISC offers an exciting opportunity to bring high-quality speaking engagements to your campus! The AISC Education Foundation provides funding in the form of reimbursement grants to encourage university faculty and AISC Student Clubs to hold on-campus, in-person speaking engagements with inspiring leaders of the structural steel industry who presented at NASCC: The Steel Conference.

Student Scholarships

The AISC Education Foundation sponsors multiple scholarship programs designed to encourage creativity, interest, and proficiency in the fabricated structural steel construction industry.

NASCC: The Steel Conference Activities for Students and Faculty

Each year at NASCC: The Steel Conference, AISC University Relations hosts student and faculty activities. We can also organize special activities like reviews with fabricators during the conference. Student travel grants are available. Contact Jeanne Homer (homer@aisc.org) for more information.

Other University Programs

AISC University Programs

AISC University Programs works hard to provide extraordinary opportunities to students and educators. Check back frequently for announcements and new resources.

Funded Research Fellowship

Every year, AISC awards the Milek Fellowship (four years, $50,000 annually) to a promising non-tenured university faculty member. Find out more about the Milek Fellowship, and see a list of previous recipients and their projects.

Adopt-a-School Program: Opportunities to Interact with and Learn from Fabricators

Learn about AISC’s Adopt-a-School program, which connects local fabricators with university- and college-level students in a meaningful way and encourages long-term relationships that can improve the students’ learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.

 

Questions? Please email Jeanne Homer, AIA, AISC's senior architect, at homer@aisc.org.

 

Return to the University Programs page