USGlass Wins Construction Writers Award for School Safety Coverage

USGlass magazine has been named the winner of a prestigious Boger Award by the Construction Writers Association (CWA) for its May issue devoted to school safety. The award is based on the feature articles in the May 2013 School Safety issue that took a hard look at the role glass plays in school safety and security.

Editors conducted numerous interviews with experts on school safety, glass, architecture and design. The articles examined school designs today and how they have changed as a result of the Sandy Hook shooting and other such incidents. Writers also explored the future and how the most recent shootings could change the way schools are designed and the products involved in safety, including fire rated glazing. Other glazing related products such as window film were also covered.

Planning for the issue began immediately after the shootings that took place December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn., as this event changed everything regarding school safety. The editors knew glass has a very important role to play.

Ellen Rogers, USGlass editor, led the charge and wrote feature articles as did Megan Headley, special projects editor.  USGlass editors will be honored at a special event hosted by CWA in 2015.

“I am so incredibly proud of our staff,” says Tara Taffera, vice president of editorial services and editorial director. “A great deal of work went into this issue so it is nice to be recognized by our peers in the industry.”

“From the first moment our editorial staff sat together in late December to do the major planning for this issue, I knew it would be a special one, both because of the subject matter and how closely it hits home,” says publisher Debra Levy. “We were editors doing the planning but we were also mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. I congratulate Tara for her vision, Ellen for her editorial excellence, along with our entire team.”

The CWA bestows three Boger Awards each year – for feature articles, special reports and editorials published in construction magazines or journals. The awards honor the late Robert F. Boger, publisher of McGraw-Hill’s Engineering News-Record and Construction Methods & Equipment, as well as a primary force behind the founding of CWA. The association established the Robert F. Boger Awards for editorial excellence and achievement in construction journalism in 1975.

To view the award winning USGlass articles from the May issue go to http://www.usglassmag.com/digital/2013/May2013.pdf.