As the CEO of Northern Lights, Edward Wood is responsible for running all facets of the business. He has a proven executive management track record and over 20 years of experience driving sales growth in the technology industry.

Elijah is chief executive officer and a member of the company’s board of directors. He joined Luliz in 2010, bringing more than 30 years of technology industry leadership, computer hardware expertise, and executive management experience to his role with the company.

Kathryn Petek is a Senior Associate geotechnical engineer at  Shannon & Wilson in Seattle.    Kathryn earned her doctorate in geotechnical engineering from the University of Washington on the topic of numerical modeling of deep foundations.  Her consulting experience includes a focus on deep foundations and load testing for  transportation infrastructure projects.  She has led foundation design efforts for key projects including the Port Mann and Columbia River Crossing bridges and currently has a large role in the Seattle Waterfront redevelopment project.  Kathryn’s experience includes planning and analysis of over a dozen full scale field load tests on large diameter drilled shafts and driven piles.  Kathryn is co-Principal Investigator of the current FHWA research project on Bearing Resistance of Large Diameter Open End Piles.

Camilo Marulanda is the technical manager of INGETEC. He is a civil engineer and received his master and doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He has been involved in the design in a wide range of infrastructure projects, including more than 70 hydroelectric projects worldwide, including concrete face rockfill  dam, earth core rockfill dam, RCC, concrete dam and asphalt core rockfill dam, as well as high pressure tunnels. He is a member of the committees on Computational Aspects of Analysis and Design of Dams as well as the Seismic Aspects of Dam Design of ICOLD. He is a member of the Embankment Dams and Slopes Committee of the Geo Institute of ASCE. He is also a member of Working Group 2 of the International Tunnel Association ITA.   He has been an adjunct professor for several years at the University of Los Andes and Javeriana in Colombia  and has taught courses on Dam design, Tunneling design, and other various geotechnical topics.

Charles is a Senior Associate & Construction Sector Lead for Brierley Associates with 20 years experience in engineering design for heavy civil construction projects. Prior to joining Brierley Associates in 2015, spent 15 years with a heavy civil contractor in engineering design and management roles. Engineering experience includes design, detailing and field support of a variety of engineering works including: earth retention & cofferdams, falsework & formwork, erection & demolition sequencing, shallow & deep foundations, multiple crane lifts, customized rigging, rebar cage handling, access platforms, marine operations and trestles.

Charlie joined Case Foundation in June of 2002 as a project engineer.  Over the years, he has worked on various projects as an estimator and project manager.  Typical early projects included the installation of drilled drafts for Pennsneck Bridge, Bass River Bridge, and Mullica River Bridge Projects. More recently, Charlie estimated and managed the Vogtle Power Plant Deep Foundation Project (Cooling tower drilled shafts for two new nuclear reactors for Southern Power in Waynesboro Georgia) and the Tappan Zee Bridge Piers 41-43, East Abutment drilled shaft foundations for the New York State Thruway Authority in White Plains NY.  Prior to joining Case Foundation, Charlie was hired into Sunoco Inc’s Engineering Associates Program (which was a 2 year rotational program) as a project engineer working in various business units (Marketing, Refining, Pipeline) and facilities (Toledo, OH, Philadelphia, PA refineries) . Upon completion of the program Charlie settled into a full-time role as a project engineer supporting the Philadelphia Refinery operations. Charlie graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering and from Temple University with a masters in Business Administration.

Derrick Dasenbrock is a geotechnical engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). He has a BSCE degree from the University of Maryland and a MS in geo-engineering from the University of Minnesota. His current work emphasis areas at MnDOT are geotechnical testing, modeling, instrumentation, and performance monitoring. He has documented numerous MnDOT geotechnical project case histories in technical papers and presentations and is on the implementation team for the FHWA EDC-5 “Advanced Geotechnical Exploration Methods” initiative. He was the Conference Chair for the recent ASCE Geo-Institute Geo-Congress in 2020.

Hratch Antoine Agopian is a Junior Engineer; holding a Master’s Degree in Engineering with emphasis in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Hratch currently works for Gannett Fleming; under the supervision of Professional Engineers, tackling challenging projects that require design and construction support of various types of structures, including but not limited to, shallow/deep foundations, slope stability analyses, seepage analyses, earth retaining walls, and support of excavation systems. A strong believer in the power of efficient collaboration and pertinent organisation, Hratch works with contractors and consultants across many offices in the Northeast region and is regularly referred to for technical assistance. Separate from work, Hratch enjoys traveling, race car driving, and outdoor activities, as well as reading and binge-watching shows.

Jon Sinnreich earned a BS in Civil Engineering and an MEng in Structural Engineering and  from the University of Florida in 1995 and 1998, respectively. He worked for Loadtest, Inc. for sixteen years where among other things, he was head of R&D.  More recently he was head of the University of Florida’s Powell Structures and Materials lab, where he oversaw research projects dealing with infrastructure natural hazards.  Currently he is a founder and the principal engineer at LTC.  Jon is a Florida registered Professional Engineer, and the current Chairman of ASTM Subcommittee D18.23 (Field Instrumentation Subcommittee under Soil and Rock). He is active in multiple DFI technical committees such as Drilled Shaft, ACIP and Testing and Evaluation, as well as a member of the ASCE Geo-Institute.

Kumar Allady is an Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Smart-Infrastructure Group. SIG is comprised of RADISE International, a geotechnical engineering and materials testing services firm; Smart Structures, a sensor-based IoT firm; AFT, Applied Foundation Testing a deep foundation specialty testing firm. Smart- Infrastructure Group Employs 90+ people and has 7 locations in the state of Florida. Kumar is a Florida Professional Engineer with 28 years of experience in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering and construction engineering inspection services.  Under Kumar’s leadership, Enterprise Florida awarded RADISE as a “50 Companies to Watch” in 2012. In 2011, Enterprise Florida recognized RADISE as a “2nd Stage Company”, and in 2011 GrowFL voted RADISE one of the “Top 50 Firms to Watch”. RADISE was also awarded the 2010 Small Business of the Year at the Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA) conference. As CEO of Smart Structures, Kumar has been creating sensor technology based STEM/Futuristic jobs in the state of Florida. Additionally, his firms have been funding and supporting project(s) with University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, University of South Florida and Florida Polytechnic University. Kumar has served as the President for the Gold Coast Chapter of the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE), and on the board of ASHE South Florida Chapter; serving as a Director on the Board of ACEC-Florida; and is a graduate of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, and Florida Engineering Society.

Louie Verreault is the Dam and Levee Safety Engineer for the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD).  He graduated in 1991 with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington after leaving Chevron USA where he worked as a drilling supervisor.  In his 28 years at TRWD he has worked with many disciplines related to dams, levees, wetlands, water resources, and project management.  The four major water supply and flood damage reduction dams in the TRWD inventory provided unique opportunities for experience in operations and maintenance, structural performance, and long-term instrumentation development and monitoring.  TRWD is the local sponsor for the USACE on the Fort Worth floodway comprising twenty-two miles of eleven levee segments and three river segments, and Louie is the engineering interface with the Corps.

Dr. Mike McGuire is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lafayette College. He teaches courses in geotechnical engineering covering introductory topics, foundation design, wall design, slope stability, and ground improvement. He also teaches courses on sustainability and engineering design. His research interests include column-supported embankments, shear strength characterization, and remote sensing. Mike received his BS degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MS and Ph.D. degrees from Virginia Tech. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia and is active in service to the Geo-Institute through participation in the Geosynthetics Technical Committee and Student Participation Committee.

Ravi Vedantham has over 15 years of industry experience working on various public and private projects both domestic and international.  Currently he is working as Geotechnical Engineering Manager for Condon-Johnson Associates, a geotechnical specialized contractor located in California.

Travis Coleman is a Senior Engineer for GRL Engineers based out of their Chicago office.  He has worked on a wide range of deep foundations projects including bridges, transmission lines, refineries, and oil platforms throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Travis received a BS in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University and a MS from University of Wisconsin – Platteville.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Yuderka Trinidad González is a Ph.D. candidate from Iowa State University. She joined Iowa State University in 2015 as a Fulbright Scholar pursuing her master’s degree in geotechnical engineering. She is currently in her studies as a Ph.D. student, working in geotechnical engineering minoring in statistics with Dr. Vern Schaefer. Yuderka comes from the Dominican Republic where she earned her undergraduate degree in Civil engineering in 2009 at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. After graduation, Yuderka worked for 2 years as a design engineer focusing primarily on foundation and structural design. Subsequently, she worked as a construction engineer for 5 years where her responsibilities were focused on bridge construction (superstructure and foundation) and offshore foundation construction. Today’s presentation is part of Yuderka’s Ph.D’s studies. Her aspiration is to become a professor in the geotechnical area and collaborate with industry and academic research in her home country.

Dr. Hossain has broad experience in various geotechnical engineering projects including seismic assessment of bridge foundations, pile group analysis, design of piles and shallow foundations, analysis and design of levees and flood walls, and support of excavations, seepage and slope stability analysis, groundwater modeling, seismic site response and liquefaction evaluation, finite element modeling of geotechnical problems, and various phases of subsurface investigation projects (reconnaissance research, special inspection of test borings and excavation of test pits, analysis, calculations, and report generation).

Mandi Petrella, P.E. is Geopier's regional engineer serving Florida, Southern Alabama and Southern Georgia. With over 12 years of experience, Mandi is responsible for providing project teams with innovative cost-effective Geopier soil reinforcement solutions. She earned her BS in civil engineering from Florida State University and a MS in civil engineering from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.  Prior to Geopier Foundations, Mandi held positions as a geotechnical project manager with ECS.  Mandi serves on the National Board of Governors for the Order of the Engineer and is a member of ASCE and NSPE.

Dr. Anand J. Puppala currently serves as A. P. Wiley and Florence Chair of Zachry Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University and is also an Associate Director of Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), both appointments started since Sept, 2019. He served as Associate Dean - Research in College of Engineering for 7+ years and was a Distinguished Scholar Professor in the Civil Engineering department at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in Texas, USA. Dr. Puppala is the current co-chair of Geology and Geotechnical Engineering section (AKG00) of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and is a member of Transportation Infrastructure group of TRB. Dr Puppala has been conducting research on stabilization of expansive soils, UAVs for infrastructure monitoring studies and asset management studies, dam safety and embankments slope studies, in situ intrusive methods for site characterization, infrastructure resilience and material characterization studies. Dr. Puppala has been a recipient of several major research grants totaling over 22+ Millions of dollars from federal, state and local government agencies. Dr. Puppala is the director of NSF’s Industry University Co-operative Research Center (IUCRC) site on Composites in Civil Infrastructure (CICI) at TAMU. Dr. Puppala’s research scholarly record included 470+ publications including 200+ Journals and he has also edited seven special publications. He has supervised 37 Doctoral and 52 Masters’ thesis students and is currently advising 10 doctoral students and two postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Puppala is an editorial member for several major journals in Civil Engineering including ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE Journal of Materials, Transportation Geotechnics, TRB Journal, and ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal. He has given several keynote and invited talks all over the World including a prestigious ASCE GI Peck talk at 2020 GeoCongress Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dr. Marinucci is the Managing Director of V2C Strategists LLC, President of Advanced Foundation Solutions, LLC, and a Senior Consultant at RBM Consulting Group, Inc. He also serves as a research professor and adjunct lecturer at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University (NYU). He has 25 years of progressive experience in the civil design-construction industry on public and private projects involving earth retention systems, deep foundation systems, underpinning, and ground modification systems. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, an instructor for the National Highway Institute, and is an active member of numerous professional organizations, technical committees, and various practical research efforts. He received a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical emphasis) from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA degree from the University of Rhode Island, and a MSCE degree from Northeastern University. Dr. Marinucci has authored or coauthored more than 45 peer-reviewed technical publications, and has lectured at numerous short courses, seminars, universities, and conferences in North/Central/South America, Europe, and Asia.

Dr. Stuedlein is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. Armin received his MS and PhD in geotechnical engineering from Syracuse University (2003) and the University of Washington (2008), respectively.  He joined the faculty at OSU in 2009 after consulting for Seattle-based firms, where he specialized in port and harbor engineering with an emphasis on foundation and earthquake engineering. His research has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed technical publications, and focuses on ground improvement, in-situ and laboratory-based liquefaction testing, soil-structure interaction, and probabilistic geotechnical analyses. His research is funded by departments of transportation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Science. He is the Vice Chair of the ICSMGE Technical Committee 304 Engineering Practice of Risk Assessment and Management, the Secretary for the Soil Improvement Committee (ASCE G-I), a member of the Editorial Boards for Georisk, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, and the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (JGGE). Among other honors, Professor Stuedlein received the 2013 Deep Foundations Institute Young Professor Award, the 2015 Associate Editor of the Year Award for the JGGE, and the 2017 ASTM Award for Outstanding Article on the Practice of Geotechnical Testing.

Bryce Swift is an office manager and she cultivates the company culture and steers the ship in the right direction. Often the face of the office environment, she interacts with visitors, customers, clients, and employees at every level, every day.

Dr. Rutherford is an assistant professor in geotechnical engineering, a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas and teaches courses related to advanced soil testing, foundations and introduction to geotechnical engineering. Prior to coming to ISU, she worked for six years at TDI-Brooks International and was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She recently recieved the NSF award “CAREER: Experimental Modeling of Tidal Current Turbine Foundations: An Integrated Research and Education Plan.” Dr. Rutherford is comitted to outreach to K-12 students and the general public. She has developed programs for the 2nd and 4th grades at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, a tidal current curriculum for the Girls Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (G.A.M.E.S) summer camp program and other programs for high school students and the general public. Dr. Rutherford also serves on a number of professional technical committees including the Soil Properties and Modeling Technical Committee of the Geo-Institute, the Marine Renewable Energy Technical Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the D18 Soil and Rock Technical Committee of the American Society of Testing and Materials, the Marine Foundations Technical Committee of the Deep Foundations Institute and the Offshore Geotechnics Technical Committee of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.

Dr. Catherine Aimone‐Martin is President of Aimone‐Martin Associates, LLC in New Mexico. She served 25 years as Professor of Mineral Engineering and currently as Emeritus Professor with New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Dr. Aimone‐Martin has over 40 years’ experience in construction and blast monitoring specializing in close‐in vibratory effects on above and below ground structures and in underwater environments. She has developed specialized instrument systems to measure structure response to vibrations and pressures to guide design modifications and allow construction to be safely conducted in sensitive and otherwise restricted urban environments. Notable projects include the reconstruction of the World Trade Center, Panama Canal Third Set of Locks, 2nd Avenue Subway in Manhattan, Folsom Dam Spillway, removal of the San Francisco‐Oakland Bay Bridge piers, and the Kosciuszko Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens. Dr. Aimone‐Martin writes performance‐based vibration specifications for construction projects involving pipelines, dams, and highways. Dr. Aimone‐Martin is the author of over 97 publications and conducts training courses for blaster certification in 11 states. She is a Qualified Blasting Consultant for Departments of Transportation in several states and hold a New York City E10 Blaster license. Dr. Aimone‐Martin was the 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and a former member of the ISEE Board of Directors.

Daniel Pradel is Professor of Practice at The Ohio State University in Geotechnical Engineering. Previously he was Vice-President of Shannon & Wilson in Glendale, California, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at UCLA, where he he taught from 1988 to 2016. He is registered in the State of California as a Geotechnical Engineer and as a Civil Engineer in California, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada. His main areas of professional expertise are in Slope Stability and Geomechanical Numerical Modeling. He has performed numerous reconnaissance visits after major natural hazard events such as Earthquakes, Landslides and Hurricanes. Since 1982, he has worked on projects located in four continents, including large dams and multibillion transportation projects. He has also designed numerous landslide stabilizations, worked on levees for the US Army Corps of Engineers, and performed numerous geotechnical investigations and designs for residential and commercial buildings. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a Diplomate of the Academy of GeoProfessionals, an ABET Commissioner, and an Associate Editor of the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and Geo-Environmental Engineering.

David Kirschner joined Hayward Baker with the acquisition of Foundation Services in 2000. Foundation Services was a contractor based in North Carolina specializing in Pile Driving.

The PDCA E.A.L. Smith Award Lecture honors E.A.L. Smith, the developer of the wave equation analysis concept, a revolutionary tool that enabled pile driving contractors to optimize their equipment, reducing the frequency of excessive installation times due to unexpected hard driving and pile failures due to extreme driving stresses. Smith said that he “provided the engineer with a tool that helped design driven piles not only for geotechnical or structural suitability, but also for driveability and, therefore, constructability.” For 2021, PDCA has selected Dr. Frank Rausche, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, president emeritus of GRL Engineers, Inc. and senior consultant at Pile Dynamics, Inc., to receive the E.A.L. Smith Award Lecture. Frank Rausche PhD., P.E., D.GE has been involved in the research and development of dynamic testing and analysis methods since the mid-1960s. He started his engineering education at the Technische Hochschule in Stuttgart, Germany, and received his Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began as a researcher and later served as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Rausche developed the original CAPWAP® program in 1969, and subsequently its continued improvements. He devised the Case Method Capacity and Integrity Formulas, and was co-developer of the Pile Driving Analyzer®, making dynamic pile testing a routine practice. Dr. Rausche was co-principal investigator in the development of the WEAP wave equation program for FHWA in 1976 and was Principal Investigator for its update in 1981. He then developed GRLWEAP for personal computers in the 1980s, and continues contributing to updates. In addition to research in pile dynamic measurements and analysis, Dr. Rausche was one of the original founders of GRL Engineers, Inc., a professional engineering firm established to provide specialized testing, analysis, and consulting services to the deep foundation industry. Serving as President from 1977 to 2011, Dr. Rausche continues today as a Senior Consultant for both GRL Engineers and Pile Dynamics, Inc. Throughout his years with GRL, Dr. Rausche traveled the world providing foundation testing services and educating engineers on dynamic testing methods. He holds numerous industry patents and has authored well over 100 papers on testing, design and analysis of deep foundations published in journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Rausche has been highly recognized for his contributions to the deep foundations industry, receiving the ASCE 2000 Civil Engineer of the Year Award, the 2003 DFI Distinguished Service Award, the 2009 G. Brooks Earnest Award from the Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the DFI 2015 Osterberg Memorial Lecture Award and the Shannon & Wilson 2016 Stanley D. Wilson Memorial Lecture. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio and Colorado. He has achieved Expert level on the PDCA/PDI Dynamic Measurement and Analysis Proficiency Test and holds a Foundation QA Expert Certificate in Data Acquisition and Data Interpretation for High-Strain Dynamic Pile Testing. Dr. Rausche is a member of ASCE, DFI and PDCA. Lecture: The 70+ Year Old Wave Equation Analysis of Pile Driving is Still Young and Dynamic

George Piscsalko is the President for Pile Dynamics, Inc. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the States of Ohio, Michigan, and New Jersey. He has over 35 years’ experience in designing test equipment for the deep foundation industry. He has been involved in the design and development of foundation test equipment including the Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) for driven piles, Pile Integrity Tester (PIT), Cross Hole Analyzer (CHA), and Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP) for drilled shafts and ACIP piles as well as the Pile Installation Recorder (PIR) for ACIP piles and the Shaft Area Profile Evaluator (SHAPE) for drilled shafts. He holds three US Patents for the design of the Remote Pile Driving Analyzer, the Thermal Wire system, and the Borehole Testing Device (SHAPE).

ADSC has established a special lecture and award in the name of Dr. Michael W. O’Neill, one of the geo-industry’s most prominent and prolific researchers, academics, and consultants. Dr. O’Neill passed away suddenly in August 2003. O’Neill had been the lead researcher for a multitude of projects focusing on the design, construction, and testing of deep foundations, primarily drilled shafts. The ADSC was privileged to work with him on projects that profoundly affected the advancement of the drilled foundation industry. Dr. O’Neill was the co-author, along with Dr. Lymon Reese, of two editions of the FHWA’s Design Procedures and Construction Methods manual, which became the number one resource for drilled shaft foundation design, construction, testing, and inspection, in the U.S. transportation industry. During his career he was the recipient of almost every major honor that could be bestowed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, as well those of other leading professional organizations. The O’Neill Lecture will be presented at IFCEE (International Foundations Congress and Equipment Exposition), the 2021 iteration of which will be jointly sponsored by ADSC, the Deep Foundations Institute, the Geo-Institute of ASCE, and the Pile Driving Contractors Association. It will be held in Dallas, Texas, May 10-14, 2021, and will be attended by nearly 3,500 professionals from around the world. ADSC is proud to honor Dr. Mullins with the 2021 Michael W. O’Neill Award for his significant contributions and dedication to the deep foundations industry, and specifically drilled shaft technology. Gray Mullins, Ph.D., P.E., F ASCE is a professor and researcher at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida where he also received his B.S., M.S., and doctorate degrees in civil engineering. He serves as the Technical Director for Foundations & Geotechnical Engineering, LLC. in Plant City, Florida maintaining an active role in on-going design and construction projects. Gray has made substantial contributions to foundation design, construction, and quality assurance in the areas of rapid load testing, underwater repair of corrosion damaged piles, optimizing seal slab designs, dynamic replacement of soft soils, soil mixing of organic soils, post grouted drilled shafts (design, QA/QC, and resistance factors), rapid mixing of drill slurry, effects of slurry on drilled shaft performance, post-tensioned splice of prestressed piles, and integrity testing of drilled shafts using thermal methods. Dr. Mullins has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, 50 research reports, and has 10 patents reflecting innovations in foundation related topics. His achievements have been recognized by receipt of the C. William Bermingham Award from the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), the Ben C. Gerwick Award also from DFI, the Nova Award from the Construction Innovation Forum, and the Charles Pankow Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The annual Osterberg Memorial Lecture and Award was established in honor of Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg, one of the true pioneers of geotechnical engineering, to recognize innovations in deep foundations construction related to engineering design, testing, or education – all aspects of Jorj Osterberg’s lifelong contributions. Erik Loehr is the Logan Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri and a Senior Principal Engineer with Dan Brown and Associates. He has over twenty-five years of experience conducting geotechnical engineering research, most recently including work to evaluate the benefits of post-grouting for drilled shafts with funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the California Department of Transportation.He has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including the most recent updates to FHWA’s Geotechnical Engineering Circulars 5 and 10, and has contributed to development of practical reliability-based design provisions for several state departments of transportation and AASHTO. He is active in professional organizations including the Deep Foundations Institute, the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC), the ASCE Geo-Institute, and the Transportation Research Board. Lecture: The Considerable Benefits of Bi-Directional Loading

As an executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), Jacob is responsible for all of the company’s financial functions including accounting, audit, treasury, corporate finance and investor relations. His career spans more than 25 years of varied experience in financial management, business leadership and corporate strategy.

Jalen is a mexican technology entrepreneur and philanthropist who is known for co-founding and leading Vix Association.

Dr. James G. Collin, P.E., founded The Collin Group, Ltd., in 1995. He is co-author of several of the National Highway Institutes design manuals, including “Soil Slope and Embankment Design Manual”, “and “Ground Improvement Methods Manual,” and has been an NHI instructor for over 20 years. Dr. Collin was a principal investigator for the SHRP2R02 project on “Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement, Rapid Embankment Construction, and Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform.” The culmination of this work resulted in the GeotechTools website. Over the last decade, The Collin Group has been involved with the design and construction of 15 column supported embankment projects across the US. Dr. Collin was the principal investigator for a FHWA research program to develop design guidelines for column supported embankments as well as the FHWA Design Manual on Deep Mixing for Embankment and Foundation Support. Dr. Collin has served as an expert witness for over 100 geotechnical and or construction related failures both in the US and abroad. Dr. Collin has been a member of ASCE since 1985. He is a fellow and a Diplomat of Geotechnical Engineering with ASCE and is currently on the board of governors of the Geo-Institute.

Jared is originally from southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Syracuse University’s College of Engineering in 2001 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He later went on to attain his M.S in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Focus) from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Campaign in 2002. In 2003, he began working in the New York City office of Langan. Jared is a licensed professional engineer in twelve states and he has become a Principal / Vice President. After 15 years at Langan, Jared has moved to the Philadelphia Office and has been there for the last 3 years – and has become the geotechnical practice leader. Jared Green has experience ranging from initial subsurface explorations and schematic designs to construction phase oversight for complex projects throughout the New York Metropolitan Area, Upstate New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. He leads multidisciplinary projects that include geotechnical instrumentation monitoring; analysis, design and construction inspection of foundation systems and retaining structures; evaluation of earth and rock slope stability; and preparation of geotechnical engineering reports. He is highly skilled at developing creative design solutions for performing excavation alongside historic structures and sensitive below-grade transit tunnels. Jared is a consultant and industry leader that enjoys mentoring young engineers and first generation college students. He has been instrumental in increasing the number of pre-college students that are interested in STEAM majors and fields. He strives to make complex engineering topics relatable and understandable to people new to the field and to people that are completely unfamiliar with engineering.

Dr. Evans is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.  He earned BS, MS and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from Clarkson, Purdue, and Lehigh, respectively.  He has been at Bucknell since 1985 where honors include the Class of ’56 Lectureship (1997) for inspirational teaching, and Presidential Professor (2001) for contributions to the University. He was named Overseas Fellow at Cambridge University (Churchill College, 2012). In England, he has been a visiting academic in the Cambridge University (2012-13), at the University of Nottingham (1998-99) and a Senior Scientific Officer (1991-92) at the Warren Spring Laboratory.  Prior to joining Bucknell he spent over 10 years as a consultant with Woodward-Clyde Consultants (now URS/AECOM) where he was named “Young Professional of the Year” in 1984. His experience also includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reserves where he served as a 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and Captain.  He has also authored and co-authored over 100 publications in the areas of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering.

Jennifer Nicks, PhD, PE is a research geotechnical engineer with the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Infrastructure Research & Development. She has been with the FHWA for 11 years at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA. She manages a geotechnical research program focused on the design, construction, and performance of transportation infrastructure largely related to bridge foundations, retaining walls, approach embankments, and geotechnical materials. Jennifer is active in several national and international professional organizations, serves on research oversight panels, and provides technical assistance in her areas of expertise. She earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Engineering, and Doctorate degrees in Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University and is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Dr. Jie Han is the Glenn L. Parker Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Kansas. He received his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997. He has gained extensive teaching, research, and industry experiences in geosynthetics, ground improvement, pile foundations, buried structures, and roadways. Prof. Han is the sole author of the book entitled “Principles and Practice of Ground Improvement” and has published more than 400 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. Prof. Han is a Board Governor of the ASCE Geo-Institute, a council member of the International Geosynthetics Society, the past chair of the ASCE Geo-Institute Soil Improvement Committee, and the chair of the TRB Transportation Earthworks Committee. He serves as an associate editor for the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering and the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, a handling editor for Transportation Research Record, and an editorial board member for several other international journals. Prof. Han has been invited to give more than 200 keynote/invited lectures and short courses around the world, including the State of the Practice Lecture at the 21st Annual George F. Sowers Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia in 2018, the 18th UK IGS Lecture in London in 2018, and the 3rd Robert M. Koerner Award Lecture in 2021. He has received numerous awards from the profession including but not limited to two US Transportation Research Board Best Paper Awards in 2008 and 2017, the 2011 Shamsher Prakash Prize for Excellence in Practice of Geotechnical Engineering, the 2014 the International Geosynthetics Society Award, the 2017 ASCE Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award, and the 2018 ASCE Kansas City Section Engineer of Year Award. Prof. Han was elected to the ASCE Fellow in 2014

Dr. James G. Collin, P.E., founded The Collin Group, Ltd., in 1995. He is co-author of several of the National Highway Institutes design manuals, including “Soil Slope and Embankment Design Manual”, “and “Ground Improvement Methods Manual,” and has been an NHI instructor for over 20 years. Dr. Collin was a principal investigator for the SHRP2R02 project on “Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement, Rapid Embankment Construction, and Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform.” The culmination of this work resulted in the GeotechTools website. Over the last decade, The Collin Group has been involved with the design and construction of 15 column supported embankment projects across the US. Dr. Collin was the principal investigator for a FHWA research program to develop design guidelines for column supported embankments as well as the FHWA Design Manual on Deep Mixing for Embankment and Foundation Support. Dr. Collin has served as an expert witness for over 100 geotechnical and or construction related failures both in the US and abroad. Dr. Collin has been a member of ASCE since 1985. He is a fellow and a Diplomat of Geotechnical Engineering with ASCE and is currently on the board of governors of the Geo-Institute.

Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Julia joined Raba Kistner Consultants, Inc. (Raba Kistner) in 2018. Her role involves being a Senior Geotechnical Manager on state‑wide transportation projects. As Senior Project Manager, Julia manages regional engineering resources to perform Geotechnical Engineering Services. She works with the Vice President of Transportation in the pursuit of contracts and in the development of scopes and fees. In addition, she works with the President & COO on Business Development activities to expand Raba Kistner’s involvement in the Greater Houston Area.

Kaye Chancellor Davis is the Deputy State Materials and Tests Engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation. She is responsible for assisting the Geotechnical Division, Materials Division, and Pavement Management Division of the Bureau of Materials and Tests with performing their various duties efficiently and effectively. Prior to her promotion in 2018, she had approximately 22 years in the Geotechnical Division of the M&T Bureau and served as the geotechnical subject matter expert for the Department. She graduated from Auburn with a BCE and an MSCE in Geotechnical Engineering. She serves on two national committees with AASHTO Committee on Materials and Pavements and the Transportation Research Board. She and her husband Glen have one daughter, Sarah.

Khiem Tran is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Florida, USA. He received his BS degree in civil engineering from the National University of Civil Engineering in Vietnam, and his MS and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, USA. Dr. Tran’s research interests mostly focus on geophysical testing for material imaging and characterization at various scale lengths from millimeters to hundreds of meters, as well as foundation dynamics for assessment of pile/shaft integrity and capacity. His research program has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, US Army Corps of Engineers, State Departments of Transportation, and industries for more than $2.0 million in last six years. The funded research has addressed challenging engineering related problems,  such as geotechnical site characterization, detection of embedded voids (sinkholes, mine workings), evaluation of buried objects (unknown foundations, bridge abutments), as well as foundation monitoring. Dr. Tran has published 25 peer-reviewed journal papers in the above research areas. He currently serves as Associate Editor for ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering.

Mr. Ford is a geotechnical engineer and senior level manager whose experience includes subsurface investigations and testing, design and controlled engineering inspections of excavation support, foundation design (shallow and deep; soil and rock), soil/rock tiebacks and tiedowns, pile load testing, drilled shaft inspection, sub-grade and footing inspection and design, evaluation of laboratory analytical data, settlement analysis and preparation of geotechnical engineering reports and recommendations, and coordination/supervision of construction inspection services

The Ralph B. Peck Medal Lecture is presented annually by a geotechnical engineer recognized by the Geo-Institute for outstanding contributions to the profession through the analysis and publication of case histories. Lecture: Earthquake Cracking of Embankment Dams

Lindsey holds ultimate responsibility for the organisations marketing activities and oversees the development and delivery of a fully integrated marketing strategy for the business. She also develops and implements PicsNE’s brand strategy.

Terracon Consultants since 2006 • Expertise: Geotechnical engineering for transportation projects • BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech • Geotechnical EOR on design-build projects and proposals for 30 years • Experience in Virginia, Maine, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Washington, and Hawaii • 2021 GI traveling lecturer

Madison is a web designer who takes creative entrepreneurs from experiencing total tech confusion to feeling confident and relaxed about their online presence. She has been helping EvTI get the beautiful, functional websites they need to attract the quality leads and customers they want.

Maria Garcia is chief technology officer (CTO) and she brings extensive experience and passion to the role of CTO, where she is leading the development of new product pipelines, securing government funding for key strategic projects and building a world-class team to maintain the company’s technology leadership in the industries.

Mark H. Wayne, Ph.D., P.E. serves as the Director of Application Technology and Engineering with Tensar International. Prior to joining Tensar Dr. Wayne served as a Senior Applications Engineer with a geotextile manufacturer, Polyfelt Americas. Dr. Wayne is a licensed professional engineer in seven states with over 25 years of experience in geotechnical and geosynthetic engineering. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia PA. He has also published and presented numerous papers on geosynthetics among other engineering topics. Dr. Wayne currently serves on TRB AKG80 Geosynthetics Committee, Membership Secretary for American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) Committee D-35 and as the Chair of the ASCE Geo-Institute Geosynthetics Committee. He is also an active member of the Deep Foundations Institute and the International Standards Organization (ISO).

Mary Nodine is a Project Manager in GEI Consultants’ Boston office. She works on a variety of geotechnical design projects, including earth retention systems, ground improvement, deep foundations, landfill assessments, stability analyses and dam remediation design.  Mary has been with GEI since 2003, with a brief hiatus to attend graduate school in Texas and work for a year in Arkansas. Mary is the chair of the DFI Subsurface Characterization Committee. Mary also serves on the editorial board of the ASCE Geo-Institute’s publication Geo-Strata, and has contributed to the magazine as the “Geo-Poet” since 2008.

Matteo Montesi is a Geotechnical Engineer with WSP based in the San Diego office. He has about 10 years of professional experience in the geotechnical engineering field and holds a Professional Engineer (PE) and Geotechnical Engineer (GE) license in the state of California, as well as a PE license in the states of New York and South Carolina and a PMP certification. Matteo received a BS and MS from the University of Rome “Sapienza”, and an additional MS in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering from Columbia University in New York. He began his professional career with Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP USA) in New York. Since then he has worked on more than 60 projects among which the 2nd Avenue Subway Line, no. 7 Line Extension, La Guardia Airport, and Bayonne Bridge. He moved to San Diego in 2016, where he is currently serving as the Geotechnical Group Lead. His areas of expertise are retaining wall design, deep foundations, geotechnical instrumentation, seismic design and geotechnical modeling.

Michael teaches courses in geotechnical and foundation engineering, engineering economics, communications, and senior design project courses. He is a graduate of Civil Engineering and Management and also holds a Masters in Engineering, both from McMaster. Michael also holds an executive MBA from Western University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Dept. of Civil Engineering at McMaster focusing on earthquake engineering. Michael worked for Bermingham Foundation Solutions (now Soletanche-Bachy Canada) for 18-years prior to his current position at McMaster. His roles at Bermingham included: Product Manager; Engineering Manager; and Business Development. His main areas of expertise include pile driving and deep foundations. Michael is active in several industry organizations and served as the 2014-15 president of the Pile Driving Contractors Association. In his work with Bermingham, Michael traveled to over 40 countries and has worked on major civil engineering projects on 6 continents. In 2019, Michael won the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning – McMaster’s highest honor for teaching and learning.

Mike Empizo is currently a Senior Design Engineer working out of the El Cajon, California area office. His design focus is primarily earth retention, micropiles and deep foundations. He has been the engineer of record for numerous support-of-excavation and micropile projects in the San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas metropolitan areas. He has been a member of the Keller family since the acquisition of Anderson Drilling in 2006. Anderson Drilling was a provider of heavy foundations and earth retention, serving commercial, industrial, and public infrastructure in the West Coast and Southwest markets. Prior to entering the construction industry, Mike gained consulting experience working for firms specializing in coastal geotechnical engineering and earth retention design. Mike holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a registered Civil Engineer in California and several other states in the Southwest region. As a San Diego resident, he enjoys family time at the beach and in the surf with his wife and two daughters.

Mohamad Hussein, P.E. is Vice President at GRL Engineers, Inc., the world’s oldest and largest consulting engineering company specialized in dynamic testing and analysis of deep foundations; and Partner in Pile Dynamics, Inc., the worldwide leading manufacturer and developer of deep foundations testing equipment and computer software. During his 37 years of consulting, he has been involved in hundreds of projects in most States in the USA and many countries overseas. He is the past Chairman of ASCE’s Deep Foundations Committee (GI) and PDCA’s Education Committee, currently Managing Lecturer of ASCE’s Deep Foundations continuing education class, and Chaired the first IFCEE. He co-authored over 60 technical publications, co-edited 10 ASCE Geotechnical Special Publications books, recipient of several professional and industry awards and recognitions, and holds Expert level certifications in dynamic pile testing.

Patrick is a graduate research assistant pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering focused on soil stabilization and recycled materials. Pat obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida in 2018. Prior to returning to school, Pat had a successful 20 year career as a contractor and project manager in the fields of roofing and photovoltaic solar installations. He is energized by cross-discipline research that combines his interests in geotechnical engineering, sustainable materials, and applications for use in construction.  His ultimate goal is to teach civil engineering and construction coursework. In his spare time, Pat is fond of MSU athletics, World Cup soccer, and enjoying the outdoors.

Paul Gildea is a Senior Director of Langan International, looking after Foundation and Geotechnical Engineering projects in the US, Middle East, Asia and Europe. Over his 30 year career, he has spent almost 20 years as a specialist piling and geotechnical contractor in the UK, Ireland, Middle East and Hong Kong.  Paul is co-chair of the Industry Wide (DFI/ADSC/PDCA) Working Platform Working Group and is currently based in Langan’s San Francisco office.

Richard provides counsel to subcontractors, suppliers and project owners in litigation and business consultation matters, including many ENR 400 contractors and ENR 600 specialty contractors on all phases of the construction process on projects throughout the United States.

Rick is the Chairman and co-author of ANSI/ASSP A10.19 – Safety Requirements for Pile Driving & Extraction Operations, Vice-Chairman, and co-author of ANSI/ASSP A10.23 - Safety Requirements for Drilled Shafts, and Chairman and co-author of ANSI/ASSP A10.30 – Safety Requirements for the Installation of Ground Anchors and Micropiles. He is a SME (Subject Matter Expert) for the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Foundation Drill Rig Operators training course, and SME for the ADSC/NCCCO Foundation Drill Rig Operator Certification Task Force. Rick is a 29-year member of the American Society of Safety Professionals. In 1996, Rick achieved his CHST designation, and in 2000 earned his B. S. in Occupational Safety & Health Engineering from Columbia Southern University.

Robert (Bob) Scott joined Hayward Baker in 2008. Currently, Bob is the Chief Geo-Structural Engineer for Keller’s North American Division. He is a licensed professional and structural engineer with 20 years of experience in the design and construction of specialty geotechnical and geo-structural projects. Bob has designed numerous complex and challenging projects, including many underpinning projects. Prior to joining Hayward Baker, he worked for Nicholson Construction, AMEC and Teasley Services Group specializing in the design and construction of specialty geotechnical and geo-structural projects. Bob holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently lives on a small farm outside of Nashville, TN with his wife and his two children.

As executive vice president and chief operating officer, he is responsible for the global operations of the company. He brings more than 25 years of experience to WXCH

Ryan has been with Pile Dynamics, Inc. since 1997. He is a Senior Engineer with a BS in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University, and has achieved Expert level on the PDCA/PDI Dynamic Measurement and Analysis Proficiency Test. After several years performing the entire range of services offered by GRL Engineers, Inc. throughout the United States and in international offshore projects, Ryan is currently responsible for all PDI’s educational programs for foundation testing professionals. In that capacity he has lectured on numerous seminars, webinars and workshops on foundation testing and has co-authored papers on the subject. Ryan is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a registered professional engineer in Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Indiana.

Scott Carroll joined A. H. Beck Foundation Company in 2010 and has been working in the Specialty Foundation industry since 1989. Mr. Carroll has a background in structural design and a degree in Architecture. As a Construction Manager, Mr. Carroll has vast experience in many aspects of foundation construction ranging from bridges, power plants, heavy industrial, commercial hi-rise structures, and many other specialty projects. He has worked on projects using large scale slurry displacement drilled shafts, cut-off walls, micro-piles, auger cast piles, driven piles, and other innovative ground improvement technologies with some of the world-wide leaders in the industry.

Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, Ph.D., P.E., is a geotechnical project manager/AAP laboratory manager at American Geotechnical and Environmental Services (A.G.E.S.), Inc. He has more than 19 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, specializing in the design of deep/shallow foundations, earth retaining structures, rock fall mitigation, and landslide stabilization. He previously chaired the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute Pittsburgh, and served as a director for the ASCE Pittsburgh chapter. Sebastian was the conference chair for the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) 2020 Annual meeting, and currently is a board member of DFI’s Anchored Earth Retention Committee. He has published and presented more than 80 technical papers on scientific journals, geotechnical magazines, and conference proceedings worldwide. He has been honored with the 2020 ASCE Pittsburgh Civil Engineer of the year, the 2016 ASCE Geo-Institute Outstanding Reviewer Award, and thee 2006 ASCE Geo-Institute best paper on numerical modeling and analysis.

Silas Nichols is the Principal Geotechnical Engineer for the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Infrastructure. Silas is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the FHWA National Geotechnical Team through policy support, technical developments, and coordination with industry and professional groups. Silas has been with the FHWA for nearly 20 years both in Headquarters and with the Resource Center. Silas has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University, and a Master’s Degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Tuft’s University. Prior to employment with the FHWA, Silas served more than 10 years in private consulting in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States.

Stacey Kulesza is an associate professor at Kansas State University in the geotechnical area. She received her B.S., M.E. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Dr. Kulesza's research is generally applied to transportation geotech, focusing on geo-material characterization with applied geophysics, identifying anthropogenic impacts on soil properties, and monitoring deteriorating infrastructure.

Takefumi Takuma has been with Giken Ltd. for 12 years as General Manager for its U.S. subsidiary and currently as its Senior Advisor. Giken is the manufacturer of Press-in pile driving equipment. Before joining Giken, he had worked with a major international engineering contractor for 32 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Tokyo and a Master of Engineering degree from University of California, Berkeley both in civil engineering.

Timothy D. Stark, P.E. has been a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1991. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Illinois, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, and Missouri. His research interests include the static and seismic stability of natural and manmade slopes, three-dimensional slope stability analyses, shear strengths for slope stability analyses, and earthquake-induced liquefaction and post-liquefaction strength of cohesionless soils. Dr. Stark has received a number of awards for his research, teaching, and service activities including: 2019 George H. Norman Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Best Paper in Geosynthetics International Journal, 2016; 2015 James M. Hoover Lecturers at Iowa State University; Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award, ASCE, 2013 and 1998; Associate Editor Award, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 2012; Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering Scholarly, Paper, ASCE, 2011; R.S. Ladd D18 Standards Development Award, Standard Designation, ASTM, 2014, 2011, 2002; R.M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2003, and Walter L. Huber Research Prize, ASCE, 1999.

Timothy Becker holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Bucknell University and a master’s in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Tim is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has served as a project manager and a geotechnical engineer on a variety of real estate, higher education and infrastructure assignments. His project experience has included retaining wall design, slope stability evaluations, shallow foundations, support of excavation design, underpinning, rock anchors and tieback systems, infiltration systems, deep foundations such as caissons, load bearing elements, piles, and drilled-in piles, subsurface exploration programs, and soil management.

Director of Sales and Procurement at Favor Steel, from Birmingham, AL, 27 plus years in the steel industry.

Professor Vern Schaefer, Ph.D., P.E. is the James M. Hoover Chair in Geotechnical Engineering in the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department at Iowa State University. He teaches a variety of courses in the civil engineering curriculum, primarily geotechnical engineering courses. He has a B.S. in civil engineering from South Dakota State University, a M.S. in geotechnical engineering from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. Prof. Schaefer has over 140 publications and numerous research reports from 52 funded research projects between 1987 and 2021, with research expenditures of $10 million. Research sponsors include the U.S. National Science Foundation, numerous state departments of transportation, FHWA, SHRP 2, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. His research interests include landslides and slope stability, foundations, earth retention systems, and ground improvement/modification. As the Principal Investigator and Project Manager for the SHRP 2 R02 project Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement, Rapid Embankment Construction, and Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform, Prof. Schaefer led a team of 12 researchers and over 40 graduate students in the development of a system for geotechnical solutions for transportation infrastructure between 2007 and the present time. GeoTechTools has been online for over six years and is a widely regarded web-based information and guidance system for more than 50 ground improvement and geoconstruction technologies. His recent efforts include leading the update of the FHWA/NHI Ground Modification Manual released in late 2016 and partaking in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) study on Geotechnical Asset Management for Transportation Agencies, released in early 2019. Prof. Schaefer has been very active in committee work in ground improvement in the Geo-Institute as a long-time member of the Soil Improvement Committee (chair from 2002 to 2008), in the Deep Foundations Institute’s Ground Improvement Committee, and as an executive member of TC 211 Ground Improvement, the ISSMGE committee. Dr. Schaefer was editor of the 1997 Geo-Institute Geotechnical Special Publication No. 69 on Ground Improvement, Ground Reinforcement, Ground Treatment: Developments 1987-1997.

Mr. Thompson is a Senior Principal Engineer with Dan Brown and Associates, where his work focuses on deep foundation design and construction for large transportation and other structures, with the occasional diversion to slope stability, retaining walls or other fun problems. He joined DBA in 2005 after 10 years in general geotechnical practice in the southeastern U.S. with Law Engineering and TTL, Inc. He has B.S. and M.S degrees in civil engineering from Auburn University. He spent four years between degrees as an Army Engineer Officer (including service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War) blowing things up and paving the way for the Infantry. He is an instructor for several NHI courses, including the Drilled Shaft Design and Construction, the Soil Nail Design, and the LRFD for Bridge Substructures courses. Robert lives in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife of 31 years, Susan, while their daughter Rachel is a Junior at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Yan Zhang has been with Keller North America since 2016. His experience includes geotechnical exploration, field testing, ground improvement design, SOE design, and slope stability analysis. Prior to joining Hayward Baker, Dr. Zhang has over six years’ experience in advanced geotechnical laboratory testing, finite element analysis, unsaturated soil mechanics and liquefaction analysis. Dr. Zhang earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Professor Youssef Hashash holds a B.S. (1987), an M.S. (1988) and a Ph.D. (1992) in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his career with the PB/MK TEAM in Dallas on the Superconducting Super Collider Project. In 1994 he joined Parsons Brinckerhoff in San Francisco and worked on a number of underground construction projects in the U.S. and Canada including the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel project. Professor Hashash joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998. He teaches courses in Geotechnical Engineering, Numerical Modeling in Geomechanics, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Tunneling in Soil and Rock, and Excavation and Support Systems. His research focus includes deep excavations and tunneling in urban areas, earthquake engineering, continuum and discrete element modeling and soil-structure interaction as well as resiliency and sustainability of the built infrastructure. He also works on geotechnical engineering applications of deep learning, artificial intelligence, visualization, augmented reality, imaging and drone technologies. He has published numerous journal articles and is co-inventor on four patents. His research group developed the software program DEEPSOIL that is used worldwide for evaluation of soil response to earthquake shaking. Professor Hashash is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a past president of the Geo-institute of ASCE and has received a number of teaching, university and professional awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the ASCE 2014 Peck medal.