TEXTILES.ORG
By Elizabeth Peggs
The Japan Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) organized the 8th International Conference on Geosynthetics in Yokohama, Japan, Sept. 18-22, 2006, under the auspices of the IGS.
The conference and exhibition featured 58 exhibitors and 850 participants from around the world. More than 400 papers were accepted, many of which were presented in person. The event was held at the Pacifico Yokohama conference and exhibition center, a superb venue adjacent to the Intercontinental Hotel on the shores of Tokyo Bay.
The IGS Council met twice during this event: The outgoing council held its last meeting on Monday, Sept. 18, while the new council convened on Saturday, Sept. 23.
On the evening of Sept. 18, two special events were held. Dr. J.P. Giroud presented “Geosynthetics Engineering: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned” at the Vienna Terzaghi Lecture. And Dr. R. Kerry Rowe presented the 2005 Rankine Lecture: “Long-term Performance of Contaminant Barrier Systems.” The lectures were followed by a reception for the IGS corporate membership.
The opening ceremonies on Sept. 19 featured a speech by Dr. J.P. Giroud on the history of the IGS, followed by the introduction of 16 pioneers who were in attendance in Yokohama.
The IGS General Assembly was held Friday, Sept. 22, and featured the announcement of the 2006 new officers and council elections: Dr. Fumio Tatsuoka (Japan), president; Dr. Jorge Zornberg (USA), vice president; and elected or reelected to the IGS council: Sam Allen, Gerhard Brâu, Neil Dixon, Nicolas Freitag, Michele Maugeri, Jun Otani, Ennio Palmeira, and Elizabeth Peggs.
Also featured at the General Assembly were the IGS Awards. Dr. Kerry Rowe was awarded Honorary Membership. Dr. Richard Bathurst and Wim Voskamp were given the IGS Plaque. Paulo Roberto Aguiar (Brazil), Dennes Bergado (Thailand), Sam-Deok Cho (Korea), Komei Iwasaki (Japan), Etienne Leflaivie (France), Kelvin Legge (South Africa), G.V. Rao (India), Leonardo Sarti (Italy), Hartmut Schroeder (Germany), and David Suits (NAGS, USA) were awarded the new IGS Achievement Award for exemplary service to a chapter and the industry.
IGS Awards were presented to GSE Lining Technology Inc., Dr. Abdelmalek Bouazza, and Dr. Ahmet Aylidek. The Young IGS Award was granted to Young In Oh and to the Nathalie Touze-Foltz/Francois Cartaud team.
IGS Awards were presented to GSE Lining Technology Inc., Dr. Abdelmalek Bouazza, and Dr. Ahmet Aylidek. The Young IGS Award was granted to Young In Oh and to the Nathalie Touze-Foltz/Francois Cartaud team.
Finally, announcements regarding the next International Conference on Geosynthetics were made: 9-ICG will be held in Brazil in 2010 at a resort area near Sao Paulo, and the next IGS General Assembly will be held during that conference.