DFI announces new sustainability guides, awards scholarships

The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI’s) Sustainability Committee is working with the EFFC (European Federation of Foundation Contractors) Sustainability Working Group to develop guides that are intended to support geotechnical companies with practical suggestions for how they can play their part in enabling some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which every member country in the United Nations has signed up to achieve by 2030. The guides are not minimum requirements or sector standards, but rather practical support guides sharing good practice. The guides are free and can be downloaded from the DFI Publications Store.

The EFFC/DFI Carbon Reduction Guide is the first guide in the series and focuses on carbon reduction, addressing SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.

Download the guide here.

The EFFC/DFI Circular Economy Guide is the second guide in the sustainability guides series. The guide focuses on the circular economy, related to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. 

Download the guide here.

“These guides are a great example of the synergy that comes from finding common ground,” says Matthew Glisson, P.E., DFI director of technical activities. “Through our relationship with EFFC, we can leverage the experiences of our European colleagues and provide valuable guidance to the industry in North America, and elsewhere, that is in the early stages of adopting sustainable practices and responding to early legislation around sustainability. At the same time, our international connections help EFFC learn what is going on in other parts of the world that might help their members, too.”

DFI Educational Trust awards scholarships from five funds

DFI Educational Trust, the charitable arm of DFI, recently awarded 10 scholarships totaling $43,750 to students pursuing careers in civil and geotechnical engineering.

The scholarships went to the following recipients.

Charles J. Berkel Memorial Scholarship Fund ($5,000)

Solon Palu, senior, University of California, Berkeley

LANGAN Engineering & Environmental Services Legacy Scholarship Fund ($6,250 each)

Lotam Leinzon, junior, received the Donald J. Murphy Memorial Scholarship at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Nicholas Robins, graduate student, is the recipient of the Bernard F. Langan Scholarship at Purdue University.

Karamoko Sow, sophomore, was awarded the George P. Kelley Memorial Scholarship at Drexel University.

Manuel Fine Civil Engineering Scholarship Fund ($2,500 each)

Joseph D’Angelo, senior, McMaster University

Bella Walker, junior, Queen’s University, Ontario

Penn State Scholarship Fund

Matthew Griffiths, senior ($5,000)

Xueyang Wang, graduate student ($2,500)

University of Pittsburgh Scholarship Fund

Toto Alexzander, senior ($5,000)

Mariia Nikitina, graduate student ($2,500)

Since 2006, the Trust has awarded nearly $2.2 million in scholarships and grants to more than 550 individuals.

Learn more about DFI here.