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Camilo Quiceno-Toro has been named the winner of the DFI Student Paper Competition for his paper, “Simplified Structural Modeling of Finned Pile Foundations Under Monotonic Lateral Loads.” Reviewers praised the paper as an exceptional contribution to routine design engineering and noted its value to the offshore industry.
Quiceno-Toro recently earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the National University of Colombia, where he conducted research on laterally loaded finned pile foundations as a member of the Geo-Structural Stability Research Group. Driven by an interest in geotechnical and structural innovation, he is now pursuing a master’s degree and working as a graduate research assistant at the University of Central Florida. There, he is advancing resilient infrastructure solutions with the Resilient Infrastructure Sensing and Evaluation (RISE) research group.
Syed Shadman Sakib, University of Kansas, is the recipient of a Student Paper Competition special recognition award for his paper, “Correlating MWD Data with DPT Resistance Using a Machine Learning Approach.”
Sakib is a Ph.D. student in geotechnical engineering and a graduate research assistant under the direction of Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor Jie Han. His research focuses on advancing geotechnical site characterization and deep foundation applications through measurement while drilling (MWD) and drive point testing (DPT), with an emphasis on developing relationships between field-testing data and the engineering properties of geomaterials.
Quiceno-Toro will share his research in a short presentation during Plenary Session 2 at DFI’s 51st Annual Conference, Tuesday, November 3, in Orlando, Florida. Both he and Sakib will be presented with their awards during the same session.
DFI and the DFI Educational Trust annually hold the Student Paper Competition to help bridge the gap between practice, studies and research. The 2026 winner receives free conference registration, two nights of lodging, a $1,000 travel stipend and a complimentary two-year DFI Individual Membership. The special recognition honoree receives two years of complimentary DFI Individual Membership.