Industrial parks in the Middle East to convert polymers into value-added products

June 1, 2008  |  News

Local governments in the Middle East are showing mounting interest in converting polymers into products for export and local consumption to meet growing demand, according to several sources that monitor the plastics industry. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a net importer of most plastics products, …
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Celebrating a decade of GSI/GRI polyolefin specs

June 1, 2008  |  News

By Bob Koerner From the very beginning of the GSI/ GRI consortium in 1986, it was recognized that specific focus groups were the way to initiate individual programs and documents. After a draft document is eventually established within a group, the entire membership is then brought into the activity…
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GMA sponsors “Bring your executive to Capitol Hill”

June 1, 2008  |  News

By Andrew Aho In April, members of Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) came to Washington, D.C., for the annual “Bring your executive to Capitol Hill.” The two-day event featured a dinner and reception with James Ray from FHWA, a GMA executive council meeting, issues briefings, and …
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North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS): Report of the biennial meeting

June 1, 2008  |  News

By L. David Suits Tuesday, March 4, 2008, Hilton Cancún Hotel The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Grace Hsuan, president. Dr. Hsuan asked David Suits, executive director, to review the organization of the North American Geosynthetics Society. The following information was presented: …
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The GRS bridges of Defiance County

April 1, 2008  |  Features, News

By Michael Adams Introduction Three years ago, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) teamed up with local officials in Defiance County, Ohio, to test a new prototype geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) integrated bridge system. Built in 2005, the prototype GRS bridge on Bowman Road in Defiance Co…
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GeoAmericas-2008 and GRI-21 proceedings now available

April 1, 2008  |  News

All of the educational tracks from GeoAmericas- 2008 in Cancún are now available on CD: 238 papers from 44 technical sessions, more than 2,100 pages! The CD also contains the papers from all the sessions at GeoAmericas, including the Robert D. Holtz Symposium and all of the “Best Papers…
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Marr named to Academy of Engineering

April 1, 2008  |  News

W. Allen Marr, Ph.D, P.E., and president of Geocomp Corp., has been named to National Academy of Engineering. Marr, who has spent his entire 40-year professional career focused on incorporating the benefits of applied research in geo-engineering into civil engineering practice, was selected for the …
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Sprague honored for technical paper

April 1, 2008  |  News

C. Joel Sprague of Greenville, S.C., won the 2008 Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award from the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) earlier this year. His paper, “Slope Erosion Testing: Identifying ‘Critical’ Parameters,” describes how different lab testing p…
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Growing use for geosynthetics: “living walls”

April 1, 2008  |  News

By Shelby Gonzalez With the recent explosion of eco-awareness, demand is growing for a new geosynthetic-dependent product: living walls. Living walls–also called “vertical gardens”–are walls of living plants anchored in geocomposite systems. Different manufacturers use differ…
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Peter Kesser named president at Stevens

April 1, 2008  |  News

JPS Industries Inc. announced earlier this year that Peter A. Kesser was named president of Stevens Roofing and Geomembrane Systems. Kesser was most recently vice president of sales and marketing at Stevens. JPS is a U.S. manufacturer of extruded urethanes, polypropylenes, and mechanically formed gl…
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