Vancouver Geotechnical Society

Ongoing Challenges in Engineering Geology for Tunneling in Difficult Ground. Thursday, May 20, 2010
Dr. Paul Marinos, Professor of Engineering Geology at the University of Athens and the 2010 Jahns Distinguished Lecturer, will discuss methods used to assess geological factors that have an impact on tunnel design, particularly for tunnels under complex or difficult geologic conditions.

Cross Canada Lecture Tour - Spring 2010: Design, Construction and Operation of Dams in Permafrost Regions. Thursday, April 22, 2010
Don Hayley, a founding partner of EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd., will discuss the unique characteristics that frozen ground and ground ice present when planning, designing and constructing earth and rockfill dams on a permafrost foundation.                          View sponsors: page 1 page 2.

Site Response Evaluation in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Practice. Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Dr. Steven Kramer, a professor at the University of Washington, will discuss the effects of local soil conditions on the nature of ground surface motions produced by earthquakes as well as the basic methods of site response analyses and the results of a recent survey regarding their use in geotechnical practice.

Karst and Its Influence on Tailings Dams I Have Known and Loved. Thursday, January 28, 2010
Dr. Iain Bruce, president of BCG Engineering Inc., will discuss the karst formation and the impact on engineering structures, particularly dams. Examples from projects in Papua New Guinea, The Dominican Republic, and Peru will be given.

North Beach Rock Slide - A Case History. Thursday, November 26, 2009
Stephen M. Bean, a principal at Thurber Engineering Ltd. in Victoria, will present a case history review of the 2008 slide at Highway 97 near Okanagon Lake, which closed the road for seventeen days, discussing the review of the mechanics and recommendations for stabilization.

Lateral Load Analysis of Pile Groups Based on Full-Scale Testing. Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Dr. Kyle Robbins, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Brigham Young University in Utah, will discuss the lateral load resistance behavior of pile groups, based on research that includes full-scale testing of pile groups in different soils.

Geotechnical Aspects of Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project. Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Dr. M (Yogi) Yogendrakumar, a principal at Golder Associates Ltd. (Burnaby) served as the geotechnical project manager for the recent expansion of the 18-yr old Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. The presentation will include discussion of site preparation and foundation design for the project, including the challenge of utilizing Vibro-Replacement densification at the site.

Earth Retention Conference 3. Sun. - Wed., August 1-4, 2010
ER2010 is the third in a series of conferences on earth retaining structures organized by the Earth Retaining Structures Committee of the Geo-Institute of ASCE. The conference will include a diverse prgram that includes case histories and practice-oriented papers, recent research findings, innovative technologies, and the emerging arts across many of our disciplines. It is being held in Bellevue, Washington.

Soil-Structure Interaction. Fri. - Sat., June 25-26 2010
A two-day seminar presented by the Structural Engineers Association of BC (SEABC), discussing various ways of accounting for soil-structure interaction (SSI) from analysis of the total soilstructure system to analysis of various approximate models of the system. The focus is on buildings and bridges, with both shallow and deep foundations. Sponsored by the UBC Dept. of Civil Engineering.

Soil Liquefaction Short Course. Saturday, December 5, 2009
A one-day short course presented by I.M. Idriss and R.W. Boulanger, providing concepts and methods for estimating the potential for the triggering of liquefaction, lateral spreading, cyclic softening, and residual strengths of liquefied soils. Registration deadline is November 16, 2009. Follow link in title for registration form and information.

Construction on Organic Terrain and Characterization of Organic Soils. Wednesday, May 6, 2009.
Arvid Landva, a geotechnical consultant working out of Fredericton, New Brunswick, will discuss the classification of organic soils and the geotechnical challenges presented by them, based on his decades of experience in the field. View sponsors: page 1 page 2.

Loetschberg Base Tunnel. October 30, 2008
Cross Canada Lecture Tour.  Professor Aurèle Parriaux from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology discusses some of the complexities involved with the design and construction of the Loetschberg Base Tunnel that now crosses the northern range of the Swiss Alps.