Soil Reinforcement

TRI/Environmental’s Denver Downs Research Facility (DDRF) will host the Field Day half of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) South Carolina Chapter's Training and Field Days. The site visit is worth 3 PDH credits. VIEW THE PDF BROCHURE.

Though the bi-weekly Call for Papers Update will be published on Monday morning, we'd like to remind readers that 1 August 2008 is the deadline for submissions to TRB 88, Urban Water Management 2009, and the 2009 Techtextil North America Symposium. See the succinct breakdown of deadlines here.

The organizers of EuroGeo 4--the 4th European Conference on Geosynthetics--would like to remind readers of the early registration deadline (31 July 2008) and of the three technical courses that will be held in conjunction with the event. The technical course subjects are geosynthetics in reinforcement, waste containment and hydraulic applications. Read more.

The deadline for abstract submission to Urban Water Management 2009 has been extended to 1 August 2008. This inaugural event from PennWell will be an annual conference focusing on stormwater BMPs, sustainable design, public works, NPDES, construction and more. The first gathering will be held in Overland Park, Kansas from 23-26 March 2009. Learn more here.;

South Lanarkshire will be the home of Europe’s largest on-shore wind farm. Scottish ministers have just signed off on the Clyde Wind Farm deal. Access to wind farms is often dependent on geogrid reinforcement and/or geotextile separation in the road bed, as the access roads must withstand long-term heavy vehicle traffic. More about this project as it develops. Learn more here.;

TenCate Geosynthetics has launched a new website. The new section focuses on Industrial Fabrics. Read about the site's redesign, its new resources, and more.

geosynthetica is proud to announce that it has cleared the application process to begin supplying original content to Google News. This platform will help extend the reach of geosynthetic engineering information to users, potential users, journalists, and many others. For information on how your work could be part of a story, contact Chris Kelsey.

The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) has announced a second keynote speaker: Håkan Rylander, CEO of the South Scania Waste Company, Sweden (part of SYSAV). Read more about Mr. Rylander and the first keynote speaker, Dr. Michael Walsh of Chicago Climate Exchange.

The current installment of CE News' Civil Connection e-newsletter includes a segmental retaining wall (SRW) design on shipping giant DHL's new, 72-acre site in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Strata Systems' Sleeve-It product enabled the project team to establish a key security fence on what would normally be a difficult site: the top of the wall. The article shows how the installation succeeded. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has released the latest issue of GeoTalk. This 18th volume of the company's geosynthetics applications newsletter includes a field study on geogrid performance in roads, new paving reinforcement materials, use of geogrids by the US Army Corp of Engineers for border zone installations, slope retention and dewatering. Download the issue in PDF. Learn more here.;

The latest issue of Land and Water includes a piece on the Pineda Ocean Club's shoreline restoration in Satellite Beach, Florida. Sand-filled geotextile tubes provide dune stabilization support. The design mirrored a similar installation from 1989--one which helped withstand two hurricanes 15 years later. Read the article online. Learn more here.;

Our bi-weekly update on calls for papers, abstracts and proposals is posted. This issue includes Cooperation for Waste Issues, a Kharkiv, Ukraine event for which geosynthetica is a media partner. Events are listed in ordered of closest deadlines.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) has announced the winners of its 2008-2009 scholarships. Congratulations are in order for Garrett Graybill, Brian Carlton, Rachel Ernst and Joe Tom on their deserved recognition. Read more about their work and the 2009-2010 call for nominations.

The CE Mark on products allows companies to distribute those products throughout the European Union. It's vital to be competitive in Europe. Süddeutsches Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ) recently brought CE information to representatives in China. Read a short report in English.

A German version of SKZ's report from China is available. SKZ visited the Geosynthetics Asia 2008 event to discuss CE Marking of products with companies. Read the German version of the report.

Minneapolis-based Press Pubs has published a piece from Major Chad Arcand, who is stationed in Mosul, Iraq. He reports that some military outposts in Iraq are being constructed with soil-filled, geotextile-lined gabion walls for perimeter defense. Learn more here.;

Resin prices have increased dramatically this year, and since resins provide the vital characteristics of geosynthetics, the cost of geosynthetic products have risen--though not nearly by as much as resins have. But there is only so much manufactures can do before some of their increased costs must transfer into the product lines. Tensar International has released a letter about this. Learn more here.;

We've seen a great many Calls for Papers, Abstracts and Proposals come out recently. It can be difficult to track all this during your busy work season. Keep up-to-date on the calls with our update column that may identify particular sessions of interest, such as the Geotechnical Risk portion of the 2009 DBIA Water/Wastewater event. Read more about these forthcoming deadlines.

The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) has announced that it is preparing to meet with members of the U.S. Congress who have an interest in levee safety. GMA seeks examples of geosynthetic products that can be employed for emergency levee repair and levee heightening to prevent overtopping. For information on the meeting and GMA, contact Andrew Aho. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has provided a bit more detail regarding funeral services for Jim Paul, the company's former CEO. A private cremation ceremony will be held on July 4 followed by a public service. Read more.

The sagging state of the American infrastructure is well known. The recent collapse of more than 20 levees during the flooding in the Midwest is more than telling. But the Economist has now weighed in with a rather stark, short essay on the funding and application needs. Transportation and water management are of major concern. Read more. Learn more here.;

The deadline for the “early-bird” conference registration fee for GeoEdmonton’08 in 20 July 2008. Act soon to save $100 on registration. For non-members of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS), your registration includes membership. The online registration system can also be used to register for the short courses and technical tours. GeoEdmonton '08 will be held 21-24 September 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Learn more here.;

ASTM's Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will be meeting June 26 in Denver. "Geosynthetics in Roadways and Pavements" will be the focus of Subcommittee 01 on Mechanical Properties that day. Regular Task Group meetings on properties frequently used to characterize geogrids and geotextiles used in roads and pavements will be sandwiched around an hour long update by Steve Perkins on the encouraging developments and correlations of index, bench-scale, and full-scale separation/stabilization test methods. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics 2009 will be held 25-27 February 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals is June 30. The conference theme is "Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering." See the abstract submission page for more information. Learn more here.;

The flooding in the Midwestern United States has caused significant damage to croplands and communities as levees have given way. Along the Mississippi River, at least 19 levees have burst. Another 26 have been identified by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as critical…and that's just on the Mississippi. Other rivers in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri are experiencing similar challenges. Learn more here.;