TEXTILES.ORG
2006
GFR officially becomes Geosynthetics with the publication of the February/March 2006 issue … Geosynthetics reports on the Bowman Road bridge in Defiance County, Ohio—the first U.S. bridge to use the Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil/Integrated Bridge System promoted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) … Geosynthetics announces that GMA will offer a new level of membership for geosynthetics distributors.
2007
The year debuts with the Geosynthetics-2007 conference in Washington, D.C., and at the event, Geosynthetics highlights geosynthetic materials in expanding the infamous “ I-5/805 Merge ” in Southern California … Geosynthetics reports on GMA’s contracting with a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm to implement the association’s government relations program.
2008
“In the Lab” returns as an occasional column in Geosynthetics … Geosynthetics runs a classic case history, with Bill Hawkins of Fiberweb and GSI’s George Koerner unearthing a 1972 geotextile installation … editor Ron Bygness unleashes his “three-corner stool” program—trade association (GMA), publication (Geosynthetics), and industry conference management (IFAI’s biennial geosynthetics conferences since 1982)—in the magazine’s August editorial, “ We are all in this together ” … the December 2008 coal-ash disaster in Kingston, Tenn., occurs Dec. 22nd (below).
2009
Geosynthetics wins gold and silver medals for Best Technical Article from the Minnesota Magazine and Publications Association … J.P. Giroud is elected to the National Academy of Engineering … a new recurring column is now a regular feature in Geosynthetics—featuring questions and answers from the GMA Techline.
2010
Geosynthetics Magazine gets support from the print magazine, with the “On the Web” column in every issue … the December 2008 coal-ash disaster in Kingston, Tenn., continues to fuel nationwide discussions by the EPA for coal-ash containment with mandatory liners and groundwater monitoring … a clarion call for the 20-teen years—“sustainability”—is spreading like wildfire as the GSI column asks, “ Are We Missing the Sustainability Boat? ”
2011
Boyd Ramsey is elected chairman of GMA’s Executive Council, replacing two-term chair, John Henderson … Geosynthetics launches its two-year Sustainability Series, with content provided by GRI-24 papers presented at GeoFrontiers-2011 in Dallas … Old-timer Series—“ Recalling early days of shear testing ” by Allan Breitenbach—concludes with Part 3… GeoFrontiers-2011 hailed as the best geosynthetics conference since, well, since GeoFrontiers-2005 in Austin, Texas.
2012
IFAI’s Steve Warner steps down and is replaced as president/CEO by Mary Hennessy… “ Giroud-Han design method ” gets a two-part update and explanation by the well-known authors… It’s everywhere—“ To frack or not to frack,” asks Geosynthetics’ August editorial—as controversial oil and gas recovery methods spread across North America.
Conclusion
As with the industry itself, Geosynthetics magazine has an interesting history: with ups and downs, plenty of highlights, along with a few forgettable lowlights, during its 30-year publishing history. The magazine formerly known as GFR moves into its fourth decade with the ongoing objectives of serving, informing, educating, and learning from the geosynthetics community. It has been a good 30-year run. And the future of Geosynthetics—the industry and the magazine—looks bright indeed.