Transportation

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF.

The geosynthetics industry has learned that Samir T. Badawi has died while traveling in Germany. Badawi has served as chairman of Houston-based Gundle/SLT Environmental Inc.'s (GSE) Board of Directors since 1995 and as company CEO since 1998. In that time, the company expanded steadily, building upon what was already a highly respected name in geosynthetic manufacturing. Badawi's considerable global business experience proved to be a good fit for GSE, which has operations around the world. Not only did he oversee GSE's important merger with SLT/ Environmental, but its acquisition by a private equity firm (Code, Hennessy & Simmons). Read more.

GSE has released an official statement regarding the death of president and CEO Samir T. Badawi.

Land and Water magazine's Erosion and Sediment Control Network (ESCN.tv) has for years been a weekly roundup of stories impacting the erosion control and sediment control field. But after a couple significant upgrades to the ESCN website (www.escn.tv) and a week off, the online-based broadcast has returned with news that it is moving to bi-weekly broadcasts, deeper stories and more reports not just from the field but actively out in it. Read more.

Blowing dust and muddy roads can pose hazards to the environment, the public, and profits. Grading and Excavation Contractor magazine has rounded up some experts on the subject in a July/August 2009 issue. They offer their advice. Included among them is CISEC's Jerry Fifield who offers a tip on trackout pad construction with geotextile underlay. Learn more here.;

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) will offer "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes," its popular short course, on 23 October 2009 in Lakewood, Colorado at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel. This course will be presented by Timothy D. Stark, Stan Slifer, John Heap, Daren L. Laine, Bill Shehane, Stuart Lange, Andrew Mills, Gary Kolbasuk and other speakers. Course participants are eligible for 6 PDHs. Learn more and view an agenda here.

This is a quick reminder that the deadline for offering a paper at PVC Formulation 2010 is not far away at 18 September. If your company has new developments or an overview of PVC compounding and you would like to give a 25 minute PowerPoint presentation, please send a short summary to me before 18 September 2009. The 2nd international conference on PVC Formulation takes place 16-18 March 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany.

With an estimated 30 billion pounds of additional polymerization capacity coming online in the Middle East in the next five years, the region stands to become a major plastics processing center. Will geosynthetics be part of this boom in production? How will the Middle East's growth affect global markets? Applied Market Information (AMI) is bringing its one-day "Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" to Philadelphia on 4 November 2009. Read a piece on the event from conference coordinator Lauren Fell. Read more.

Checkmate Geosynthetics Inc. is pleased to launch the Trigrid EX bi-axial geogrid range in addition to the existing Checkmate's product line in North America. Trigrid EX biaxial geogrids are manufactured by Samyang Corporation Korea and represented on Exclusive basis by Checkmate in North America. Checkmate will also provide the comprehensive technical and design support to the customers. Read more in the release.

The Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association has launched a new website: www.stormwaterassociation.com. The website contains information about the association's activities, membership, technical information and a buyer's guide. The buyer's guide is a free useful resource for end users needing information about stormwater equipment and other services. Read more in the release.

New for the next CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition, to be held in 2011, is the co-location of the 2011 International Concrete Exposition, also known as ICON Expo. The shows will be held 22-26 March 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, USA. ICON Expo is organized by the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) in conjunction with other leading industry groups, and serves the needs and interests of the concrete products industry, including producers, suppliers, designers, architects, and specifiers. The expo rounds out exhibits with product demonstrations, a robust education program and social networking events. Read more in the release.

AMCOL International Corporation (AMCOL) provides and markets a wide range of specialty mineral products. The product portfolio of the company include metalcasting, pet products, specialty minerals, building materials, drilling products, geosynthetic clay liner products, onshore and offshore water treatment filtration, pipeline separation, well testing services and trucking and freight brokerage. The company's products find use in industrial, environmental and consumer-related applications. AMCOL operates through five business divisions, they are minerals, environmental, oilfield services, transportation and corporate.

How very strange. Small amounts of geotextiles are even being sold on Craigslist. Learn more here.;

CISEC, Inc. will be presenting its inspector training modules and administering its nationwide certification examination through the Federal Highway Administration's Local and Tribal Technical Assistance Programs (LTAP/TTAP). The 58 LTAP/TTAP centers can now provide inspectors, designers, and regulatory agency personnel more opportunities to receive training in CISEC, Inc.'s professional sediment and erosion control inspector program and, if qualified, sit for the CISEC nationwide certification examination. Read more in the release.

Golder Associates Ltd. is pleased to announce Mr. Mark Brightman, as President of the firm's Canadian operations. Brightman replaces Mr. Brian H. Conlin, who was recently appointed as President & CEO of Golder Associates' global corporation. Read more in the release.

We want to take a moment to congratulate our colleague and friend Jennifer McKay of TenCate. She and her husband Josh were married earlier this summer. Jennifer has shared a couple photos from the wedding, one of which contains a number of very familiar faces from TenCate's expert engineering and sales crew. See the images here, and please be sure you have updated your email contact address for Jennifer to j.mckay@tencate.com.

Ten years ago, the first of Poland's Special Economic Zone permits were issued. These permits enable investors to launch businesses, apply for certain support, etc., but also under strict business transparency and conduct regulations. Panto Poland Engineering in the Lodz SEZ has just become the 101st SEZ permit. The article about Panto's achievement also notes the interesting fact that CETCO Poland was the first SEZ permit recipient. The company continues operating strongly in Poland and elsewhere in the world. Learn more here.;

While the priests and brothers of St. Benedict's Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts did not find water when attempting to establish a new well, they did show an exemplary use of geotextiles in roads. To support the well digging equipment, a new road was needed. Mud lay beneath ice. After difficult prep work, geotextile separation fabric and an aggregate base were installed to stabilize the zone and allow work to go forth. Learn more here.;

India's polypropylene industries are hurting as the current global economic decline has started taking a sharp bite out of Indian exports. Polypropylene resin producers are well down and find themselves with surplus stock, which is lowering long-term expectations. Geotextile producers are also down in exports. Learn more here.;

This year, China's government released a textile industry plan for 2009 through 2011. It includes support and targets for more than doubling geotextile production. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) will host "The Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" on 19 October 2009 in Cologne, Germany. This event has been offered twice already in 2009. This next session is your final chance of 2009 to take part. AMI reports that only five spots remain for the conference. Download the PDF brochure. Learn more here.;

ASTM International has announced its candidates for the organization's 2010 Board of Directors. Nominees were selected by the Nominating Committee. ASTM International's active members, such as participating members of Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, will receive voting instructions and biographies in the September/October issue of Standardization News. Also, along with electing the 2010 Board of Directors, ASTM members will be asked to recommend candidates from the ASTM International membership to serve on the 2011 Nominating Committee. Read the nominee list here.

Dennes Bergado writes on the forthcoming symposium "Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change including Global Warming." A list of speakers has been released and is contained in Dr. Bergado's write up. Of note, more than 30 technical speakers will be part of the event. They are coming to the conference from more than 15 countries. Also, a comprehensive technical exhibition will accompany the discussions. The symposium takes place 2-3 December 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

East Coast Erosion Blankets, LLC, a leading manufacturer and global supplier of erosion control blankets and sediment control devices, has updated the company website to allow users to quickly access company and product information. The revised website features comprehensive information on East Coast's full product line in multiple languages. Key specification and industry information regarding rolled erosion control products (RECPs), large-scale testing, National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) approval and more is readily available. Read more.

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009. The speaker and topic line up is certainly an impressive list. Ian Peggs of I-CORP will present on predicting end-of-life for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and the incorporation of flexible solar cells on exposed landfill caps; Carl De Leon of Solmax will present on geomembrane liners in harsh, petrochemical containment operations; Detlef Schramm of Dow will present a geomembrane global review; Silke Schwöbken of SENSOR will present on drainage detection systems; and much more. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the program in PDF. Learn more here.;