GMA-Mexico offers classes

The Mexico office of the Geosynthetic Materials Association designed and delivered two courses last fall. One was for the Mexican Army’s Departament of Engineering; the other with open enrollment for civilian engineers and academics.

The military engineers were very receptive last September to see new materials and tools to use in finding solutions in their jobs, said Oscar Couttolenc of GMA-Mexico. They even asked me if we could organize a second course, focusing the topics on designing with geosynthetics, once they already know the main applications and products, he said.

The second course in Mexico was held last November at the Universidad de las Americas in the state of Puebla.

“Geosynthetic materials and their applications in civil engineering” was a two-day class. Its objective was to inform and update civil engineers, especially those working in geotechnical, hydraulics, and environmental areas, Couttolenc said.

The class emphasized technological advances, construction procedures, designing criteria, and current applications of geosynthetic materials used as a confident instrument in construction and maintenance.

There were 42 participants in this class, including 30% students, 30% professors, and 40% civil engineers from private companies and government offices.