NEWS 2015

Posted September 1, 2015 (Updated October 21, 2015)

Event: November 5, 2015

GSE: Mr. Keith Cunningham, Senior Analyst, Ministry of the Economy, Government of Saskatchewan - Post-Closure Stewardship of Mine Sites - Saskatchewan's Institutional Control Program

Location: Woodvale Facility, Millwoods Golf Course (4540 - 50 Street)

Time: 5:30 Registration, 6:00pm Appetizers, 6:30pm Presentation

Cost: $30 Members, $40 Non-Members, $10 Students

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Please register for this event using the Google Form by November 1, 2015.

Environmental practices and regulations have advanced significantly since Canadian mine operations were developed in the early 1900's and now cover all aspects of construction and operation. Similarly, most jurisdictions around the world now also require mining operations to prepare closure plans and to post a bond or other financial assurances of sufficient value to cover the cost of closure from the time a mine is first approved. However, few jurisdictions have developed a formal institutional control management framework that provides for custodial transfer and the effective long-term stewardship of sites once the operator has fulfilled its closure obligations and is eligible for release from further financial bonding (closed sites). Post-closure management of such sites is an issue that has been identified by the public, industry and government stakeholders...more>>

Posted September 1, 2015 (Updated September 30, 2015)

Event: October 7, 2015

GSE: Annual Fall Wine & Cheese Event

Location: Papachase Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 5:30 Registration, 6:00pm Appetizers, 6:30pm Presentation

Cost: $10 Members/Non-Members, $5 Students
(Student cost includes membership for the year)

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Register for this event by following the link above on or before September 27, 2015.

The Annual Wine and Cheese event is an opportunity to connect with students and colleagues in the local geotechnical community and to hear results of the latest research occurring at the U of A.

There will be two presentations from current U of A students: Ahlam Abdulnabi (2015 Morgenstern Award receipent) and Matthew Schafer (student selected for 2015 CGS Conference sponsorship).

Posted September 1, 2015 (Updated September 15, 2015)

Event: September 29, 2015

GSE/CGS Cross Canada Lecture Tour: Dr. Gordon Fenton, Dalhousie University - Reliability-Based Geotechnical Design: Link between Theory and Practice

Location: Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 5:30 Registration, 6:00pm Dinner, 6:30pm Presentation

Cost: $35 Members/Non-members, $10 Students

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Geotechnical design codes are increasingly migrating towards reliability-based design concepts. What this means is that geotechnical designs are starting to be specifically targeted at a failure probability that is societally acceptable and that depends on the severity of failure consequences. For example, the foundation of a hydro-electric dam, whose failure may result in significant downstream damage and potential life-loss, must be designed to have a lower failure probability than the foundation of a storage shed....more>>

Posted March 27, 2015 (Updated May 14, 2015)

Event: May 22, 2015

GSE: Dr. Bolton, Cambridge University (Retired) and Dr. Vardanega, University of Bristol - A Fresh Perspective on Soil Mechanics With Applications to Geotechnical Design

Location: Saskatchewan Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 11:30am Registration, 12:00pm Lunch, 12:30pm Presentation

Cost: $10 Members, $10 Non-members, $5 Students

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Register for this event by following the link above on or before May 19, 2015.

Dr. Bolton and Dr. Vardanega will be in Calgary for a two-day seminar. The GSE is pleased that they have agreed to return home via Edmonton after delivering our final presentation for the 2014/2015 season...more>>

Posted March 12, 2015 (updated April 28, 2015)

Event: May 12, 2015

GSE/CGS Cross Canada Lecture Tour: Dr. Nick Sitar, P.Eng., University of California, Berkley - On the Importance of Kinematics in the Analysis of (Large) Landslides

Location: Saskatchewan Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 11:30am Registration, 12:00pm Lunch, 12:30pm Presentation

Cost: $10 Members, $10 Non-members, $5 Students

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Register for this event by following the link above on or before May 8, 2015.

The most convenient methods of slope stability analysis rely on limit equilibrium solutions which assume a pre-determined slide plane geometry and rigid body deformation. However, many, particularly very large landslides are composed of many individual blocks that may be toppling, rolling or otherwise moving downslope in a manner inconsistent with the above assumptions. Example results of discrete body deformation modeling will be used to show that in such cases the traditional limit equilibrium methods would lead to erroneous and possible very unconservative conclusions...more>>

Posted October 2, 2014 (Updated April 8, 2015)

Event: May 7, 2015

GSE 2015 AGM: Dr. James Mitchell, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech - "Lessons from the Lives of Two Dams"

Location: Saskatchewan Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 5:30pm Registration, 6:00pm Dinner, 6:45pm AGM and Presentation

Cost: $35 Members, $45 Non-members, $10 Students

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Many embankment dams completed during the first six decades of the 20th century have been found deficient relative their ability to resist currently anticipated levels of seismic shaking and probable maximum flood. In this Fourth Victor de Mello Lecture, two recent case histories are described. One is a hydraulic fill structure completed in 1920 that is founded on alluvial material, some zones of which are susceptible to liquefaction. The other is a zoned earthfill dam completed in 1956 that is founded over a channel filled with loose, uncompacted, hydraulically placed tailings from gold mining operations...more>>

Posted March 27, 2015

Event: April 13, 2015

GSE/U of A: 13th Annual Applied Geotechnical Engineering Design Contest: Reinforced Soil Wall

Location: L2-040, NREF, University of Alberta

Time: 4:30pm Construction (L2-040); 6:00pm Testing (L2-020)

Cost: Free

Registration is not required for this event. Questions can be directed to the U of A Student Rep.

Walls will be constructed using only 5 sheets of Newsprint, 2 sheets of 15 cm x 30 cm geotextile, a box of 100 paper clips, and 20 popsicle sticks. The students have 1 hour to construct the wall. Prizes will be awarded for the Strongest Wall, the Best Prediction of Wall Strength, and for the Most Innovative Design. Prizes sponsored by Stantec Consulting and GSE. Click link above for brochure.

Posted March 12, 2015 (Updated March 16, 2015)

Event: March 25, 2015

GSE: Dr. Ward Wilson, Principal Investigator, Oil Sands Tailings Research Facility - Innovations in Oil Sand Tailings Geotechnique

Location: Engineering Technology Annex, NAIT (10240 Princess Elizabeth Avenue)

Time: 11:15am

Cost: $20 Members, $30 Non-members, $5 Students

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Register for this event by following the link above on or before March 23, 2015.

Parking is next door on 103 Street of Princess Elizabeth Avenue or 118 Avenue, at the new five story NAIT Parkade.

Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance has published a Technical Guide for Fluid Fine Tailings Management (TGFFTM). The key issue identified for the management of fluid fine tailings (FFT) during the operation of oil sands mines centres on the creation of dry landscapes and sustainable terrains for mine reclamation. The current volume of legacy mature fine tailings (MFT) in above grade containment dams exceeds 850 million cubic metres. The TGFFTM specifically states, “the methods for transformation of fluid find tailings into stable, sustainable elements of a closure landscape are all in various states of development, from preliminary research to commercial practice. None can be considered as mature, i.e. proven practice, with performance fully demonstrated for operation and closure”. This declaration defines the relevant and urgent need for the research Industry Orientated Research (IRC) program in Oil Sands Tailings Geotechnique that has recently been established at the University of Alberta...more>>

Posted October 2, 2014

Event: February 19, 2015

GSE/CSCE: Joint Presentation - Climate change impacts on Edmonton’s drainage infrastructure

Location: University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 6:00pm

Cost: $25 Members, $35 Non-members, $12 Student Members, $17 Student Non-members

Register via the CSCE Edmonton website for this event.

Posted October 2, 2014 (Updated January 23, 2015)

Event: January 28, 2015

GSE: Roger Skirrow - Government of Alberta Response to 2013 Flooding

Location: Saskatchewan Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 6:00pm

Cost: $30 Members, $40 Non-members, $10 Students

This event is full.

In June of 2013 flooding conditions affected much of Southern and Central Alberta resulting in $6 Billion in damages. The Government of Alberta, though the Provincial Operations Centre (POC), coordinated and managed the disaster response and reconstruction efforts. This presentation provides: an overview of the disaster; how the POC works behind the scenes to coordinate GOA disaster relief efforts; the types of geohazards experienced during the event, and how they were assessed and repaired; ongoing flood mitigation work; and a summary of efforts undertaking by the Town of Canmore to mitigate against debris flow events along Cougar Creek.