The Mission of IGS North America is to provide leadership in advancing geosynthetics education and research to attain their appropriate and widespread use as engineering materials in the United States and Canada. We encourage all members interested in playing a larger role in leadership and program and service development to consider standing for office with IGS-NA.
Nominations for the following seats are accepted through 30 September 2018:
1 Seat – President Elect. Serves one 2-year-term of office in that capacity followed by one 2-year term as President and an additional 2-year term as Past-President. As President-Elect, the successful candidate will be responsible for assisting the President and performing assignments directed by the President and/or Board.
2 Seats – Vice-President. Serves a 4-year term. Vice-Presidents are responsible for representing Members of IGS-NA and performing assignments directed by the President and/or Board.
To nominate someone or yourself, email info@IGS-NA.org.
Please include the nominee name, title, company/institution/organization, address, email, and phone. Also, please include a 150-word description about the nominee’s involvement in the geosynthetics industry and reason(s) for running for the seat. Please also include a photo of the nominee.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the Chairman of the IGS-NA Nomination Committee and Past-President John Henderson (j.henderson@tencategeo.com).
Following IGS North America’s successful Educate the Educators (EtE) event in Kingston, Ontario (December 2017), plans began towards the next gathering. Educate the Educators provides training and educational materials to professors from across North America to enable them to offer state-of-practice geosynthetics education to their students. In Kingston, 35 professors took part, adding to the 40+ who gained the introduction in Austin, Texas in 2015.
In 2019, IGS North America will again facilitate another EtE. San Diego, California has been identified as the next site.
IGS North America would like to thank its 2017 Diamond Event Sponsors: CETCO, Solmax/GSE, and TenCate. Sapphire Event Sponsors were Agru, HUESKER and Thrace-Linq.
IGS-NA would like to recognize the 2015 EtE Sponsors too. Remaining funds from the 2015 event were used to support the 2017 event as well. Thank you to GMA, Geosynthetic Institute, TenCate, ECTC, Presto, GSE, HUESKER, Thrace-Linq and TRI Environmental.
Plans for the 2019 EtE San Diego will be updated at our members meeting in Houston this February at Geosynthetics 2019.
IGS-North America invites abstracts (400 words maximum) for the 2019 Student Presentation Competition, to be held during the Geosynthetics 2019 conference, 10 – 13 February 2019 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, Texas. Abstracts should be submitted to info@igs-na.org by 29 October 2018.
Abstracts submitted to the Student Presentation Competition will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The student authors of the top 5 abstracts will be selected to give a 15-minute presentation during a special session at the conference. Depending on the number of quality abstract submissions, there may be a subsequent presentation component to select the top 5 student presenters. The selected student presenters will be notified by 1 December 2018. The selected student presenters will receive a complimentary conference registration. The panel of judges will select the winner of the presentation competition, who will be awarded a cash prize sponsored by the Geosynthetic Materials Association at one of the Plenary Sessions.
NOTE: The faculty advisor of the student is required to be a member of IGS North America. No written papers are required as part of this competition.
Graduate and undergraduate students: please consider joining IGS North America for free. Registration can be completed online at www.IGS-NA.org. As a member you will receive the IGS News, online access to the Geosynthetics International Journal and Geotextiles and Geomembranes Journal, and secure access to various International Geosynthetics Society conference proceedings (totaling more than 1800 technical papers). You’ll also receive an IGS lapel pin, access to the IGS online membership directory, and eligibility for IGS Awards, including the prestigious IGS Student Paper award program ($1000 scholarship to attend a regional conference) and/or IGS Young Member award.
Current IGS North America members – PLEASE forward this membership offer to current university/college students.
SEE ALSO: 2019 Student Paper Competition
The North American Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS-NA) is a proud supporter of the long-running Geosynthetics conference series, organized by IFAI. Geosynthetics 2019 will be held 10 – 13 February 2019 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, Texas.
IGS-NA encourages its members to attend our meeting at the conference to provide guidance and strategy for the organization for 2019 and beyond and to grow the use of geosynthetics in civil engineering projects.
Meeting date and location will be posted in the conference program.
Join more than 100 geotechnical practitioners in Dallas for this regional event. Attendees can earn 14 professional development hours (PDHs) over two full days while learning the latest developments in geosynthetics materials and the best practices for designing with geosynthetics. Event theme: Geosynthetics in Transportation and Environmental Applications.
VIEW PROGRAM ON GEODALLAS SITE
GeoDallas is organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International and co-located with the IFAI Expo and CAMX, the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo. GeoDallas attendees will be given three days of complimentary access to the combined show floor, which includes a Geosynthetics Pavilion.
IGS North America members interested in attending should contact Barbara Connett at bjconnett@ifai.com to receive an IGS-NA members registration discount.
UPDATE: The IGS North America has postponed Dr. Pluimer’s webinar to the Fall, due to chapter member and interested attendee requests. (It’s a busy work season!)
We will keep you all posted here on the IGS-NA website for webinar updates and when the event will be rescheduled. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.
Thank you again for supporting IGS-NA (NAGS) and the IGS.
For any questions about the webinar, please contact:
info@igs-na.org
(561) 768 9487
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IGS North America Presents:
Introduction To Geopipe
Presented by Dr. Michael Pluimer, University of Minnesota – Duluth
Date: THIS WEBINAR IS BEING RESCHEDULED
Registration Cost:
$20.00* – IGS-NA Members | $20.00 – IGS-NA Student Members
$60.00 – IGS Members | $80.00 – Non-members
* IGS-NA Members receive one FREE webinar coupon on paying annual dues
EARN 1 PDH
Presenter: Dr. Michael Pluimer, University of Minnesota – Duluth
Introduction To Geopipe
In this webinar, Dr. Pluimer will open a series on applications, specifications, and test methods associated with geopipe. These polymeric pipe materials, commonly offered in corrugated and smooth varieties and a wide range of diameters and thicknesses, are essential to the success of modern infrastructures: water, wastewater, sewer, landfills, mining, residential and commercial development, utilities, etc. The session will detail types of geopipe (e.g., dual-wall pipe, polyethylene corrugated pipe, numerous other materials), raw material properties and resulting pipe properties, long-term durability, common specification requirements, and more. Essential engineering parameters such as stress cracking, oxidation resistance, UV degradation, and creep will be discussed.
Key Topics Include:
IGS North America’s Introduction To Geopipe Webinar is ideal for environmental engineers, infrastructure-owning agencies, design engineers, municipal engineers, regulators, general contractors, and other stakeholders.
Please send questions to info@IGS-NA.org or call +1 561 768 9487.
Presenter Bio: Michael Pluimer holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (2016) from Villanova University and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (2002) from the University of Minnesota. His PhD research was on the performance of corrugated HDPE pipe manufactured with post-consumer recycled content in commuter railroad applications. Dr. Pluimer developed and validated a service life model for pipes in these applications relative to both the fatigue- and creep-related slow crack growth failure mechanisms. The service life model utilized ASTM F3181, the Un-notched Constant Ligament Stress (UCLS) test, a new test method developed for corrugated HDPE pipe materials containing recycled content.
IGS North America Presents:
Erosion Control with Geosynthetics
Presented by Markus Wilke, HUESKER
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 @ 1:00 – 2:30pm EDT (includes Q&A time)
Registration Cost:
$20.00* – IGS-NA Members | $80.00 – Non-members
* IGS-NA Members receive one FREE webinar coupon on paying annual dues
EARN 1 PDH
Presenter: Markus Wilke, HUESKER
REGISTER TODAYErosion Control with Geosynthetics
Erosion is a natural process, resulting from the interaction between water and soil. Unfortunately, this can cause severe damage to infrastructure and endanger people’s lives. Culverts, roads, bridge foundations, embankments, landfill slopes, MSE walls, and other critical pieces of infrastructure are susceptible. With greater urbanization occurring around the world and population centers swelling along coastlines and rivers, the collective need to better manage erosion threats has intensified.
Geosynthetics provide highly engineered solutions for solving all of these erosion problems.
DOWNLOAD EVENT PDFKey Topics Include:
IGS North America’s Erosion Control Webinar Series is ideal for environmental engineers, infrastructure-owning agencies, design engineers, municipal engineers, regulators, general contractors, and other stakeholders.
Interested participants can apply online. Please send questions to info@IGS-NA.org or call +1 561 768 9487.
Presenter Bio: Markus Wilke is an engineer and business development manager with HUESKER, one of the world’s oldest and largest geosynthetic manufacturing and design engineering companies. Wilke brings more than a decade of experience to the presentation, including a very deep background in hydraulic engineering and coastal protection and remediation. He has published extensively on topics such as dewatering, port maintenance, bank stabilization, and waterway engineering.
IGS North America Presents:
Electrical Leak Location Webinar Series
The Dipole Method (ASTM D7007): Advantages, Technique, and Necessary Site Conditions
Presented by Abigail Gilson, M.S., P.E.
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2018 @ 1:00 – 2:30pm EDT (includes Q&A time)
Registration Cost:
$20.00* – IGS-NA Members | $80.00 – Non-members
* IGS-NA Members receive one FREE webinar coupon on paying annual dues
EARN 1 PDH
Presenter: Abigail Gilson, Director of TRI Environmental’s Liner Integrity Services
ABeck@TRI-ENV.com | +1 512 623 0511
The Dipole Method (ASTM D7007): Advantages, Technique, and Necessary Site Conditions
Among the various types of electrical leak location methodologies used to evaluate geosynthetic lining systems in the field, the dipole method has a unique distinction: it is the only ASTM standardized ELL practice that can locate damage to geomembranes caused during or after cover material placement. Dipole technology can locate very small damage points, such as pinholes or knife slices, under several feet of earthen material. It can even be applied to filled impoundments that are actively in service. As such, dipole surveys are a powerful tool for lined facility validation and protection; but, like any ELL methodology, it can be rendered ineffective if site boundary conditions are poor. In this webinar, Abigail Gilson-Beck, one of the leading experts on ELL, explains ASTM D7007 standardized procedures, including leak detection distance testing and the various methods of data analysis. The importance of good site boundary conditions is detailed with case studies. Earn 1 PDH at the conclusion of the first webinar.
DOWNLOAD EVENT PDFAttendees will learn about:
The Electrical Leak Location Series is ideal for design engineers, CQA firms, site owners, and regulators interested in specifying and employing this service.
Presenter Bio: Abigail Gilson, M.S., P.E., is the Director of TRI Environmental’s Liner Integrity Services. She has a wealth of experience in geomembrane-lined containment facility design and construction and has performed electrical leak location surveys since 2004. As a graduate of TRI’s inaugural liner integrity class in 2003, her electrical leak location field experience has exceeded 100 projects and 110 million square feet. She has written and presented papers to industry conferences and taught short courses worldwide regarding the technical aspects of liner integrity and leak location surveys.
Ms. Gilson’s expertise is available for providing equipment, field training, classroom education, instructional presentations, engineering consulting, and liner integrity survey execution. She has trained staff in all of TRI’s office locations to provide local assistance on survey projects.
The January/February 2018 IGS-NA Newsletter is now available!
Last year, IGS North America’s membership and leadership re-committed themselves to being a more active organization. This movement led to strong membership growth in 2017, a photo competition, and a high-level Educate the Educators (EtE) event in December in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Along the way, the chapter hosted successful webinars on hot topics such as electrical leak location technologies and how to properly interpret minimum average roll values for geosynthetic materials.
As 2018 opens, IGS-NA’s activity continues. We summarize here some of the chapter’s highlights and forthcoming opportunities, and we welcome your participation.
Kind regards,
Bruno Herlin, V.P. Communications, IGS-NA
We are the North American Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), serving and representing infrastructure and sustainability professionals in Canada and the United States.
