NEWS 2016

Posted September 21, 2016 (Updated November 6, 2016)

Event: November 29, 2016

Dr. Derek Martin - The Evolution of a Dam Layout in Clay Shales

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

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

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

Site C was initially designed by the beginning of the 1980s after an intensive investigation of the clay shale foundation. The design consisted of a main earthfill dam approximately 1,050 metres long and 60 metres high above the riverbed. The facility will have a generating capacity of approximately 1100 MW. The project is currently under construction. The findings from the original investigations will be reviewed, and the impact of bedding planes and stress release fractures on the design discussed...more>>

Posted November 1, 2016

Event: November 15, 2016

APEGA: Edmonton Branch Luncheon ? Almita Piling

Location: Holiday Inn South (4485 Gateway Blvd)

Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm

Cost: $35 APEGA Members, $40 Non-Members, $20 Students

Almita Piling was brought into the River Valley Mechanized Access Funicular Project very early and asked to re-design the foundation with a helical pile solution, fabricate the piles and perform the installation of the piles. The presentation will provide a case study on a real project showing the design, construction, cost and schedule challenges that were overcome by using helical piles. For more information, and to register, follow the link above.

Posted September 21, 2016 (Updated September 26, 2016)

Event: October 14, 2016

GSE/CGS CCLT: Dr. Ross Boulanger, P.E., F.ASCE, University of California at Davis - Liquefaction and Spatial Variability [2016 Peck Lecture]

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

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

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

The development and application of engineering procedures for evaluating soil liquefaction during earthquakes rely heavily on case histories and their interpretations. Our ability to correctly interpret and utilize case history observations requires a sound understanding of the underlying physics, as is often derived from a synthesis of experimental and theoretical findings. In this regard, understanding the effects of spatial variability on liquefaction phenomena is essential for facilitating interpretation of case histories and application of liquefaction evaluation procedures...more>>

Posted October 12, 2016

Dr. Stan Thomson - October 7, 2016

"It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Stan Thomson on October 7, 2016. He was predeceased by his wife, Doe and his son, Terry. He will be forever remembered by his children, Beth (Les), Kathy (Rob), Bruce (Farah), Heather (John); his daughter-in-law, Cindy; nine grandchildren; and eight great- grandchildren. After retiring from Civil Engineering at the U of A in 1985, he kept busy by volunteering at Avalon Jr. High School and creating beautiful woodworking items for markets, friends, and family. It is in these people and pieces his memory will live on. A Memorial Service will be held at South Side Memorial Chapel, 8310 - 104 Street, Edmonton on Friday, October 14 at 2:00 p.m." (Quoted from the Edmonton Journal obituary - click the link above for the original.)

Posted September 7, 2016 (Updated September 12, 2016)

Event: September 20, 2016

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)

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 a presentation from each of two U of A students: Ms. Courtney Mulhall (2016 Morgenstern Award receipent) and Ms. Moira Guo (student selected for 2016 CGS Conference sponsorship).

Posted September 1, 2015 (Updated April 6, 2016)

Event: May 16 2016

GSE 2016 AGM: Dr. Norbert Morgenstern - The Mount Polley Tailings Storage Facility Breach

Location: The Westin

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

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

Download in iCalendar format

Register for this event by following the link above on or before May 13, 2016.

The Mount Polley tailings storage facility (TSF) in British Columbia breached in August 4, 2014. The loss of containment was sudden, providing no warning, and when the pond elevation was approximately 2.3 metres below crest elevation. Dr. Norbert R. Morgenstern, Chair of the panel, will discuss some of their findings related to the scope of the panel...more>>

2015 AGM Minutes

Posted February 23, 2016 (Updated April 6, 2016)

Event: May 4, 2016

GSE/CGS Cross Canada Lecture Tour: Dr. Antonio Gens, Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain - Stiff Clays and Mudstones: Fundamentals, Progressive Failure, and Underground Excavations

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

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

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

The paper examines some aspects of the engineering behaviour of argillaceous hard soils and weak rocks. After considering the wide variety of this class of materials, some common behaviour features are identified concerning compressibility, structure development, microfabric, anisotropy, effects of discontinuities and hydraulic properties. Those features are examined in the context of appropriate behaviour frameworks developed for this type of materials...more>>

Posted April 13, 2016

Event: April 28 - May 3, 2016

U of A: First Circular International Short Course on Permafrost Engineering - Effective Design and Construction in Permafrost Regions

Location: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

Cost: $,2700

More information regarding the course content and how to register is on the U of A website (click the link above).

Posted February 23, 2016 (Updated March 1, 2016)

Event: April 7, 2016

GSE 2016 Symposium: Debris Flow and Related Phenomena - Dr. Olrich Hungr and Dr. Matthias Jakob

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

Time: 7:30am Registration, Course 8:00am to 4:30pm

Cost: $250 Members ($300 after March 18), $300 Non-members ($350 after March 18), $130 Students

As many of our members routinely practice throughout the Canadian Cordillera and, more recently, specifically addressing the slope instabilities that occurred during the 2013 Alberta floods, your Geotechnical Society of Edmonton is proud to present a one-day Workshop on Debris Flow and Related Phenomena. This workshop will focus on the state of the art management of debris flow hazards. The workshop starts with discussions about the relevance of the phenomena, definitions and terminology and proceeding to the current understanding on the physics of debris flows generation, evolution and motion. The management of these hazards is then presented in three main sections: (1)VHazard Assessment - frequencies, volumes, runout, and hazard maps, (2) Risk Analysis - qualitative and quantitative analyses, risk to life, and risk evaluation criteria; and (3) Remedial Measures - prevention, stabilization, and containment.

The course will be presented by Dr. Olrich Hungr, Professor at University of British Columbia, and Dr. Matthais Jakob, a Senior Geoscientist with BGC Engineering, who are both highly experienced and world-renowned in the field of debris flows.

Posted September 1, 2015 (updated January 15, 2016)

Event: January 27, 2016

GSE: Mr. Craig Campbell, P.Eng., Thurber Engineering Ltd. - The New Royal Alberta Museum Building: What Lies Beneath - A Multilayered Remedial Approach

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

Time: 11:30am Registration, 12:00pm Lunch, 12:20pm Presentation

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

Download in iCalendar format

Register for this event by following the link above on or before January 25, 2016.

The New Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) Building is scheduled for completion in late 2016. This presentation provides an overview of the environmental assessment and remedial approach used for this challenging project...more>>