We would like to thank all of our viewers for your patience with gsa regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Frances. Power was restored to our offices on Wednesday, Sept 15, and we are very pleased to be able to update the site for you as of today. Feel free to contact us with items of interest - specifications (material, installation), employment opportunities, technical articles, products, projects, news, etc. for inclusion on geosynthetica.

You are cordially invited to participate in a virtual meeting to discuss the new Geofoam Guide draft in preparation for D35.03 subcommittee ballot November 1. This meeting is scheduled on September 23rd from 3-4:30 pm Eastern time. There are approximately 10 seats available for this meeting, so participation will be awarded on a first-come first-serve basis. Please reply to Christi Sierk, D35 Staff Manager via reply email or at csierk@astm.org if interested. BackGround: The task group is working on developing a new Guide that covers the principles to be considered in the design of geotechnical projects incorporating EPS Geofoam. This guide is titled, "Standard Guide for Design of Geotechnical Projects incorporating EPS Geofoam". Todd Bergstrom is the task group leader. In order to participate, you would need simultaneous access to both a telephone line, and internet access (preferably cable/high-speed). A draft will be sent to all interested in participating one week prior to the scheduled time on September 23rd to allow for review. During the meeting, additional changes/suggestions will be made "real-time" in track changes, resulting in a draft that is "ballot-ready" by the close of the meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to participate without the expenses of attending a meeting in person, and we encourage you to participate. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Christie Sierk directly at (610) 832-9728.

WE WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE AND ASK FOR YOUR PATIENCE REGARDING THE DELAYS THAT HURRICANE FRANCES MAY CAUSE GEOSYNTHETICA.NET. WE ARE IN PREPARATION FOR THE STORM AND MAY HAVE TO SHUTDOWN OPERATIONS LATER IN THE WEEK. Learn more here.;

The session is based on the popular TV quiz show. GeoJeopardy players are given Answers, and have to formulate the Questions very quickly to win. Three clever geotechnical engineers will state questions for a given difficult answer in a short period of time, competing for valuable prizes, money, fame, fortune and possibly ignomy. All done in front of their peers at GeoFrontiers, in January 2005. Send us your GeoJeopardy Answers. Answers should be short, clear, trivial and suitable for family viewing. Please, no dirty jokes. SUGGESTED TOPICS: soil mechanics, shear strength, slope stability, dams, walls, famous engineers, infamous engineers, Great Moments in Civil Engineering, foundations, famous structures, geotechnical techniques, in situ, geosynthetics. Suggest your own areas and provide Answers. (example: Topic: Slope Stability. Answer: Divide and Conquer. Winning question: "What is the method of slices?") Please include appropriate, corresponding Questions. SUBMIT TO: Dr. David J. Elton, P.E., Civil Engineering Department, Auburn University, AL 36849, elton@eng.auburn.edu. Vanna White will be present. The GeoJeopardy session will be Tuesday night at GeoFrontiers in Austin, TX, January 25, 2005, regardless of who wins the presidential election. Make plans to come, laugh and cheer. A Call for Contestants will be issued soon. So brush up on your geotechnical trivia.

Landfill course notes have been prepared under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. The notes are for a 45-lecture, full-semester, three-credit university course in engineering. The NSF notes are available at the link below in the 1. NSF LANDFILL course folder. The PowerPoint notes are accompanied by: 1. Instructor's Manual, comprehensive 2. Syllabus 3. Student reading material, in PDF format 4. Digital pictures 5. Digital videos 6. Tests 7. Class projects 8. Laboratory exercises 9. Software 10. Homework file, extensive 11. Case histories 12. Evaluation materials. The notes were prepared by David Elton, elton@eng.auburn.edu (Auburn University) Office: 1 334 844 6285, Fax:1 334 844 6290, Departmental phone: 1 334 844 4320, John Bowders (University of Missouri - Columbia), and David Shannon (Auburn University), with financial assistance from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education. The notes have been used and evaluated in a university class. We hope these are useful to the profession, and help produce a better generation of engineers prepared to design/construct landfills. - Dave Elton, John Bowders, David Shannon, August 2004. Learn more here.;

For the first time, a leading standards development organization based in the United States has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the national standards body of China. This historic event occurred on August 20 in Beijing when senior officials from ASTM International and the Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC) signed an MOU to strengthen the relationship between the two standards organizations. The MOU was signed by ASTM International President James A. Thomas and SAC Vice Administrator Zhang Yanhua. Witnesses included SAC Administrator Li Zhonghai and Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ben Wu. The signing, along with participation in standardization workshops held in Beijing earlier that week, is the latest event in ASTM's ongoing involvement in Chinese standardization. The MOU will enhance the ability of SAC and ASTM International to support the needs of the Chinese people and aid in the development of Chinese national standards for health, safety, and the environment. Following the signing, President Thomas stated, "ASTM standards have a century of history in the world's marketplace helping to ensure good quality products and accurate testing procedures. With China's trade topping $400 billion for both imports and exports in 2003, standards are of the utmost importance. The signing of this MOU with the SAC is a great step forward to encouraging greater access to ASTM standards in China as well as a bigger voice by Chinese experts in the content of ASTM standards." ASTM International and SAC agreed to explore cooperation opportunities for standards development in areas of mutual interest; promote communication and knowledge between the two organizations; and promote greater Chinese participation into the ASTM standards development process. Part of the MOU agreement involves ASTM annually providing the full collection of ASTM standards to SAC; jointly sponsoring standards and training programs; providing participating membership to representatives of SAC on ASTM technical committees; and providing internship programs for SAC experts to come to ASTM International Headquarters for extended study of the ASTM International standards development process. In return, SAC will promote the acceptance and use of ASTM standards in China; utilize the resources of ASTM International to develop Chinese National Standards and reference ASTM standards where applicable in Chinese National Standards; provide access to current ASTM standards including a link to ASTM International's website on the SAC home page. SAC will also facilitate connections between Chinese technical experts and ASTM International technical committees to ensure that the standards meet the needs of Chinese industry. ASTM International has had a presence in China for many years. Its involvement includes agreements with other standards organizations including the Chinese National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) and the Shanghai Institute of Standardization (SIS). In addition, ASTM has published an annual Chinese version of its magazine, Standardization News, as a joint venture with the China Association for Standardization (CAS) since 1991. SAC currently reports that it uses nearly 500 ASTM standards as the basis for its national standards in China. The spirit of cooperation continued during the week of the MOU signing with ASTM International's participation in the 2004 U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment Workshop, also held in Beijing. The workshop featured presentations from ASTM committee members on current market realities in the global steel market and on standards for gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuels. Established in 1898, ASTM International is an open forum for the development of high quality, market relevant international standards used around the globe.

Oil giant Shell and German chemicals firm BASF will put their Basell petrochemicals joint venture up for sale later this month with a price tag of up to 6 billion euros ($7.2 billion), the Financial Times reported on its website on Thursday. Investment banks Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and Lazard are preparing an offer memorandum for Basell that will go out to interested parties later this month, the report said. The banks are understood to have received preliminary approaches from both trade and financial buyers, the FT added. Last week, BASF said it would make a decision on Basell in the first half of 2005. Both BASF and Shell have said that options include selling their stakes or an initial public offering. Basell had sales of 6 billion euros and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of more than 300 million euros last year. A Shell spokesman in London declined to comment on the timing of any sale or on the value of Basell. - Yahoo Finance UK/Ireland. Learn more here.;

Max Brady, of Darling Downs Tarpaulins, has become one of seven members on the council of ACASPA (Australian Canvas & Synthetic Products Association Inc.). Max and his company have been active members of ACASPA since 1985.

Does the possibility exists for nanotechnology to enter the geosynthetics industry? CETCO thinks that geomembranes with significantly improved diffusion characteristics, higher strength geogrids, high-compression geonets, and even stronger plastic pipe products are possible with nanotechnology. They are wondering who agrees?

Mujeeb Basha is leaving AASHTO/NTPEP and will be moving to Illinois. A Geotechnical Engineer by trade, he will be consulting in construction management, transportation applications, and road building. Mujeeb's wife has completed her training as a physician and will be joining her sister's practice in Naperville, 50 miles from Chicago. September 10th will be Mujeeb's last day. Mike McGough will be taking Mujeeb's place at AASHTO and he can be reached at 202-320-3632 or by e-mail: mmcgough@aashto.org. Mujeeb's new contact information is: 202 Karen Circle, Boling Brook, IL., 604440, and he can be reached on the phone at: 202-320-1236 or by e-mail: mbasha2002@hotmail.com.