(Chicago, IL) - Nashville will play host to more than 3,000 steel construction professionals this April during the 2008 North American Steel Construction Conference, presented by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). NASCC: The Steel Conference will be held April 2-5, 2008 and feature presentations from top industry leaders, more than 70 technical sessions, short course educational programming, and extensive trade show exhibits.

This year's Steel Conference will be highlighted by the Wednesday, April 2 keynote, "refabricating Architecture," by the award-winning architect and author Stephan Kieran. The keynote will center on current productivity and environmental issues that challenge the building industry, and focus on potential reorganization strategies to address them.

Following up on the success of the "Top Hits from Top Profs" educational track at the 2007 Steel Conference, AISC will again offer the "Top Hits" track in 2008. "Top Hits" features eight of the top structural engineering professors working today, each of whom will present their best lectures.

Building on the popularity of "Top Hits," this year AISC is also introducing "Essays from Experts," featuring five of the most prestigious experts in the design and construction industry speaking on their favorite topics. Speakers in the "Essays from Experts" series will include Larry Griffis on wind, Duane Miller on welding, Robert McNamara on damping, Kurt Swenson on the Steel Design Specification, and Ron Hamburger on simplifying design.

The Steel Conference's innovative technical sessions will include topics of interest to engineers, fabricators, erectors, and detailers. Among the noteworthy programs are the three-part "Introduction to Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Codes;" "Green Design: Beyond Material Issues;" "Constructability and Teamwork;" "Sporting Opportunities: Design, Fabrication and Erection Issues on the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium;" and "Getting Dimensions: Will 3D Modeling Help?"