Suits steps down and Othman named co-editor of ASTM’s Geotechnical Testing Journal

On Dec. 15, 2017, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) announced L. David Suits is stepping down as co-editor of the Geotechnical Testing Journal (GTJ) and that Majdi Othman will assume the role of co-editor of GTJ in January 2018.

Suits has been an active member of ASTM since 1978 and has served as co-editor of GTJ since September 2002, ASTM International said. In 1984 Suits was a founding member of ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, which now has 330 members and jurisdiction over 155 approved standards. He served two six-year terms as chair of D35. In 2014 the committee established the L. David Suits Award in his honor and made him the inaugural recipient. Suits has also served terms on the ASTM Standing Committees on Publications and Technical Committee Operations, and he has received several standards development and service awards from D18 and D35, including the A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award, the Award of Merit, and title of fellow, ASTM’s highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to standards activities. He guided GTJ as a co-editor for more than 15 years. During that time, ASTM International said, the journal transitioned into a new peer review system, saw dramatic reductions in review turnaround times and experienced increasing international exposure.

Othman received a BS in Civil Engineering from Kuwait University in 1987, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1989 and 1992, respectively. Othman is a senior principal with Geosyntec Consultants and is a registered professional engineer with extensive experience in geotechnical, environmental and civil engineering projects. His work focuses on waste disposal facility siting; design, permitting and construction of bioreactor landfills; hydrogeological investigations and groundwater impact analysis; remediation of contaminated sites; renewable energy projects; and construction management. Othman has published his work widely, has previously served as editor of Geotechnical News, and will bring his extensive practical experience to bear on GTJ, ASTM International said.