NAGS Announces 2nd Presentation of Its 2014 Webinar Series

Bob MackeyEvent: NAGS 2014 Webinar Series: Presentation #2
Date: Wednesday July 9, 2014, 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT
Location: Online Webinar

REGISTER HERE

NAGS is very pleased to announce the 2014 Webinar Series:Presentation #2:
“Composite Drainage Nets – Design and Testing”

Presented by:
Bob Mackey, P.E., BCEE
S2L, Incorporated
Maitland, Florida, USA

DATE: Wednesday July 9, 2014, 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST

ABSTRACT: The development of composite drainage nets (CDNs) (a.k.a. “geocomposites”) has advanced from the initial biaxial nets to tri-axial nets to the current composite drainage products of various geosynthetic materials and structures. The use of CDNs requires a fundamental knowledge of the CDN components and the specifications for those materials.

This North American Geosynthetics Society webinar will address the various design, testing and installation issues one must consider with composite drainage nets. Issues include:

  • Various CDNs and their components
  • Ply adhesion (geotextile/geonet)
  • Flow pattern considerations
  • Reduction factors
  • Creep reduction estimates and testing
  • Transmissivity testing
  • Design specifications (cap and leachate collection)
  • Installation issues
  • Construction and historical issues

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Mr. Mackey is a civil/environmental engineer with 28+ years of experience in the solid waste management field. Bob is currently president of the North American Geosynthetic Society and Chairman of the ASTM International Committee D35on Geosynthetics. Mr. Mackey is an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida, former co-instructor for the ASCE continuing education course “Design of Waste Containment Liner and Closure Systems,” and a member of ASCE’s Body of Knowledge Committee, 2nd Edition. Bob has received ASTM’s Award of Merit (the association’s highest award), and he has been honored with the designation of Fellow by ASTM, ASCE and the Florida Engineering Society.

PRESENTATION #2 REGISTRATION FEE:
$100 – Presentation #2 MEMBER Fee: NAGS / CGS / IGS
$300 – Presentation #2 NON-MEMBER Fee ( Save money and become a member of NAGS today! )
$25 – Presentation #2 NAGS Student Member Rate ( Students may apply to NAGS at no charge for membership! )

PDHs: Professional development credit will be available for each participant paying a registration fee.

GROUPS: Small groups of up to five people are welcome to participate for one registration fee. Groups larger than five must pay a second registration fee.

REGISTER HERE

NOTES: All fees are in USD. Why not join NAGS for $75 USD? Please see www.nags-igs.org for details.

NAGS – Providing leadership in advancing the education and research of geosynthetics

NAGS Announces 1st Presentation of Its 2014 Webinar Series

rowe_picEvent: NAGS 2014 Webinar Series: Presentation #1
Date: Wednesday March 19, 2014, 1 – 2 pm EDT
Location: Online Webinar

REGISTER HERE

NAGS is very pleased to announce the 2014 Webinar Series:Presentation #1:
“Recent insights on the performance of GCLs in bottom liners and covers”

Presented by:
R. Kerry Rowe
GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC
Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

DATE: Wednesday March 19, 2014, 1-2 pm EST

ABSTRACT: The available evidence suggests that both geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and composite liners with a geomembrane (GMB) over a clay liner have performed extremely well at controlling leakage in field applications for a couple of decades. However there have also been some problems reported and recent research has allowed us to have a much better understanding of the key design and construction factors affecting good and poor performance. This lecture examines some of these issues affecting GCL performance such as the water retention curve of GCLs, subgrade grain size and initial water content, GCL water content and normal stress on the GCL, the effect of daily thermal cycles on hydration, GCL panel shrinkage, and cation exchange. Factors affecting composite liner performance examined include the potential for desiccation of the clay liner under a sustained thermal gradient, GMB/GCL interface transmissivity, wrinkles in the GMB when the ballast layer is placed over the composite liner, and the potential interaction between wrinkles and GCL panel overlaps. Recent insights regarding leakage through composite liners are discussed. Although a number of potential issues with liner performance are discussed, it is concluded that all can be addressed by appropriate design, material selection, construction, and operation.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Professor Rowe holds the Canada Research Chair in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering at Queen’s University. He is an author of 300 journal papers, 3 books, 18 book chapters, and 290 full conference papers. He has presented many prestigious lectures including the Giroud Lecture (2002), Rankine Lecture (2005), and Casagrande Lecture (2011). He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Royal Academy of Engineering and The Royal Society. He is past president of the International Geosynthetics Society, Canadian Geotechnical Society, and Engineering Institute of Canada.

PRESENTATION #1 REGISTRATION FEE:
$100 – Presentation #1 MEMBER Fee: NAGS / CGS / IGS
$300 – Presentation #1 NON-MEMBER Fee ( Save money and become a member of NAGS today! )
$25 – Presentation #1 NAGS Student Member Rate ( Students may apply to NAGS at no charge for membership! )

PDHs: Professional development credit will be available for each participant paying a registration fee.

GROUPS: Small groups of up to five people are welcome to participate for one registration fee.
Groups larger than five would be required to pay a second registration fee.

NOTES: All fees are in USD. Why not join NAGS for $75 USD? Please see www.nags-igs.org for details.

cgs_logo
Co-sponsored by the Geosynthetics Division of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS)

NAGS – Providing leadership in advancing the education and research of geosynthetics

L. David Suits Receives ASTM International Johnson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Soil and Rock Standards

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.,October 23, 2013

NAGS Managing Director - David Suits

L. David Suits

L. David Suits, executive director of the North American Geosynthetic Society, Albany, N.Y., has received the A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award from ASTM International Committee D18 on Soil and Rock. This award is presented to a member whose efforts have produced a particular outstanding result orsignificant contribution to the work of the committee.

ASTM logoA dedicated ASTM International member for more than 35 years, Suits works on several subcommittees within Committees D18 and D35 on Geosynthetics. He is a founding member and past chairman of D35 and currently leads Subcommittee D35.03 on Permeability and Filtration as well as the D18 group on the Geotechnical Testing Journal, where he serves as a co-editor. Suits is also a member of Committee D04 on Road and Paving Materials and has served terms on the ASTM Standing Committees on Publications and Technical Committee Operations. He has received several standards development and service awards from D18 and D35, and was honored with the ASTM International Award of Merit and title of Fellow, ASTM’s highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to standards activities, in 1986.

Suits specializes in soils and geosynthetics testing. He was employed by the New York State Department of Transportation for 37 years, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility, including assistant soils engineer and soil mechanics laboratory supervisor, where he over saw the performance of all foundation design testing done in conjunction with the department’s $1 billion design and construction program. In 2005, he retired from NYSDOT and became executive and managing director of the North American Geosynthetics Society, a group that provides leadership for the advancement of education and research ingeosynthetics.

Outside ASTM International, Suits is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute and the International Geosynthetics Society. He has authored or co-authored more than 28 articles and papers on geosynthetics. Suits holds a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Clarkson University, Potsdam. N.Y.

ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions.

New NAGS / GMA Short Course: Geosynthetics in Roadways

Short Course

Event: Geosynthetics in Roadways Short Course
Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

Course Summary:
The 1 day (6PDHs) short course “Geosynthetics in Roadways” provides training on the appropriate, cost-effective utilization of geosynthetics in roadway applications. The course examines the use of geotextiles, geogrids, and edge drains in pavement structures. Applications of filtration, drainage, roadway separation, roadway reinforcement, roadway subgrade improvement, and pavement overlays are addressed.

Who should attend:
The workshop is intended for engineers or technical staff who design roadways and would like to gain a greater understanding of the use of geosynthetics in roadway applications.

About the instructors:

  • Barry R. Christopher, Ph.D., P.E. is an independent geotechnical engineering consultant specializing in reinforced soil and other ground improvement technologies, geosynthetic application and design, and geotechnical/geosynthetic testing and instrumentation.
  • L. David Suits, MSCE, has over 35 years of experience in geosynthetics and geosynthetics testing.Mr. Suits is currently the Executive Director of the North American Geosynthetics Society.

 

Download Short Course Brochure

NAGS Board of Directors: 2013-2015

NAGS is pleased to announce their new Board of Directors.

NAGS Board of Directors: 2013-2015

  • President
    Robert Mackey
    , S2L Incorporated

 

  • President-elect
    John Henderson
    ,  TenCate

 

  • Treasurer
    Corey Bobba
    , FHWA

 

  • Vice President
    Jay McKelvey
    , Earth Engineering
  • Vice President
    Richard Brachman
    , Queen’s University

 

  • Vice President
    Michael Bernardi
    , TenCate

 

  • Vice President
    Dhani Naejo

 

  • Past President
    Dean Sandri
    , Anchor Wall

 

Read More

 

NAGS Members receive ASTM Awards

At the recent ASTM Meeting in Indianapolis several NAGS Members received awards.

  • ASTM International President’s Award (Awarded to a person who has less than 7 years activity in ASTM and has made major contributions to the committee(s) they are members of.) Selected by the President of the Society.
    Awarded to:
    Dr. John McCartney for 2012. for work Committee D18 on Soil and Rock Committee
    D18 Committee on Soil and Rock Awards

 

  • Hogentogler Award (Best paper award)
    Fawzy M. Ezzein and Richard J. Bathurst – For “A Transparent Sand for Geotechnical Laboratory Modeling,” ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, vol.34, No. 6 (Nov 2011), pp 590-601.

 

  • A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award
    L. David.Suits– For Service as Editor of the Geotechnical Testing Journal

 

 

2013 NAGS Biennial Meeting Report – by David Suits

NAGS hosted its 2013 Biennial General Meeting during the Geosynthetics 2013 Conference in Long Beach, CA.  The meeting report can be downloaded using the link below.  Meeting highlights included the transition to the newly elected Board Members and an excellent presentation by Robert (Bob) Mackey as the new President of the chapter.  Bob, with the help of other NAGS Officers, outlined goals and helped to define the path forward for his term.  There were a number of great comments from the audience which consisted of a number of NAGS Members.

Download: 2013 NAGS Biennial Meeting Report by DSuits – EP 20130426

NAGS Member Dr. John S. McCartney Receives 2013 President’s Leadership Award from ASTM

Prof. John S. McCartney – 2013 ASTM Award Winner

 

John S. McCartney, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo., has been announced as the recipient of the 2013 President’s Leadership Award from ASTM International. The President’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals early in their ASTM career who have significantly advanced the Society’s mission through extraordinary accomplishment, example and vision, and is presented to two ASTM members annually. This year’s other recipient is William C. Griese, standards development and green initiative manager at the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) in Anderson, S.C. McCartney has served on Committees D18 on Soil and Rock and D35 on Geosynthetics.

As well we are proud to have John as a long standing Member of NAGS and as the Co-Chair of the Student Activities for GeoAmericas 2016 – the 3rd Pan-American Regional Conference on Geosynthetics.  Congratulations and thanks to John from NAGS!

North American Geosynthetics Society 2012 Year-end Report

The year 2012 has been an active year for NAGS. We have co-hosted, with GMA, a series of regional short courses. We anticipate at least four of these sessions to be held during 2013.  

We have participated both with financial support, and attendance at, the Lobby Days organized through GMA and its lobbyists. There have been very positive results from that activity with a congressional mandated report by the Government Accounting Office was released in November on the benefits of using geosynthetics, as well as language in the transportation bill encouraging the use of innovative materials such as geosynthetics in the design and construction of transportation facilities. A copy of the report is available HERE

We worked with IFAI and GMA in conjunction with the Geosynthetics 2013 Conference to be held in Long Beach, CA. April 1-4, 2013. The conference is co-located with the FHWA Southwest Geotechnical Engineers, and the GRI 25 Conferences. We have agreed on the arrangements to participate in the Canadian Geotechnical Society Annual Conference to be held in Montreal in late September 2013.

In conjunction with the Geosynthetics 2013 NAGS will hold its biennial meeting where the new Board of Directors, including the new President, President-elect, and Board members will be introduced.

One of the Board of Directors’ initiatives for 2013 is recruitment of new members

While we have over 200 members now, growth in membership will allow us to pursue other activities that promote the use geosynthetics. In that regard we would like to ask your help. We encourage each member to recruit at least one new member. As an incentive to do this we are offering, compliments of IFAI/GMA, a one year subscription to “Geosynthetics” for any US or Canadian  member renewing for 2013 who recruits at least one new member.

A new website that incorporates many new features, including the ability to share news of members and the industry, a calendar of upcoming events, links to various other sites including the IGS site and a LinkedIn Group, pictures, and more, will be available during the first quarter of 2013. Watch for the announcement.  

Should there be any questions regarding anything about NAGS, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We are looking forward to another successful year in 2013, and it will be with your support that this will be possible.

L. David Suits, Executive Director