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The Geo-Congress is an annual conference sponsored by the Geo-Institute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The conference focuses on highlighting excellence in all aspects of geotechnical engineering. In 2026, the GeoCongress was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 9-12.
The typical conference programming includes traditional technical sessions where presenters delivered their research findings and case histories as well as sessions including posters and panel discussions. In addition, the conference program includes half- and full-day short courses, plenary sessions, award presentations, and some unique formats such as Geo-Pits (powerful, informative talks). The conference is designed to be an excellent venue for students and younger professionals with student competitions and other mentoring opportunities.
The geosynthetic committee is one of 20 technical committees that supports the conference program with technical sessions, panel discussions, paper reviews and other activities like the GeoWall competition. In Salt Lake City there were numerous geosynthetics-related topics covered in technical sessions and the committee meeting, including:
- Geosynthetic-stabilized roadways
- Geosynthetic-reinforced stone columns
- Design and performance evaluation of geosynthetic-reinforced load transfer platforms in pile-supported embankments
- Puncture resistance of geomembranes
- Wicking geotextiles
- 3D-printed Geocells
- Creep testing of geogrids
- Geogrid stabilized railway ballast
- Water retention behavior of bentonite-polymer geosynthetic clay liners
- Evaluation of geosynthetic-reinforced subgrade soils using dynamic cone penetrometer testing
- PFAS and geosynthetics
- Recycled polymers for geosynthetics
Every year, the GeoCongress conference has plenty to offer practitioners, students and academics wanting to learn more about the utilization of geosynthetics through research and its application in case histories. The sessions and presentations delivered during the conference highlighted innovative products and solutions which can improve the design and performance of the geotechnical features being constructed.
In 2027, ASCE is combining the institute-level conferences, including GeoCongress, into a mega conference that will occur in Philadelphia, Pa., next March.
For additional information:
- https://experience.asce.org/
- https://www.geocongress.org/
- https://geosyntheticsmagazine.com/2026/02/18/asce-geo-institute-geosynthetics-committee/
- https://cdn.asce.org/asce-conferences/geocongress/s3fs-public/Geo%20Congress%202026%20Final%20Program_02-25-2026.pdf
Daniel Alzamora, P.E., is a contributing editor for Geosynthetics and has spent more than three decades in the geosynthetics industry in both the public and private sector.
Geosynthetic Committee:
- Chair: Ben Leshchinsky, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, Oregon State University
- Vice-Chair: Michael McGuire, Ph.D., M.ASCE, Lafayette College
- Secretary: Melissa Beauregard, P.E., Ph.D., M.ASCE, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers