Geo-Congress 2024 did not disappoint, I mean wow! It has been a little over one month since returning from the best geotechnical event of the year and we are excited to share with you some of our top experiences.
Research inspiration from geotechnical leaders
One of the many benefits of attending the Geo-Institute’s annual assembly of geoprofessionals is the inspiration that it can bring to your own graduate student research. One lecture that was particularly inspiring was Professor Rollins’ H. Bolton Seed Lecture on “Insights on Seismic Soil-Structure Interaction for Bridges from Large-Scale Field Tests”. Professor Rollins’ took his observations from earthquake reconnaissance missions and developed large-scale experimental testing programs to evaluate the influence of skew angle on the seismic performance of bridges. During the award lecture, Professor Rollins walked us through identifying a real-world problem, breaking a complex phenomenon down into individual mechanisms, and evaluating each mechanism through a coupled numerical and experimental investigation. For those who were unable to attend this year’s conference, the G-I YouTube channel has an entire playlist devoted to the award lectures, Geo-Video finalists, and Geo-PITs.
Participating in G-I student competitions
This year at Geo-Congress, some of our NC State students competed in and shared their research through the Geo-Poster competition. This competition is one of the five competitions hosted within the Geo-Challenge competitions each year at Geo-Congress. Competing in the student competitions is a great way to work on your research communication skills and to make new connections with other students.
We are very happy to share that NC State researchers received two awards this year - Go Pack! One of the cool things about geotechnical engineering research, and especially geotechnical research at NC State, is that it is multidisciplinary work. In the ultimate microbiologist-geotechnical engineering collab, Micaela Robson won 1st place for her poster titled “Enhancing the Sustainability and Efficacy of Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation by Means of Biological Ammonia Conversion”. Additionally, Rhodenischelah Limage, an undergraduate student at Bucknell University who participated in NC State University’s CCEE Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, received an honorable mention for her poster titled “Replicating and Assessing the Effect of the Angle of Inclination on Shear Strength of Soil Deposits in a Laboratory Setting”. Rhode’s research highlights the importance of considering fluvial geologic features in lateral spreading predictions. We love to see how many different fields contribute to increasing the safety and sustainability of civil infrastructure.
And a little bit of fun
As always, the G-I staff and planning committee knocked it out of the park by incorporating fun activities throughout the conference! This year’s off-site networking event was held at the Vancouver aquarium, and wow. Experiencing the aquarium at night with good drinks, a variety of foods, and fellow geoprofessionals is going to be hard to beat for the Geo-Congress 2025 planning committee. Our NC State crew especially enjoyed meeting new friends, such as a retired professor from Germany, and gaining geo-advice.
In addition to spending a night at the aquarium, there were many other exciting events such as vendor demos, the snowboarding simulator in the exhibit hall, and Ben Leshchinsky’s Geo-PIT lecture on landscape photography. And last but certainly not least… the snow in Vancouver might have been cold, but the Matt Evans hot sauce competition was HOT! Witnessing the inaugural hot sauce competition on the front row gave us an unobstructed view of each participant’s initial bodily reaction to the fiery sauces. Our very own Brina Montoya signed the waiver (yes, you read that correctly) and fought a good fight, but wasn’t able to bring it home… there’s always next year.
