AISC has named its newest educator award in honor of a past president and board member who advanced the institute’s efforts to promote steel education.
The H. Louis Gurthet Teaching Faculty Award, announced in August without a namesake, celebrates the contributions and legacy of Lou Gurthet, who served as AISC’s president from 1996 to 2005 and on AISC’s Board of Directors from 1990 to 1996. It honors a teaching-focused faculty member (such as a professor of practice, lecturer, instructor, or adjunct professor) in a university civil engineering, architectural engineering, architecture, construction engineering, or construction management department.
“Lou's leadership and advancement of AISC as president was broad and deep, and his impact is still felt today. In that, though, I could always see the importance he put on AISC’s support of and engagement with teaching professors,” said AISC president Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “He understood the impact AISC could have with programs and resources that enable professors to engage with and impact their students. This new award focuses on one of Lou’s greatest passions, and it’s a fitting opportunity to recognize him.”
As a board member, Gurthet oversaw AISC’s Partners in Education Committee, which promoted the long-term strength and vitality of structural steel education at the university level. In 1998, he led the incorporation of the AISC Education Foundation, which was originally formed in 1959 as an unincorporated charitable trust.
Before serving as AISC president, Gurthet was the president of AISC full member Zalk Josephs Fabricators in Stoughton, Wisc., from 1980 to 1996. He became the first AISC president with experience in both structural engineering and fabrication, and was also the first to hold a registered professional engineer designation.
To earn the award, a candidate must have no more than 10 years of teaching experience at the university level, exhibit excellent classroom performance, and demonstrate the ability to effectively connect students to the steel industry. The award’s inaugural recipient will be announced in December as part of the 2026 AISC annual awards and recognized at the opening keynote at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Atlanta on April 22. The recipient will also earn a $2,500 honorarium.