NEWS 2017

Posted October 24, 2017 (Updated November 10, 2017)

Event: November 23, 2017

GSE: Dr. Steve Pawley, Mr. Greg Hartman, and Mr. Dennis Chao, AER-AGS (Alberta Energy Regulator - Alberta Geological Survey) - Making Map 605 - using machine learning to model the spatial distribution of landslide susceptible terrain across the Alberta Plains and Shield regions.

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

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

Cost: $30 Members, $40 Non-Members, $10 Students
(At the door) $35 Members, $45 Non-Members, $15 Students

Landslides in western Canada are not restricted to the rugged, mountainous terrain of the Cordillera, but are commonplace on the adjacent Interior Plains. Within the plains, landslides are typically restricted to high-relief physiographic elements that embody moderate to steep slopes. Landslides on the plains are seldom as rapid or spectacular as those of mountainous regions; however, they can be no less disruptive to development as landslide-susceptible terrain can extend for significant distances following high-relief physiographic elements (e.g. river valleys). As such, there is the necessity to portray the landslide susceptibility of the Alberta Plains to facilitate high-level planning initiatives or educational objectives....more>>

Posted October 12, 2017

Event: October 23, 2017

GSE/CGS CCLT: Dr. Jean-Marie Konrad, P.Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, Université Laval - Advances in Dam Design

Location: The Aurora Room, University of Alberta Lister Centre (11613 - 87 Avenue NW)

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

Cost: $30 Members, $40 Non-Members, $10 Students
(At the door) $35 Members, $45 Non-Members, $15 Students

Embankment dam performance and life span are closely related to the hydric, thermal and mechanical behaviour of materials used during its construction. The apparent simplicity of embankment dams hides complex and often poorly known behaviours resulting from thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling phenomena. Understanding the different behaviours as well as their interrelationships is of paramount importance to optimize the life cycle of these structures...more>>

Posted August 26, 2017 (updated September 19, 2017)

Event: September 28, 2017

GSE: Annual Fall Wine & Cheese Event

Location: Yellowhead Brewery (10229 - 105 Street NW)

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: Mr. Kirk Scanlan (2017 Morgenstern Award receipent) and Ms. Haley Schafer (student selected for 2017 CGS Conference sponsorship).

Posted August 26, 2017

Event: September 19, 2017

GSE/CGS Colloquium: Dr. Jasmin Raymond, géo., Professeur, Titulaire - Assessment of the subsurface thermal conductivity for geothermal applications

Location: Woodvale Facility, Tournament Room, 4540-50 Street

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

Cost: (In advance) $25 Members, $35 Non-Members, $10 Students
(At the door) $30 Members, $40 Non-Members, $15 Students

The construction of green buildings using geothermal energy requires geo-scientists and engineers to evaluate the thermal state and properties of the ground. In situ assessment of the subsurface temperature and thermal conductivity is commonly performed to design the heating and cooling system of commercial buildings with ground-coupled heat pumps. Those two parameters have a high impact on the operating temperature of ground heat exchangers (GHEs), consequently affecting the length of boreholes needed to fulfill the energy needs and the savings provided by the system. The demand for such services has increased rapidly since the geothermal heat pump market in Canada grew by more than 35% from 2006 to 2009. A review of field methods used to measure the subsurface thermal conductivity in the scope of geothermal system design will be presented during the Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium...more>>

Posted October 24, 2016 (Updated May 5, 2017)

Event: May 18, 2017

GSE 2017 AGM: Dr. Del Fredlund - Application of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice

Location: La Cite Francophone (8627 - 91 St (rue Marie-Anne-Gaboury)

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

Cost: $40 Members, $50 Non-Members, $20 Students
An additional $5 will be charged for payments made at the door.

Unsaturated soil mechanics has evolved over the past few decades from a research-oriented field of study to a commonly applied part of geotechnical engineering. The fundamental theories related to physical behaviour of unsaturated soils are, in general, accepted worldwide. The developed theories embrace: i.) flow through unsaturated soil systems, ii.) shear strength of unsaturated soils, and iii.) volume change and distortion of unsaturated soils; as well as the physical processes associated with heat flow and contaminant transport. Entire soil profiles are viewed and modeled as a single continuum of saturated-unsaturated soil...more>>

Posted March 16, 2017

Event: April 13, 2017

GSE/U of A: 15th Annual Applied Geotechnical Engineering Design Contest: Reinforced Soil Wall

Location: L2-040 and L2-020, NREF, University of Alberta

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

Cost: Free

Registration: Please email Vivian Gang to register.

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. This year, there will be 34 students from the U of A and NAIT completing!

Posted January 27, 2017 (Updated April 5, 2017)

Event: May 3, 2017

GSE 2017 Symposium: Dr. Kupper and Mr. Morris Maccagno - Hydrogeology

Location: Woodvale Facility, Millwoods Golf Course

Time: 8:00am - 5:00pm

Follow the link above the event page for more information and registration.

Posted February 27, 2017

Event: April 6, 2017

ACEC/SGG Geotechnical Conference: Dr. Dennis Becker - Limit States Design - Foundations

Location: Saskatoon, SK

Time: 8:00am - 5:00pm

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies and the Saskatoon Geotechnical Group proudly present a one-day geotechnical conference on Limit States Design - Foundations by Dr. Dennis Becker. Register by following the link above.

Posted January 4, 2017 (Updated January 6, 2017)

Event: January 27, 2017

GSE: Dr. Xiaobo Wang, P.Eng., Thurber Engineering Ltd. - Geotechnical Investigation Design and Construction of ICE District Tower

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
An additional $5 will be charged for payments made at the door.

As part of Edmonton ICE District development, three towers ranging from 40 to 66 storeys are being constructed on the south side of the Rogers Place arena. Geotechnical investigations for the tower development included drilling and coring of bore holes to more than 90 m in depth, in situ pressuremeter and seismic cone penetration testing, and laboratory testing to characterize the strength and stiffness of the overburden soils and underlying bedrock...more>>