Special Series

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has announced a 28 February 2013 short course on "Environmental Protection in Shale Oil and Gas Development." To be held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the day-long course will be taught by a diverse group of industry professionals representing private and public entities and who will address environmental challenges, groundwater protection, drill pad site liners, hydraulic fracturing, geomembrane welding equipment, and more. Learn more and register for this FGI-sponsored, extremely affordable course.

360 Abstracts from over 50 countries have been accepted for the Seventh International Conference on Geosynthetics in Nice France on 9/22/02 through 9/27/02. For more information on this conference: http://7icg-nice2002.com

The hilly terrain of Taiwan and annual rainy seasons can provide significant challenges to engineers and road builders. When an important road was disrupted by a partial slope failure, engineers decided to rebuild with geogrid-reinforced tiers. The case study comes from Ace Geosynthetics, a Taiwan-headquartered manufactured now with offices in Atlanta and Houston.

Nonwovens Industry's 37th Annual Guide lists suppliers and producers of nonwovens around the globe in one comprehensive listing. Learn more here.;

Nearly a decade ago, the Geosynthetic Institute published results of its first survey on Regulatory Status of Post-Closure Care of MSW Landfills in the United States. That publication was GSI...

The Midwestern United States' agriculture industry includes significant dairy, beef cattle, swine and poultry operations. Nearly 1/3 of the US anaerobic digestor operations are located on Midwestern farms now, but the 33 MW they produce stem represent only about 2 percent of the region's AD capacity. BIOMASS Power and Thermal's associate editor Anna Austin writes about the gap in the March 2012 issue. Read the article online. Learn more here.;

On 21 March 2011, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc. marks 20 years of international geosynthetic materials performance consulting work that has taken the company to more than 35 countries. Ian Peggs recalls 20 moments from those 20 years in geosynthetics. Dr. Peggs will take part in the panel discussion on HDPE welding and installation during Geo-Frontiers 2011.

The International Symposium on Geotechnical Engineering Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Human Security and Environmental Preservation held 6-7 December 2007, Bangkok, Thailand is reviewed by Dennes T. Bergado, President IGS Thai Chapter. Click the "continued" link for the review.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics invites all interested parties to participate in the development of a proposed new standard, WK15082, Specification for Measuring the Asperity Height of Textured Geomembrane. The proposed standard is being developed by Subcommittee D35.10 on Geomembranes. Although asperity height is specified throughout the geosynthetic industry, a procedure to measure it is not currently covered by an ASTM standard. WK15082 would fill this gap, according to D35.10 member Richard Lacey. “We need everybody to embrace this procedure,” says Lacey, a senior engineer with TRI Environmental. Lacey says that asperity height has broad implications regarding the interface friction potential of geomembranes. On specific projects, friction resistance can be correlated successfully to asperity height measurements, making this test critical where stability is a concern. “The subcommittee would like to see participation from regulators, quality assurance engineers and all others whom have recent experience with asperity height measurement and a product conformance crisis,” says Lacey. For further technical information, contact Richard Lacey, TRI Environmental, Buena Vista, Pa. (phone: 412/412-6541; rlacey@tri-env.com). Committee D35 meets Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2008, at the January committee week in Tampa, Fla. For membership or meeting information, contact Christine Sierk, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9728; csierk@astm.org). Learn more here.;

Connecting geomembranes to structures troubles many engineers, contractors and facility operators. Great care must be taken, else an entire installation may be threatened. geosynthetica.net interviewed Du Toit Viljoen of Engineeered Linings about how they've succeeded in this application over the past few decades.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) announces seven candidates for the 2008 Board of Directors. Incumbents, Michael Chase, CPESC, CPSWQ; Julie Etra, CPESC and Tom Williams, MA, CPESC will run against Marvin Courtnage, CPESC; Sherri L. Dunlap, MBA, DEng, CPESC; Sandy Mathews and Brock Peters, CISEC for three open positions. IECA’s Board of Directors is the governing body of the association. It consists of nine members serving three-year terms with three directors being elected each year. It is the policy of IECA to maintain a balanced distribution of professional affiliations on the Board. However, the actual composition is determined by the membership through the nomination and voting processes. Meet the Candidates: Michael Chase, CPESC, CPSWQ, an erosion control specialist with Paradigm Engineering, currently serves IECA as the treasurer for the Board of Directors. As a member of the association’s Western Chapter, Chase served two terms as Chapter president. He has been actively involved in reviewing and commenting on new policies at the federal and state levels and said he feels it is important to stay abreast of new policies and how they may affect stormwater. “It is necessary for IECA to be in the forefront to add guidance and to aid its members in understanding newly proposed regulations for construction and industrial activities,” said Chase. Marvin Courtnage, CPESC, is the Southern California sales representative for Ewing Irrigation’s erosion and turf products. Prior to moving to California in 2006, Courtnage spent many years in Colorado and served on IECA’s Mountain States Chapter Board of Directors. He has a strong horticulture background and has served on the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado Denver Chapter Board and the Xeriscape task force sponsored by the Denver Water Department. Concerned over guideline changes to the Clean Water Act, Courtnage said, “IECA must be a leader in protecting all waters of the United States. I want to be instrumental in doing that as an IECA Board member.” Sherri Dunlap, MBA, Deng, CPESC, is Manager of Applied Technology and New Products at the Harris County Flood Control District in Houston, Texas. She is a founding member and past president of the South Central Chapter of IECA and previously served on the IECA Board of Directors as technical vice president. “I would like to continue the technical programs I was involved in while on the Board and lead the organization in outreach and educational opportunities,” said Dunlap. In addition to her involvement with IECA, Dunlap also is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Water Environmental Resource Foundation (WERF). Julie Etra, CPESC, is principal of Western Botanical Services, Inc. As an active member of IECA for nearly 20 years, Etra currently serves as the association’s vice president of international development and is a past president of the Western Chapter. “I am very passionate about our organization and its potential to be a truly global force through our membership, expertise and philanthropy,” she said. She is fluent in Spanish and teaches bilingual erosion control classes. Etra has authored over 12 publications and is currently leading pioneering work on noxious weed control and restoration of riparian plant communities along the Truckee River in Nevada. Sandy Mathews is an environmental analyst in the Environmental Protection Department of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where she works to bridge the theory of law and regulation to create programs that are compliant and work in the field. Until recently, she served as a director for IECA’s Western Chapter. Mathews also is involved with the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) where she currently serves as a member of the Executive Program Committee and leads its Construction Subcommittee. “I see being a director on the international Board as an opportunity to help create a strategic direction that focuses on the members and Chapters,” said Mathews. Brock Peters, CPESC, is a professional erosion control contractor and consultant. He currently serves on the Board of IECA’s Great Rivers Chapter and as a representative on the association’s Government Relations Committee. “As a Board member of IECA, I hope to increase membership by bringing the building and erosion control industries together. Bridging the gap between IECA and other well-established trade associations is imperative,” said Peters. He is currently serving terms on the Board of Directors for the Homebuilders Association of Lincoln (Nebraska) and the Nebraska State Homebuilders Association. He was recently selected by the National Association of Homebuilders to serve on the Environmental Issues Committee. Tom Williams, MA, CPESC, works as a restoration ecologist for Golder Associates, Inc., in Lakewood, Colo. As a current director on the Board, Williams has participated in the Future of the Association Strategy Team (FAST) and has served as the chair for the Vegetative Establishment Technology Section for the past seven years. As co-chair of the Endowment Fund Committee, Williams said, “If elected, my main focus will be on getting this important funding mechanism up and running. I really believe this is our best approach to finding the funds necessary to accomplish the more exciting projects we would all like to pursue.” Detailed biographies and a statement from each candidate is available online to IECA members. IECA members may cast their votes until November 1 through the IECA web site at http://www.ieca.org.

If you were unable to attend the 8th International Geosynthetics Conference in Yokohama, Japan, September 18-25, 2006, and didn't get the conference proceedings CD, click the link below to read all the paper abstracts presented at the conference. Includes a link to the 8ICG "Real Time" Conference review.

Seats for Asia Mining Congress 2006 are selling out fast! With over 100 delegates on board already, Asia Mining Congress urges you to register now to ensure you don’t miss the opportunity to attend Asia’s leading mining event. Back for a 2nd year, Asia Mining Congress brings you the legislators of 11 countries in Asia to share their current and future political and legislative frameworks. You can also gain practical insights on how you can ride on the opportunities in Asia from mining bigwigs and juniors including Rio Tinto, CVRD, Ivanhoe, PT Freeport and Lafayette etc. With 300+ delegates at our inaugural event, you are guaranteed to be in good company. Here is a sneak preview of who you will meet at the congress: Resource Capital Funds * China Minmetals Non-Ferrous Metals * AngloGold Ashanti Beijing * Sentient Asset Management * PT Weda Bay Nickel * Metso Minerals * Placer Dome Asia Pacific * East Asia Minerals * JSC “Irgiredmet” * GE Infrastructure * Caterpillar Global Mining * Anglo American * Polystar International * SINOM (HK) * Hutti Gold Mines * Shearman & Sterling LLP * Marengo Mining * Alex Stewart (Assyers) *Alhambra Resources * Intertek Caleb Brett. DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING AND NETWORKING! Register now to join us at Asia Mining Congress 2006, held from 27 - 31 March 2006, at The Grand Hyatt, in Singapore. Call us today at +65 63222 770 or visit the link below to sign up now. Learn more here.;

Can we "see" what is happening to other layers of geosynthetics under a geomembrane without removing the geomembrane? Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL asks this question and demonstrates the answer.

Covering Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Burma, Nepal Indonesia, and Singapore in the upcoming July/August 2005 issue, Technical Textiles International will contain a special feature on the technical textiles industry in these regions. Learn more here.;

T-CLIC Accreditiation Course - STS and CQM Staff Accredited to Perform Liner Electrical Integrity Surveys, written by Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL.

Twenty-two top executives representing the national standards bodies of the Asia/Pacific region convened at ASTM International for a two-day Open House. The event, held September 22 and 23, was an open forum for frank and stimulating discussion regarding today's changing world of international standardization. The countries participating in the dialogue included: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. The Chairman of the World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade Committee, Juan Antonio Dorantes, via conference call, addressed the subject of international standards, namely standards that are transparent, coherent, and impartial. A reoccurring theme during the event was the need for international standards to be inclusive as opposed to exclusive. Attendees learned firsthand that they have the opportunity and freedom to use U.S.- generated international standards while still honoring the intent of the World Trade Organization's obligations to use international standards. Other discussion points focused on the standardization needs of developing nations, the need for flexibility within the global standards system, and support for small businesses. The guests also challenged their hosts to provide a vision for their organizations in the year 2013, further adding to the meaningful exchange. The Open House was co-sponsored by ASME International, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., and ASTM International, in cooperation with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). During the Open House, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Philippines' Bureau of Product Standards and ASTM International. "The influence of ASTM standards is greatly felt in the Philippines," noted Jesus L. Motoomull, Director of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, Bureau of Product Standards, at the signing. He went on to explain that 90% of the references to ASTM standards deal with the safety of products in the Philippine market. In his remarks to the audience, ASTM President Jim Thomas described the event as history making for ASTM International and as an opportunity to hear different viewpoints, share ideas, and to learn from each other. About his own organization, Thomas explained, "The process for the development of standards at ASTM International is unlike others in the world. Our participation is direct-no delegations, no prerequisites."

Stephen Wilk, Colin Basye, Dingqing Li, and Brad Kerchoff write on some roles for geosynthetics in railroad applications, such as for ballast pockets and flooded cuts. A version of...

This article is a version of a paper included in the peer-reviewed proceedings from the GAP 2019 transportation engineering conference, which was managed by Geosynthetica's publisher Minerva TRI. Here,...

The inaugural GeoU 2020 co-locates five high-level short courses. Four of the courses are concurrently held engineering classes and the fifth is a half-day marketing course for sales and...

Geosynthetics are used frequently to support roads that are built specifically for temporary or limited exposure to very heavy loads. This petrochemical installation project, first presented at GeoAmericas 2016...

During the GAP 2019 transportation engineering conference, W. Jeremy Robinson, P.E. of the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) presented on work he and his ERDC colleague...

Dr. Stacey Kulesza, P.E., Robert Sherwood, and Dr. Michelle Berry, P.E. exam fouled ballast and soil-water characteristic curves, in this latest share from the GAP 2019 transportation engineering conference...

The International Geosynthetics Society runs a series of high-level workshops that are organized by the IGS Technical Committees. Two of the major TCs are TC – Soil Reinforcement and...

Fouled ballast results in the degradation of mechanical properties of ballast and railway track instability. Seasonal dry-wet cycles increase the severity of the situation. In this latest addition to...