The North American Geosynthetics Society hosted “Educate the Educators: A Geosynthetics Training Program for University Professors” on 28–29 July 2015 in Austin, Texas.
This program provided core geosynthetic content, background information, and materials for use in the classroom so that participants can offer fundamental geosynthetics instruction in their engineering programs. The primary goal of the event was to teach every participant how to offer at least one 50-minute class on geosynthetics at the undergraduate level. Lecture notes and a hands-on learning module were provided to support this fundamental lecture. Additional class content and resources for senior undergraduate and graduate courses was also presented, discussed and provided.
The training sessions were be led by NAGS members Dr. Jorge Zornberg of The University of Texas at Austin, geotechnical consultant Dr. Barry Christopher and Dr. Richard Brachman of Queen’s University. Corporate sponsors contributed to technical education by providing informative and interesting case histories as well as special hands-on laboratory explanations and demonstrations by technical experts.
“The quality of the program and the reception of the material by the attendees was excellent,” stated John Henderson, PE, President of NAGS. “Educate the Educators is one of the key strategic programs for NAGS to fulfill our mission to improve the knowledge base of civil engineering professionals about geosynthetics.”
Educate the Educators hosted 43 visiting professors from North America and participants from Italy, Peru, China, Indonesia and Egypt.
This non-commercial educational event was chaired by Mr. Boyd Ramsey of GSE Environmental and created by the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The event was hosted by the IGS’s North American Chapter (NAGS) and supported by generous sponsors: Geosynthetic Materials Association, Geosynthetic Institute, TenCate Geosynthetics, Erosion Control Technology Council, Presto Geosystems, GSE Environmental, Huesker, Thrace-Linq, and TRI.
Daniel Jones, Department of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University
The GeoAmericas invite will include a free full registration to the event plus a USD $1000 stipend towards travel expenses.
The paper was titled “Hydration of Geosynthetic Clay Liners in Antarctica.” Jones co-authored the work with Dr. R. Kerry Rowe (Department of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University) and Dr. Rebecca McWatters (Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Austrlian Government), the latter of whom was honored with a NAGS Student Paper Award in 2009.
Jones presented the paper in Portland, in line with the rules of the NAGS Student Paper competition.
Selection of the winning paper is based on both the written paper and its oral presentation at a conference chosen by NAGS.
NAGS is not the only International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) chapter conducting a student paper competition. Each IGS chapter in the Americas is holding one, and the winner of each chapter competition will be invited to present at GeoAmericas 2016. They too will be offered a free full registration to GeoAmericas and USD $1000 travel stipend.
GeoAmericas 2016 (www.GeoAmericas2016.org) is being hosted by the North American Geosynthetics Society. This marks the first time the Pan-American Conference on Geosynthetics will be held in the United States.
NAGS is pleased to announce their new Board of Directors.
Read More
Announcing the NAGS – North American Geosynthetics Society – Biennial Meeting in conjunction with the Geosynthetics 2015 Conference
When: 6 – 7 pm Monday, February 16, 2015
Where: Room E148 of the Convention Center (Note the change in room from the original announcement sent by e-mail.)
See you at the Meeting!
The NAGS 2015 Election is open from 3 December until 17 December 2014.
Ballots will be cast electronically. Each member in good standing may cast one vote each for President Elect and Treasurer.
There are 3 open Vice Presidential seats on the board. Each NAGS Member in good standing may cast up to 3 votes for the Vice Presidential seats, the order of selection of up to 3 candidates does not affect the weight of the vote – each vote shall count as one point for the candidate. The 3 candidates with the highest number of votes will be the successful candidates.
To review the candidates biographies, please click here.
Dear Members:
In preparation for our upcoming biannual meeting to be held at the Geosynthetics 2015 Conference in Portland, OR, we are preparing for elections for the NAGS board of directors. At this moment, there will be 3 Vice President Positions open and 1 president elect position open.
The positions that are up for re-election/replacement are currently held by Jay McKelvey (VP), Richard Brachman(VP), Dhani Narejo (VP) and Corey Bobba (Treasurer). The president elect position is open and must be chosen from the current BOD.
If you know of anyone that would be interested in becoming active with the North American Chapter of the IGS (North American Geosynthetics Society), please offer a nomination for the position by responding to the following e-mail: info@igs-na.org. Each nomination should be accompanied by a brief biography and picture of the nominee.
For your information, the current Board Members and their status are noted below:
|
Position |
Position Open for Nominations |
Currently Held By |
Term status |
Eligible for re-election? |
Eligible for election as president elect? |
|
President |
NO |
Bob Mackey |
Completing 2nd yr of 2 yr term as president |
NO |
NO |
|
President Elect |
YES |
John Henderson |
Completing 2nd yr of 2 yr term prior to becoming president |
No Action Required |
NO |
|
Treasurer |
YES |
Corey Bobba |
Completing 1st 4 yr term |
YES |
YES |
|
Vice President |
NO |
Mike Bernardi |
2nd year of 4 year term |
No Action Required |
YES |
|
Vice President |
YES |
Richard Brachman |
Completing 1st 4 yr term |
YES |
YES |
|
Vice President |
YES |
Jay McKelvey |
Completing 2nd 4 yr term |
NO |
?? |
|
Vice President |
YES |
Dhani Narejo |
Completing 1st 4 yr term |
YES |
YES |
|
Member at Large |
NO |
Gabrielle Mariscall |
1st year of 2 yr appointment |
No Action Required |
YES |
|
Past President |
NO |
Dean Sandri |
Completing 2nd year as past president |
N/A |
NO |
Dean Sandri, PE, Past President, North American Geosynthetics Society
ENGINEER
Anchor Wall Systems, Inc.
29 Via Di Nola
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Event: NAGS 2014 Webinar Series: Presentation #3
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 1-2 pm EDT
Location: Online Webinar
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN (Registration Closes October 7th, 2014)
NAGS is very pleased to announce the 2014 Webinar Series:Presentation #3:
“Geofilters”
Presented by:
R. Jonathan Fannin, Ph.D., P. Eng.
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada;
DATE: Wednesday October 8, 2014, 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST
ABSTRACT: The origins of current design practice for a granular filter are first examined, along with some of the lessons learned over the years from construction of very large embankment dams, including the WAC Bennett dam in British Columbia. The origins of current design practice for a geotextile filter are then examined, in conjunction with some of the lessons learned from their use in earthworks, including the rehabilitation of the Alouette dam spillway in British Columbia. The evidence to-date suggests that both sand-gravel filters and geosynthetic filters have generally performed well at controlling seepage flow in earthwork applications for many years. However there have also been problems reported, both for granular filters and for geotextile filters. This lecture draws upon industry-university research on the sinkhole incident at the WAC Bennett dam in British Columbia, and industry-university research on the filter compatibility of geotextiles in unidirectional and reversing flow, to understand better the significance of issues affecting the performance of geofilters in earthworks. The merits of mandating the use of a geosynthetic filter as an adjunct to a granular filter, in critical infrastructure, are then considered within the context of risk management.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Jonathan Fannin obtained a B.Sc. (Civil Engineering) from the Queen’s University of Belfast, and a D. Phil. (Geotechnical Engineering) from the University of Oxford for studies on geosynthetics for soil stabilization. He is a recipient of several awards, including an IGS Award for contributions of laboratory and field research to engineering practice, a CGS Quigley Award for the best paper in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, a Karl Terzaghi Fellowship from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and most recently, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow award from the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering. Jonathan has provided specialist technical advice on a number of dam projects in North and South America and, in 2013, was made a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2013.
PRESENTATION #3 REGISTRATION FEE:
$100 – Presentation #3 MEMBER Fee: NAGS / CGS / IGS
$300 – Presentation #3 NON-MEMBER Fee ( Save money and become a member of NAGS today! )
$25 – Presentation #3 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.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN (Registration Closes October 7th, 2014)
REGISTER HERENOTES: All fees are in USD. Why not join NAGS for $75 USD? Please see www.nags-igs.org for details.
Co-sponsored by the Geosynthetics Division of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS)
NAGS – Providing leadership in advancing the education and research of geosynthetics
Event: NAGS 2014 Webinar Series: Presentation #2
Date: Wednesday July 9, 2014, 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT
Location: Online Webinar
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:
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 HERENOTES: 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
Event: NAGS 2014 Webinar Series: Presentation #1
Date: Wednesday March 19, 2014, 1 – 2 pm EDT
Location: Online Webinar
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.
Co-sponsored by the Geosynthetics Division of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS)
NAGS – Providing leadership in advancing the education and research of geosynthetics
W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.,October 23, 2013
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.
A 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.
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.
