|
425 registrants from 17 countries attended the 56th Canadian Geotechnical conference in Winnipeg, Canada, held jointly with the 4th Joint IAH-CNC and CGS Groundwater Specialty Conference and NAGS 2003. (Left) David Suits, President of NAGS, welcomes attendees to conference registration. |
|
Sunday night’s Ice Breaker (right) was very well attended and gave everyone the opportunity to see who had come and where their interests were for the next day’s paper presentations.
|
|
42 NAGS papers were presented in 8 sessions, led by the Mercer Lecture presented by Dr. Richard Bathhurst of the Royal Military College. It was a pleasure to see Jim Paul representing Netlon, England, and Dr. Mercer. Also of great significance was the award of the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s highest honor, the Legget Award, to our own Dr. R. Kerry Rowe of Queen’s University, Kingston.
After the first day inside the beautifully staffed Fairmont Winnipeg, those on the conference floor and in the session rooms were treated to an outdoor extravaganza at Ft. Gibraltar in the French Quarter.
|
However, just as the Nice conference will be remembered for its fireworks after the banquet, Winnipeg will be remembered for its Colour Night dinner in an unheated tent at a bone-tingling temperature of about freezing and a wind straight from Portage and Main, reputedly Canada’s windiest corner. The Voyageurs and first settlers were not to be envied!! Pete Stevenson of Xtex (a geosynthetica.net underwriter) got the evening off to a sharp start with his axe throwing talents (left). Pete, you might want to put down the drink first! |
|
On the second day of the conference, technical sessions commenced, papers were presented, (right, Ian Peggs, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, presenting "Factors Influencing HDPE Geomembrane Durability") meetings took place, and the day was rounded out by the Exhibitors Reception Cocktail Hour.
|
|
Of the 238 papers presented, the Best Paper award was presented to K. Renkin, E.K. Yanful, and D.M. Mchaina for their paper "Experimental Soil-Based Cover System to Mitigate ARD in Potentially Acid-Generating Tailings: Construction and Preliminary Results".
|
The Best Student Paper Award was presented to Fadzilah Saidin and R.D. Holtz for "Behaviour of a Geosynthetic-Reinforced Back-to-Back Wall". Travel costs for Fadzilah will be covered by NAGS for the next IGS event, where she will present her paper in the IGS Student Paper Competition. (Left) Winner Fadzilah Saidin with presenter David Suits of NAGS, just after he announced that NAGS will be providing free membership to all geosynthetic students. All that is needed to qualify is a note from their professor. |
Led by Shobha Bahtia, Suzanne Lacasse, Karen Henry, and Grace Hsuan, an interesting "round-table" Networking Session for Women was well attended (by both geo-men and geo-women). Challenges, inspirations, and advice were shared with young female engineers.
|
Tuesday came to a close with an entertaining – and warm – evening. The main course of the banquet was Manitoba Bison (buffalo) followed by a magic show. To understand the art of levitation, contact Grace Hsuan! And yes, ladies and gentlemen, our intrpid conference organizers donned outfits and became the geo-rendition singers Niel Diamond, Sonny and Cher, Pavarotti, Hans and Frans, and Elvis (who has apparently not left the building…he made a smoky, Vegas-like appearance to close the show).
|
|
On Thursday morning, after the conference, Terrafix (a GSA underwriter), Western Tank and Lining, and Naue Fasertechnik (a GSA underwriter) sponsored a workshop on GCL’s presented by Naue’s inimitable Kent von Maubeuge.
