Geotechnical Frontiers a Success

The 2017 Geotechnical Frontiers conference in Orlando, Fla., drew thousands to “The City Beautiful” Mar. 12–15, 2017, for four days of plenary lectures, awards honoring distinguished geosynthetics experts and work on innovative geosynthetics projects, panel discussions, technical sessions based on more than 360 peer-reviewed papers, and a buzzing trade show floor with manufacturers displaying their latest offerings.

Plenary speakers included:

• Craig Fugate, former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who encouraged the audience to “Build it to where the private sector is willing to insure it”
• George Koerner, director of the Geosynthetic Institute and recipient of the first Robert M. Koerner Award and Lecture Series, who spoke frankly and powerfully about ways the industry could improve
• R. Kerry Rowe of the GeoEngineering Center at Queen’s University, who delivered the Karl Terzaghi Lecture on the role geosynthetics has played in protecting the environment
• Jorge Zornberg of the University of Texas at Austin, Mercer Lecture honoree, speaking on using the quantification of stiffness parameters to evaluate field performance of geosynthetic-stabilized roads
• D. Vaughan Griffifths of the Colorado School of Mines, the H. Bolton Seed Medal lecturer, addressing using numerical analysis of stability and risk in highly variable soils
• Ning Lu, also of the Colorado School of Mines, presenting the Ralph B. Peck Medal Lecture, including a new paradigm for slope stability under variably saturated conditions

A full article on the Geotechnical Frontiers conference and trade show will appear in the June/July 2017 issue of Geosynthetics.