GSI’s Koerner to host webinar on geosynthetics in erosion control, GMA members get discounted rates

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar entitled “Geosynthetics in Erosion Control,” on Oct. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. The webinar will be hosted by Dr. Robert M. Koerner. GMA member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations.

The estimated society cost of landslides in the United States is estimated at $2–5 billion and worldwide approaches $10 billion. The percentage triggered by surface erosion is a major contributor. While the mechanisms of soil erosion are well-known (detachment, transportation and deposition), erosion control is largely empirical. This webinar will present various approaches using temporary biodegradables (natural materials), long-term polymeric (geosynthetics) and hard armor systems (stone, concrete, etc.).

Full-scale field tests in Cincinnati, Ohio, will substantiate the positive influence of turf reinforcement mats, and product testing—including ASTM (small scale), TRI (large scale) and field test sites—will be illustrated. Two design approaches will be shown with numeric examples: the USLE method for slopes, and velocity/shear stress methods for channels and ditches. They will be critiqued accordingly. A summary of the webinar and recommendations will be offered including an appeal for instrumented field monitoring research and subsequent analytic modeling.

This webinar will be beneficial for public and private owners of housing, industrial, recreational and related projects in terrain where slopes are natural or constructed; consultants and designers in the private sector; regulators and agency personnel at the federal, state and local levels; geosynthetic manufacturers and their representatives; geotechnical and geosynthetic testing organization personnel; contractors and installers of erosion control systems; academic and research groups; and others desiring technically related information on this important aspect of our constructed environment.

The webinar’s instructor, Dr. Koerner, is professor emeritus of civil engineering at Drexel University, and founder and director emeritus of the Geosynthetic Institute.

Webinars cost $200.00 for GSI and Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) members, and $250.00 for nonmembers. Successful completion of a multiple-choice test after the webinar carries 1.5 professional development hours (PDH).

For more information or to register, visit http://www.geosynthetic-institute.org/webinar.htm.