TEXTILES.ORG
By Kevin Kerfoot, Geosynthetics Magazine editor
The Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) in collaboration with the Canadian National Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-CNC) recently wrapped up GeoMontréal 2024 in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. This was the 77th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 16th Joint CGS/IAH-CNC Groundwater Conference. This year’s theme was Resilient Geosciences for Future Generations and featured technical sessions on subjects of broad interest in the geotechnical and hydrogeological fields.
‘One-thousand-plus delegates, 74 exhibitors and 23 sponsors attended this year’s conference in Montreal,” said Lisa Reny, director, communications and society operations, Canadian Geotechnical Society. “Highlights were the many keynotes and special sessions. Over 400 papers were presented during the three days of technical breakout sessions as well as the poster session.”
The show featured a vast array of plenary sessions such as geohazards, geotechnics, deep excavation, rock and soil mechanics, earthquake engineering, foundation and geoenvironmental engineering, groundwater studies and general hydrogeology, containment transport and remediation, slope stability and stabilization, mine waste management, dams and embankments, and pipeline and buried structures, just to name a few.
The geosynthetics-related sessions on geotextiles and geomembranes, conducted by Fady Abdelaal, associate professor at Queen’s University, were a few of my favorites. The presentations included advances in geosynthetic clay liners, a new method to predict the stress crack resistance of HDPE geomembranes, the development of drainage geocomposites for gas capture and extraction, installation of geomembranes under arctic conditions, and investigating the thermos-hydro-mechanical behavior of two inclined experimental cover systems with HDPE and LLDPE geomembranes.
The show floor was packed with 74 exhibitors including contractors, suppliers and consultants in the geotechnical and hydrogeology communities.
“The GeoMontreal[LR1] conference was a valuable experience for me,” said Brock Nesbit, engineering business manager for Solmax, Canada. “I enjoy sharing our innovations and hearing different perspectives from others in the industry which often sparks discussions about potential new directions we could take.”
“GeoMontreal was in our home city so we looked forward to exchange ideas with both long-standing partners and new faces,” added Natalie Daly, P.ENG, PMP, managing director – Eastern North America for Axter Coletanche. “The conference covered a general scope in geotechnical engineering so we were able to share and learn various topics for our Coletanche Bituminous Geomembrane such as geosynthetics, environmental, hydraulic, and mining projects.”
In addition to the technical program and plenary sessions, the conference included distinguished keynote speakers, high caliber short courses, technical tours, and social events.
The CGS Awards Banquet was held on September 16 during GeoMontreal 2024, with many awards and honors presented, recognizing the achievements and excellence of its members. The R.F. Legget Award was presented separately during the Legget Luncheon.
The 2024 CGS awards and honors went to:
R.F. Legget Medal – Ian Moore; G. Geoffrey Meyerhof Award – Hany El Naggar; Robert N. Farvolden Award – Michel Ouellet (joint award with IAH-CNC); John A. Franklin Award – Nicholas Vlachopoulos; Geoenvironmental Award – Sumi Siddiqua; Geosynthetics Award – Cheng Lin; Early Achievement Award – Matthew Lato; A.G. Stermac Awards – Ian Fleming, Terry Werbeovetski, Andre Bom and Bryce Marcotte; CGS R.M. Hardy Keynote Address – Pierre Vannobel; Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium – Ryley Beddoe; Honorary Life Members – Michel Aubertin and Dennis Becker; Graduate Student Presentation Award, (1st Prize) – Sepehr Chalajour; (2nd Prize) – Natalie Arpin; Undergraduate Student Report (Individual), (1st Prize) – Ian Kennedy; (2nd Prize) – Paige Schotanus; Undergraduate Student Report (Group), (1st Place) – Cassidy Teodoro-Neville, Emma Ste Croix, and Mathew Ghirardi, (2nd Place) – Katrijn Bjornson, Julia Costa, Luke Komisarski, and Matthew Liew; R.M. Quigley Award (1st Place) – C.W.W. Ng, D.C. Zhang, Clarence Choi, Rui Chen, R.C.H. Koo, J.S.H. Kwan, Jun Jun Ni & K.K.S. Ho,(2nd Place)-Adedeji Dunmola, Robert Werneiwski, Dallas McGowan, Bill Shaw and David Carrier,(3rd Place) -Richard Bathurst and Tony Allen; Graduate Student Paper Award (1st Place) -Sepehr Chalajour,(2nd Place) -Natalie Arpin; Best Case History Paper – Hubert Michaud, Karine Bélanger, Pascal Locat, Denis Demers, Janelle Potvin and Dominique Turmel; Best Paper with a Student as Lead Author – Tolga Oktay Gulk; Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique Michael Bozozuk National Graduate Scholarship – Mei Li; and Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique Dennis Becker M.Sc. Student Award – Liam Soufi.
GeoManitoba 2025
The Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) in collaboration with the Canadian Permafrost Association (CPA) invite you to GeoManitoba 2025, the 78th Canadian Geotechnical Conference. The conference will be held at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
“We are now preparing for GeoManitoba 2025 and look forward to seeing everyone again next year,” Reny added. “GeoManitoba dates are September 21-25, 2025. The website is now live with a call for abstracts.”
The theme for GeoManitoba 2025 is Stronger Together. The conference will feature technical sessions on subjects of broad interest in the geotechnical fields. This theme was selected to reflect the ever-increasing need for collaboration between disciplines in our work. It also reflects the need for tolerance and understanding in our increasingly multi-cultural society. Our profession continues to be at the forefront of many societal challenges ranging from aging infrastructure to climate change, and a collaborative spirit will be needed to meet these challenges head-on.
If you would like to be kept informed of GeoManitoba 2025 updates, sign up for the newsletter at www.geomanitoba2025.ca. You can also follow the CGS on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up to date on conference news!
Abstracts of up to 300 words are due by December 18, 2024. All abstracts and papers must be submitted online through the GeoManitoba 2025 website.
Corresponding authors will be notified regarding abstract acceptance by February 19, 2025. All technical papers must be submitted by April 30, 2025, accompanied by one full delegate registration. Paper acceptances will be provided by June 25, 2025.