Featured Stories
NRF Joins PACT AI as Founding Member to Build Trust in the AI Economy
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The National Retail Federation posted the following news release:
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NRF Joins PACT AI as Founding Member to Build Trust in the AI Economy
The National Retail Federation announced that it is a founding member of the newly established Partnership for Assurance, Credibility, and Trust on AI (PACT AI), a coalition dedicated to building the shared infrastructure and standards that the AI economy needs to earn and sustain public trust.
As AI redefines how NRF serves its members and retailers serve consumers, NRF is committed to responsible deployment of this technology.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The National Retail Federation posted the following news release:
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NRF Joins PACT AI as Founding Member to Build Trust in the AI Economy
The National Retail Federation announced that it is a founding member of the newly established Partnership for Assurance, Credibility, and Trust on AI (PACT AI), a coalition dedicated to building the shared infrastructure and standards that the AI economy needs to earn and sustain public trust.
As AI redefines how NRF serves its members and retailers serve consumers, NRF is committed to responsible deployment of this technology.With AI models advancing and new capabilities emerging, PACT AI helps build the trust and accountability needed to ensure confidence in AI keeps up with rapid innovation while providing deployers a voice in the policy-making process.
"Retailers are at the forefront of adopting AI to better serve their customers, support their employees and strengthen their businesses," NRF Vice President of AI and Technology Policy Caroline Reppert said. "This partnership will give NRF members a meaningful voice in the development of standards and best practices that help businesses deploy AI responsibly and at scale."
No single company or organization can achieve this alone. Together, coalition members are beginning foundational work required to build a trusted ecosystem by building common-sense policies.
"Retailers have always put their customers at the center of how they innovate, and AI is creating new opportunities to make those experiences even better," PACT AI Executive Director Bri Treece said. "AI assurance helps ensure those technologies work as intended and deliver for the customers and employees who rely on them. By bringing NRF and the retail industry into this work, we can help build an approach to AI assurance that works for retailers of all sizes and the people they serve every day."
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About NRF
The National Retail Federation passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation's largest private-sector employer, contributing $5.3 trillion to annual GDP and supporting more than one in four U.S. jobs -- 55 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies. nrf.com
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About PACT AI
The Partnership for Assurance, Credibility, and Trust on AI (PACT AI) unites enterprises, independent technical experts, AI insurers, and civil society voices to build the infrastructure to verify that the innovative AI systems powering our economy are safe, secure, and working as intended. PACT AI's work centers on three pillars: policy development and advocacy, professionalizing the AI assurance sector, and growing the AI assurance market.
For more information, including a full list of members and how to join, visit www.pactai.org.
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Original text here: https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-joins-pact-ai-as-founding-member-to-build-trust-in-the-ai-economy
[Category: Business]
Emergency Nurses Association: New Journal of Emergency Nursing Shares Guidance on Measles Outbreaks
SCHAUMBURG, Illinois, Sept. 4 -- The Emergency Nurses Association issued the following news:
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New Journal of Emergency Nursing Shares Guidance on Measles Outbreaks
September issue provides clear screening, isolation strategies for the emergency department
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With U.S. measles cases at their highest level in decades, the latest issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing features an article that provides emergency nurses and EMTs with clear triage, screening and airborne isolation strategies to quickly identify and contain measles patients in the emergency department.
JEN Editor Anna Valdez,
... Show Full Article
SCHAUMBURG, Illinois, Sept. 4 -- The Emergency Nurses Association issued the following news:
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New Journal of Emergency Nursing Shares Guidance on Measles Outbreaks
September issue provides clear screening, isolation strategies for the emergency department
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With U.S. measles cases at their highest level in decades, the latest issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing features an article that provides emergency nurses and EMTs with clear triage, screening and airborne isolation strategies to quickly identify and contain measles patients in the emergency department.
JEN Editor Anna Valdez,PhD, RN, PHN, CEN, CFRN, FAEN, FAADN, FADLN, said the paper, "Measles Frontline Defense: The Pivotal Role of Emergency Nurses and Emergency Medical Services Personnel," offers critical guidance on interrupting the transmission of the highly contagious communicable disease.
"The United States is experiencing an increase in vaccine-preventable illnesses, including measles," said Valdez. "Emergency nurses may be caring for patients with measles for the first time in their careers. This article provides critical information on screening, assessment and patient management of this communicable disease in the emergency setting."
In 2025, the U.S. saw its highest number of measles cases since the 1990s, even though the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Around the world, measles remains one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths. In their article, the authors highlighted the key role emergency nurses play in stopping the transmission of this highly contagious disease.
In addition to this research, the September issue also includes:
* "Ebola in the Emergency Department: Returning to the Fundamentals"
* "Improving Documentation for Boarded Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative in a Single Emergency Department"
* "Pictorial vs. Standard Discharge Instructions for Burn Care After Discharge from the Emergency Department: A Pilot Randomized Trial and an Updated Systematic Review"
The Journal of Emergency Nursing, ENA's peer-reviewed academic journal, is published six times a year with original research and updates from the emergency nursing specialty, while also covering practice and professional issues.
In January 2027, ENA and Elsevier, the Journal's long-time publisher, will transition JEN to a fully digital publication, which will allow for continued expansion in the number and variety of highly impactful articles.
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The Emergency Nurses Association is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With 40,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines and guides emergency health care public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.
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Original text here: https://www.ena.org/news-publications/newsroom/new-journal-emergency-nursing-shares-guidance-measles-outbreaks
[Category: Nursing]
California Nurses Association: Nurses Announce Sympathy Strikes, Pickets on Sept. 15 at Five Prime Healthcare Hospitals in Four States
OAKLAND, California, Sept. 4 -- The California Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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Nurses announce sympathy strikes, pickets on Sept. 15 at five Prime Healthcare hospitals in four states
Union election dates also set for three Prime hospitals
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Registered nurses at three Prime Healthcare hospitals in two states -- Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev.; West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif.; and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. -- gave notice to Prime Healthcare today that they will hold a sympathy
... Show Full Article
OAKLAND, California, Sept. 4 -- The California Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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Nurses announce sympathy strikes, pickets on Sept. 15 at five Prime Healthcare hospitals in four states
Union election dates also set for three Prime hospitals
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Registered nurses at three Prime Healthcare hospitals in two states -- Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev.; West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif.; and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. -- gave notice to Prime Healthcare today that they will hold a sympathystrike for one day on Sept. 15 in solidarity with striking nurses at Olympia Fields Hospital in Chicago, Ill. Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, also in Chicago, and at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, will hold informational pickets in solidarity with Olympia Fields RNs on the same day, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the nation. In total, more than 2,800 nurses and health care workers will be either striking or picketing on Sept. 15.
This afternoon, the Olympia Fields nurses announced that they would hold a one-day strike on Sept. 15. Six nurses at Olympia Fields and one nurse at Saint Francis Hospital, both Prime Healthcare facilities, were suspended for speaking up for their patients.
Union election dates have been scheduled. Nurses at Olympia Fields, Saint Francis, and Central Maine want to unionize. They filed election petitions with the National Labor Relations Board on Aug. 24 to join NNOC and will be voting on these dates:
* Saint Francis Hospital election: Sept. 17
* Olympia Fields Hospital: Sept. 23
* Central Maine Medical Center: Sept. 23
The nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth in Chicago, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, and nurses and health care workers in Redding began their one-day strike earlier today over Prime's refusal to address during contract negotiations their deep concerns about patient care and safe staffing. Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth voted to join NNOC in June. The California nurses are represented by California Nurses Association, an affiliate of National Nurses United. The health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center are represented by Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union. Nurses in Nevada, Illinois, and Maine are represented or seeking representation by NNOC.
Nurses across the country are rising up systemwide against Prime Healthcare because Prime endangers patients and nurses by putting profits above all else. The strike notice was delivered after the nurses held a protest this afternoon at Olympia Fields in response to management's union busting. One nurse at Saint Francis has been suspended for speaking up and advocating for patients, too.
The suspensions are just one aspect of Prime's shoddy treatment of its workers. Learn more about Prime's crimes at crimehealthcare.com.
Prime's Profiteering
The conditions driving Prime nurses to take unprecedented collective action at their hospitals are part of a broader pattern of Prime negligence and cutting services despite its profits. In 2024, Prime Healthcare made an estimated $4.4 billion in revenue according to credit reports, and Prime's nonprofit system, Prime Healthcare Foundation, reported another $1.4 billion in revenue in their audited report.
* Prime has a history of acquiring hospitals and then cutting services after it promised to maintain them.
- After it acquired St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee, Ill., in 2025, Prime shut down the hospital's obstetrics, gynecology, and childbirth and delivery services, and voluntarily gave up its Trauma Level II designation, resulting in an injunction filed by the Kankakee County state's attorney, claiming that - Prime was dishonest about keeping services open.
Prime cut services in 2025 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill. and at Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, Ill., soon after acquisition, leading to a letter to Prime CEO Prem Reddy from Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin accusing the company of violating its commitments to maintain services to meet community needs.
- On Sept. 1, 2026, Prime announced that it would cut obstetric services at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago and consolidate them at Saint Mary of Nazareth in Chicago and Olympia Fields Hospital in Olympia Fields.
* In 2024, Prime Healthcare Foundation, which includes Saint Francis Hospital in Illinois and Central Maine Medical Center, claimed more than $78 million in debts they tried to collect from patients who qualify for charity care, according to their own policies.
* Prime's nonprofit hospitals made more than $104 million in payments to firms owned by Prime CEO Prem Reddy: Prime Healthcare Services Inc., the main for-profit company owning all the for-profit hospitals, Prime Healthcare Management, and Bio-Med Services, Inc., a medical equipment and consulting company. Prime only gave $3.5 million in uncompensated charity care, roughly 0.4 percent of the foundation's expenses.
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National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-announce-sympathy-strikes-pickets-on-sept-15-at-five-prime-healthcare-hospitals-in-four-states
[Category: Nursing]
Building a Better Health System: ACC Quality Summit 2026 Tackles the Toughest Questions in Cardiovascular Care
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The American College of Cardiology posted the following news release on Sept. 3, 2026:
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Building a Better Health System: ACC Quality Summit 2026 Tackles the Toughest Questions in Cardiovascular Care
Health care leaders, innovators and frontline teams share solutions to improve outcomes, enhance patient experiences and drive lasting change
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ORLANDO - The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Quality Summit 2026 will take place on September 16-18 in Orlando, connecting the cardiovascular quality improvement community to share ideas, learn from real-world successes
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The American College of Cardiology posted the following news release on Sept. 3, 2026:
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Building a Better Health System: ACC Quality Summit 2026 Tackles the Toughest Questions in Cardiovascular Care
Health care leaders, innovators and frontline teams share solutions to improve outcomes, enhance patient experiences and drive lasting change
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ORLANDO - The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Quality Summit 2026 will take place on September 16-18 in Orlando, connecting the cardiovascular quality improvement community to share ideas, learn from real-world successesand drive measurable improvements in the quality, safety and value of patient care.
"Cardiovascular care is advancing at an extraordinary pace, with AI, disruptive technologies and innovation transforming what is possible for our patients. But as we embrace this exciting future, quality must remain the foundation of everything we do. Innovation only matters if it leads to better care, improved outcomes and healthier communities," said ACC Quality Summit conference chair Ellie Huff, MSN, RN, FACC. "The ACC Quality Summit brings the cardiovascular community together to learn from one another, challenge conventional thinking and translate data, science and innovation into meaningful change for the patients we serve. My hope is that what begins in Orlando this year finds its way back to our hospitals, care teams and communities, and most importantly, to the patients and families who depend on us."
John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, MACC, director of health technologies at Meta, will deliver the Ralph G. Brindis Keynote, "Is the Future Alread Here? AI in Cardiovascular Care." Other must-see sessions include:
* The Rural Reality: Navigating Barriers to Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes
* From Innovation to Implementation: AI's Impact on Cardiology
* Beyond the Silos: Care Coordination as a Cardiovascular Quality Strategy
The top six abstracts will be selected to present their poster in-person at ACC Quality Summit 2026.
Abstracts and Poster Presentations
The following list provides a snapshot of the abstracts and posters being presented during ACC Quality Summit 2026. All posters are embargoed until Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 9 a.m. ET.
* Virtual Reality: Improving Completion of Cardiac PET/CT Imaging in Claustrophobic Patients
* From Impact to Accreditation: A Scalable, Data-Driven Model for Community Cardiovascular Outreach
* Trends in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among U.S. Adults with Disability: Analysis of NHANES 1999-2018
* Beyond Discharge: Integrating Care Transitions and Health Equity to Sustain Cardiovascular Recovery
Learn more about the conference here (https://qualitysummit2026.eventscribe.net/).
JACC: Case Reports Special Issue
JACC: Case Reports will publish a special issue, "Focus Issue: ACC Quality Summit," featuring over 45 Quality Improvement Projects based on poster presentations from ACC Quality Summit 2026. Learn more about JACC: Case Reports at ACC Quality Summit 2026 at www.JACC.org/QualitySummit.
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The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a global leader dedicated to transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. For more than 75 years, the ACC has empowered a community of over 60,000 cardiovascular professionals across more than 140 countries with cutting-edge education and advocacy, rigorous professional credentials, and trusted clinical guidance. From its world-class JACC Journals and NCDR registries to its Accreditation Services, global network of Chapters and Sections, and CardioSmart patient initiatives, the College is committed to creating a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or connect on social media at @ACCinTouch.
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Original text here: https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2026/09/03/15/48/Building-a-Better-Health-System-ACC-Quality-Summit-2026-Tackles-the-Toughest-Questions-in-Cardiovascular-Care
[Category: Medical]
American Supply Association Highlights Grassroots AI Adoption Strategies for Industrial Distributors
ITASCA, Illinois, Sept. 4 [Category: Industrial Materials] -- The American Supply Association posted the following news release:
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Nobody Rolled It Out
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ASA now holds six Applied AI use case records from member companies. Not one of them describes a rollout.
The records cover a manufacturer automating a monthly rep agency scorecard, a distributor putting product and spec answers in front of counter staff, an outside sales group trying to get ahead of quiet account churn its CRM was not surfacing, a manufacturer replacing Friday morning CRM entry, and a technical knowledge assistant still
... Show Full Article
ITASCA, Illinois, Sept. 4 [Category: Industrial Materials] -- The American Supply Association posted the following news release:
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Nobody Rolled It Out
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ASA now holds six Applied AI use case records from member companies. Not one of them describes a rollout.
The records cover a manufacturer automating a monthly rep agency scorecard, a distributor putting product and spec answers in front of counter staff, an outside sales group trying to get ahead of quiet account churn its CRM was not surfacing, a manufacturer replacing Friday morning CRM entry, and a technical knowledge assistant stillsitting in test. Different segments, different functional areas, different tools. In every case the work started small enough that you could name the people involved.
The records contain no company-wide launch, no go-live date, no training curriculum, no phased deployment schedule. Where a record says how the work began, it began with volunteers you could fit around one conference table. One describes a pilot group of about eight people. Another describes a single person and a single recurring task.
The scorecard
The clearest example is a manufacturer's marketing team assembled a monthly scorecard for its rep agencies by opening a stack of Excel files and pulling the numbers out by hand. Three to six hours, every month, forever. No review step, because the person doing it was the only one who understood the assembly.
The workflow owner was hesitant. Not resistant to AI. She did not know where to start and had no room to find out.
What moved it was not a tool decision. Her manager took other projects off her plate to make space for the work.
The record says it plainly: asking employees to adopt AI on top of everything else is unlikely to succeed.
Read that as a staffing statement rather than an AI statement. The binding constraint was never model capability, licensing, or integration. It was one person's calendar, and somebody senior enough had to change it.
Where the tools stop
The second pattern is about the boundary, and it is the same boundary in every record.
The human keeps the customer. AI drafts, retrieves, flags, and assembles. A person validates it, prices it, quotes it, and has the conversation. One distributor's assistant gathers information and hands off, and the order and the customer contact stay with the counter rep. One outside sales implementation informs reps and branch managers and touches no customer directly. The automated scorecard carries a mandatory human review before anything material leaves the building.
Nobody in the channel has put AI in front of a contractor. Not because they cannot. They decided not to yet, and they said so on the record.
The position
If your AI plan has a go-live date and a user count, you have a software project. What the channel's own record shows is that adoption is a staffing decision, and the scarce input is not budget. It is somebody's Tuesday.
That runs against how the money moves. A platform decision is a line item. Somebody can approve it in a quarter and it reads cleanly in a capital request. Five volunteers and a manager clearing a calendar is not a line item and never will be. So the license shows up in March, the first real use of it shows up in September, and in between nobody gave anyone the time.
Where small starts fail
Starting small is not a strategy by itself, and two of the six records show the gap.
One knowledge assistant is built, loaded, and running in test. The member has not yet decided who verifies an answer before it reaches a customer, or who escalates when the answer is wrong. Another record documents meeting notes flowing into a CRM automatically, and does not say whether reps review what got written.
A small pilot buys a real answer about whether the thing works. It does not excuse anyone from writing down who owns the output. That step gets skipped most often, because it feels like paperwork right up to the morning an unverified spec answer reaches a contractor.
What ASA is doing with this
We are collecting these records, not grading them. Nobody gets a score, and the repository is not a vendor list. A distributor deciding what to try next quarter should be able to read what other member companies actually did, including the parts still unresolved.
If you are running something, we want it in the repository. If you are deciding what to run, the applied AI session at the ASA Innovation Summit sits on the same seam. Steve Lerch is covering how distributors move from experimentation to execution, and where experimentation is running without operational grounding.
The Summit runs November 9 and 10 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, immediately ahead of NETWORK2026 in the same hotel. It is $250 added to a NETWORK2026 registration and $500 on its own, with a full refund for written cancellations through October 9. Details at asa.net/Innovation-Summit.
Bring the person who would run the pilot, not only the person who would approve it. On the evidence so far, the approver's real job is clearing three hours a week off the other one's calendar.
By Nils Swenson
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Original text here: https://www.asa.net/News-Media/News/nobody-rolled-it-out
American Institute of Steel Construction: Eleven Outstanding Student Designs Showcase Steel Innovation
CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 4 -- The American Institute of Steel Construction issued the following news release:
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Eleven Outstanding Student Designs Showcase Steel Innovation
WASHINGTON AND CHICAGO - The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Steel Design Student Competition.
The 2026 AISC/ACSA Steel Design Student Competition challenged students to explore various design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Students had the opportunity to compete
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept. 4 -- The American Institute of Steel Construction issued the following news release:
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Eleven Outstanding Student Designs Showcase Steel Innovation
WASHINGTON AND CHICAGO - The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Steel Design Student Competition.
The 2026 AISC/ACSA Steel Design Student Competition challenged students to explore various design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Students had the opportunity to competein two different categories: Category I invited students to design a Community Dance Center that will serve as an integral part of the civic fabric. Category II presented students with the opportunity to select a site and building program of their choice, using steel as the primary material.
"The next generation of architects clearly understands the fundamental mission of effective design: We don't design in empty space. We design for people," said Jeanne Homer, AISC architecture education manager. "Steel offers students and designers unique opportunities to create resilient and beautiful community spaces. These winning concepts would all elevate their communities with inspiring new ways for neighbors to come together and express their culture. I can't wait to see what these student architects develop in the future!"
The eleven winning projects were selected for their innovative designs using structural steel and their design responses to local contexts. For each category, the jurors chose first, second, and third-place winners, along with additional honorable mentions. The award recipients for this year's AISC/ACSA Steel Design Student Competition are:
CATEGORY I: COMMUNITY DANCE CENTER
First Place: Balancing Act
Student: Aiden Henning
Faculty: Timothy Gray
Ball State University
Second Place: The Dance
Students: Bruno Yeh & Gareth Pang
Faculty: Ryan Doyle
Syracuse University
Third Place: Interchange
Student: Roberto Valenzuela
Faculty: Mark Owen
Woodbury University
Honorable Mention: Negotiating Space
Students: Benjamin Levin-Lozovatsky, Sean Christenson & George Kantsler
Faculty: Yao Lu
Thomas Jefferson University
Honorable Mention: Prism Dance Lab
Student: Matthew Vallejo
Faculty: Eric Giragosian
Woodbury University
CATEGORY II: OPEN
First Place: The Spine
Student: Danny Escandon
Faculty: Miguel Guitart & Jin Young Song
University at Buffalo
Second Place: Glacial Reach
Students: Aleksandre Kokochashvili & Ashton Schlotterbeck
Faculty: Pasquale De Paola & Kevin Singh
Louisiana Tech University
Third Place: Reclaimed
Student: Gabriel Barton
Faculty: Se Won Roy Kim
Ball State University
Honorable Mention: Rot To Root
Students: Samantha Hess & Avril Chen
Faculty: Kevin Erickson
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Honorable Mention: Hillside
Students: Edwin Sun, Jingsong Zhou, Dylan Martos, Tiana Nicole Mangrobang & Jayden Uowolo
Faculty: Clark Llewellyn
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honorable Mention: Port D.R.E.D.G.E.
Students: Zachary Wood, Garrett Clifton & Connor Fonseca
Faculty: Pasquale De Paola & Kevin Singh
Louisiana Tech University
The competition juries included:
Category I: COMMUNITY DANCE CENTER
* Pasquale De Paola, Louisiana Tech University
* Alloy Kemp, Thornton Tomasetti
* Anthony N. Monica, Belmont University
Category II: OPEN
* Juney Lee, Carnegie Mellon University
* Leandro Piazzi, Virginia Tech
* Mohamed Sharif, University of California, Los Angeles
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American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), a not-for-profit technical institute supported by the steel industry, partners with the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) community to develop safe and efficient steel specifications and codes while driving innovation to make steel the most sustainable, economic, and resilient structural material. For more than a century, AISC has been a reliable resource for information and advice on the design and construction of domestically fabricated structural steel buildings and bridges.
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Original text here: https://www.aisc.org/news/eleven-outstanding-student-designs-showcase-steel-innovation/
[Category: Steel]
American Feed Industry Association: New Report Highlights US Animal Food Industry's Resilience, Innovation and Challenges Ahead
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 4 (TNSrep) -- The American Feed Industry Association issued the following news release:
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New Report Highlights US Animal Food Industry's Resilience, Innovation and Challenges Ahead
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has released "Our Industry, Our Promise," its 2025-26 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report, highlighting how the animal food industry continued feeding animals, supporting communities and driving innovation amid political, regulatory and global market changes.
The interactive annual report is the culmination of the AFIA's celebration
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 4 (TNSrep) -- The American Feed Industry Association issued the following news release:
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New Report Highlights US Animal Food Industry's Resilience, Innovation and Challenges Ahead
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has released "Our Industry, Our Promise," its 2025-26 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report, highlighting how the animal food industry continued feeding animals, supporting communities and driving innovation amid political, regulatory and global market changes.
The interactive annual report is the culmination of the AFIA's celebrationof America's 250-year anniversary guided by the annual theme, "Feeding Independence, Growing Innovation." As the AFIA spent the past year illustrating to policymakers how a resilient food system will support another 250 years of American growth and leadership, the report showcases the industry's economic contributions and progress in animal food safety, supply chain resilience, sustainability, regulatory advocacy, workforce development and international trade.
"The strength of our industry lies in its people and their shared commitment to supporting a safe, sustainable and resilient food system," said Dan Meagher, AFIA's 2025-26 Board chair and president and chief executive officer of Novus International. "Through collaboration, science-based advocacy and continued innovation, AFIA members are helping the industry navigate today's challenges while preparing for tomorrow's opportunities."
The report focuses on accomplishments, updates and new frontiers during AFIA's fiscal year, which ran from May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, with sections covering the industry's:
* $267.1 billion economic footprint - Nearly 5,650 U.S. animal food manufacturers supported more than 80,300 jobs and paid $18.5 billion in local, state and federal taxes in 2023.
* Strong commitment to animal food safety - More than 1,000 facilities are Safe Feed/Safe Food certified, and roughly 99% of federal inspections found strong safety practices and procedures in place at feed mills and pet food manufacturing facilities.
* Science-based policy and regulatory advocacy - The AFIA advanced ingredient review reforms, built support for the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act and represented the industry on emerging federal and state policies.
* Supply chain resilience and global competitiveness - U.S. animal food exports reached $7.8 billion in 2025, while the association's global affairs team continued to work to expand market access opportunities for its members and elevate feed supply chain vulnerabilities to key decisionmakers.
* Sustainability leadership - As of the most recent figures in 2023, upcycled ingredients made up at least half of pet food ingredients and 37% of livestock feed ingredients.
The report also details AFIA's educational and professional development programs, which brought together thousands of animal food industry professionals throughout the year at in-person events and online. These efforts included food safety training, technical education, networking events and international business development opportunities.
The annual report spends time peeking into a future of public-private collaboration to support supply chain infrastructure challenges, stronger animal disease preparation and navigating emerging policies. Filled with industry data, policy analysis and member achievements, the "Our Industry, Our Promise" report demonstrates how the AFIA and its members are strengthening U.S. food security, supporting economic growth and advancing animal nutrition. The full 2025-26 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report is available at afia.org/promisesreport.
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Original text here: https://www.afia.org/news/news-release-items/new-report-highlights-us-animal-food-industrys-resilience-innovation-and-challenges-ahead/
[Category: Agriculture]