It’s election season for IGS North America. With the 2025 – 2026 Board Elections, we transition from Dr. Ben Leshchinsky (Oregon State University) to Dr. Kristin Sample-Lord, PE (Villanova University) as chapter President. Thank you, Ben! Our colleague John Allen (MBCC) now moves off the board after six years of support. Thank you, John, for you support of the chapter. Additionally leaving the Board are Lilma Schimmel (S&ME) and Dr. Joseph Scalia IV (Colorado State University), who have given us years of support as Vice Presidents. Thank you, Lilma and Joe!
Election invitations have gone out to chapter members from our elections system (Election Buddy).
The 2025-2026 ballot has us seeking a President-Elect (two-year term) and two Vice Presidents (four-year terms). There are also two additional survey questions regarding (a) the Biennial General Assembly, which will be held March 4 in Louisville during Geotechnical Frontiers 2025 and (b) the Call for Abstracts to the 13th International Conference on Geosynthetics (13 ICG), which IGS North America will host in Montreal in September 2026.
President-Elect Candidate
Vice President Candidates
President-Elect
Dr. Fady Abdelaal
Fady B. Abdelaal, Ph.D., P.Eng., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada and a Research Director at the GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC. His research expertise involves polymeric and bituminous geosynthetic barrier systems for geoenvironmental applications, with a focus on understanding
their long-term degradation behaviour. His work spans the use of geomembranes in solid waste landfills, low-level radioactive
waste containment, potable water reservoirs, and mining operations. Additionally, he investigates the long-term interface shear strength of geosynthetic barrier systems, contaminant diffusion through geomembranes, and the performance of geosynthetic liners in cold regions. His research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Mitacs. This research involves collaboration with various geosynthetic manufacturers and installers, consulting firms,
private sector companies, and mining companies. To date, his publications have won three Best Papers awards and two were selected as the Editor’s Choice in the top journals in the field.
Dr. Abdelaal currently serves as a Council member and Educational Committee Chair of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), vice President – University Outreach for IGS-North America, and the Academic support for the delivery of projects, IGS Technical Committee barriers (IGS-TC B). He was the immediate past Chair of the Geosynthetic Division of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS). He also serves on the editorial boards of Geotextiles and Geomembranes, Geosynthetics International, and Frontiers for Built Environment Journals as well as an Associate Editor for the Environmental Geotechnics Journal. Dr. Abdelaal was the Educational co-chair of the GeoAmericas 2024 conference and currently serves as the Technical co-chair of the 13 th International Conference on Geosynthetics (ICG13, 2026).
Vice President
Dustin Taylor, PE
Dustin Taylor is a licensed professional geotechnical engineer with more than 15 years of engineering experience with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington with a focus in Geotechnical Engineering. Dustin was born and raised in Elk City, Oklahoma and currently resides in Seattle, Washington where he has lived for the past 12 years. He is a past president of the ASCE Geo-Institute Seattle Chapter with over 750 members winning the Best Chapter Award as president in 2021. Dustin was the first two-term president in over 45 years and oversaw the completion of the commitment to the Holtz Fellowship with over $600,000 available to provide financial assistance to students pursuing careers in geotechnical engineering. Dustin is passionate about volunteering within the civil engineering community to advance the geotechnical engineering profession. He is actively involved in the Geo-Institute as Committee Liaison for the Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering committee, the Webmaster for the Geosynthetic committee as well as the Region 8 Representative for the Local Involvement Committee. He is also the Job Shadowing Lead for the International Geosynthetic Society Young Members Committee. Besides his engineering career, Dustin enjoys family, friends, food, traveling, nature, fitness, and music.
Vice President
Tamara Tuttle
Tamara Tuttle is a business consultant devoted to helping companies tell their story and increase their reach and profits, so they can grow healthy and give back to their communities. She has an international background and extensive experience in science of technical products sales–especially regarding geosynthetics for environmental applications like waste containment, water management, erosion control or mining. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, her consulting focuses on business development and international strategy. She helps clients to consolidate sales, communicate better their technical offerings, launch new products, or measure and manage their customer experience.
Among her many geosynthetics industry activities, Tamara Tuttle is Co-Chair of the International Marketing Committee of the 13th International Conference on Geosynthetics (13 ICG Montreal 2026). Her extensive international work has involved business in 100+ countries, and she has provided market research & intelligence, assisted in entries to new territories, and facilitated business relationships where two or more countries, languages, and cultures are involved. Her marketing, sales, and consulting work has helped generate millions in revenue for global manufacturers, construction companies, testing facilities, media platforms and engineering firms.
PHOTO: Dr. Virginia Smith (left) and Dr. Kristin Sample-Lord (right) at Villanova’s graduation ceremony. Dr. Smith received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Teaching award while IGS-NA President-Elect Dr. Sample-Lord received the Mid-Career Service Award.
Recognitions for career activity are pouring in for Dr. Kristin Sample-Lord, P.E.–IGS North America’s President-Elect. Dr. Sample-Lord has received two awards just this month:
At GeoAmericas 2024 in Toronto this month, the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) recognized members from IGS Chapters in the Americas for their beneficial impact on chapter initiatives. Only one person per chapter can receive the Chapter Service Award. In the Americas, the awards are given out every four years at the GeoAmericas conference.
IGS North America recognized Dr. Sample-Lord for her leadership in the on-going Testing Innovation Fellowship program, which provides research stipends to students whose work can help expedite a new or revised standard with ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics. The fellowship program is jointly supported by IGS North America, the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), and Committee D35.
The Mid-Career Service Award recognizes faculty members who “have made extraordinary contributions to the welfare and functioning of their departments, colleges, the University, and their profession.” Dr. Sample-Lord is an Associate Professor and Interim Department Chair in Villanova’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Only one Mid-Career Service Award is given out per year.
Villanova presented Dr. Sample-Lord with the honor’s medallion during the recent graduation ceremony.
**
Congratulations KSL on the awards! Well deserved.
Since 1999, the Ralph B. Peck Award from the ASCE Geo-Institute has recognized outstanding contributions to the geotechnical engineering profession through the publication of “thoughtful, carefully researched case history or histories, or the publication of recommended practices or design methodologies based on the evaluation of case histories.”
IGS North America congratulates chapter member and former IGS President, Dr. Jorge Zornberg, P.E., F. ASCE, who was selected as the 2024 Peck Award Winner. Dr. Zornberg presented the lecture in Vancouver, British Columbia during GeoCongress 2024. See a video of it below.
Dr. Zornberg holds the Brunswick-Abernathy Regents Professorship in Soil Dynamics & Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He has over 35 years of experience in research and practice in geotechnical, geosynthetics, transportation, and geoenvironmental engineering. In 2023, he recognized with Honorary Membership in IGS North America–one of only five members to achieve this honor since the chapter’s founding in 1988,
IGS North America will support a new infrastructure summit to be held in conjunction with GeoU 2023. The GeoU event series co-locates two-day, in-person short courses and significant professional networking among practitioners whose work involves geosynthetics.
GeoU 2023 will be held November 7 – 10 in Austin, Texas and feature two landfill-focused courses and one multi-topic course on transportation engineering, stormwater management, and erosion and sediment control.
The IGS North America-supported panel discussion—the Central Texas Infrastructure Summit—will be a standalone two-hour panel discussion followed by a reception that connects summit attendees with the incoming attendees for the November 8 and 9 short courses.
What: GeoU 2023
Where: Sonesta Bee Cave Austin Hotel
When: 7 – 10 November 2023
IGS North America members can save 10% on registrations with the code IGSNA during checkout. (NOTE: Short course registration includes the November 7 summit and reception.)
Introduction & Context
Sam Allen (TRI Environmental, IGS North America Member & IGS President)
The third engineering requirement: sustainability
Dr. Jorge Zornberg, PE (Univ of Texas – Austin, IGS North America Member & IGS Past President)
Implications for existing and future transportation needs
Mike Arellano (TxDOT)
Central Texas water needs and current challenges
Dr. Jay Banner (Univ of Texas – Austin)
The United Kingdom experience with mandating sustainable infrastructure
David Shercliffe (ABG Geosynthetics [UK])
Panel Discussion
Reception follows on site.
November 7
3:00 – 5:00 pm, Central Texas Infrastructure Summit (Panel discussion)
5:00 – 7:00 pm, Sustainable Infrastructure Reception
November 8
8:00 – 5:00 pm, QA/QC of Geosynthetic Installation and GCL/CCL (Day 1)
8:00 – 5:00 pm, State of Practice for the Design & Construction of Containment Liner Systems (Day 1)
8:00 – 5:00 pm, Economically & Environmentally Sustainable Infrastructure Development: Best-Practice Construction (Day 1)
5:30 – 9:00 pm, Technical Tour (TRI Environmental) + Texas BBQ Bash
November 9
8:00 – 5:00 pm, QA/QC of Geosynthetic Installation and GCL/CCL (Day 2)
8:00 – 5:00 pm, State of Practice for the Design & Construction of Containment Liner Systems (Day 2)
8:00 – 5:00 pm, Economically & Environmentally Sustainable Infrastructure Development: Best-Practice Construction (Day 2)
5:00 – 6:00 pm, Happy Hour
November 10
8:00 am – 12:00 pm, GCI-ICP Exams
8:00 am – 12:00 pm, Marketing in the Geosynthetics Industry
Learn more at www.geo-u.com
This is just a dummy of a dummy story to see where it pops up on the site.
The MINEXCHANGE annual conference from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) is one of the most influential mining conferences and trade shows in the world. MINEXCHANGE 2024 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona 25 – 28 February 2024—and IGS North America Treasurer Marco Isola (WSP) is chairing the geosynthetics session.
He invites all IGS North America members and their colleagues active in mining and geosynthetics to submit an abstract to the program.
Abstracts due: 11 August 2023.
Papers are not mandatory. Presentation-only abstracts are welcomed.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
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.
