HDR experts kick off AISC Night School series on steel bridge design

HDR bridge experts recently led the first of eight sessions on steel bridge design for the American Institute of Steel Construction's (AISC) annual "Night School" series.

Professional Engineers Domenic Coletti, Joanne Shaner and Anna Teague, wrote and presented "Introduction to Bridge Engineering," which commenced AISC's summer-long "Night School" professional development course. The course is part of AISC's ongoing structural steel design and construction curriculum, which turns this summer to the topic of steel bridge design. On July 25, Coletti will return to lead the course's penultimate session, "Effects of Curvature and Skew."

Night School brings together experts from across the industry, who present on a different aspect of the topic every Monday at 7 p.m. until Aug. 1. Each session is broadcast live via webinar. The Night School program was created in 2012, aimed at providing world-class learning opportunities for structural engineers and engineering students. It nevertheless serves as a good refresher course for experienced bridge designers and offers up to 12 professional development hour (PDH) credits.

The opening session led by Coletti, Shaner and Teague introduced students to general bridge engineering with a goal of preparing them for the remainder of the course. It covered nomenclature, superstructure types, bearings and substructure types. Students learned to read bridge plans with a detailed look into framing typically used for steel I-girder bridges. Students also learned to identify the two most ubiquitous bridge-design specifications in the industry: standards set forth by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.

For information on all Night School sessions, and to register, visit the AISC course details page at https://www.aisc.org/content.aspx?id=33952.