Welcome to Delaware Valley Geo-Institute!

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Coming Soon: December 2024 Webinar I – DVGI on Ethics
DVGI invites you to register here for our Tuesday, December 17, 2024 lunchtime webinar on geotechnical ethics. Nahom Gebre, Esq., of Victor will present on “Recent Trends in Geotechnical Claims.” In recent years, geotechnical services in the CNA Professional Liability program have seen increased claim severity. Gebre will discuss the underlying drivers for claims against geotechnicals and discuss alternative actions firms might have taken to mitigate the risks so that practice management procedures are structured to prevent significant losses. A Microsoft Teams link will be provided to registrants prior to the webinar. We anticipate 1 PDH will be awarded for attendance.

About the Speaker: Nahom Gebre, Esq., is a risk management attorney with Victor Insurance. A registered professional engineer, he practiced civil engineering prior to his involvement with risk management issues. Gebre’s background includes service as inhouse counsel and project manager for a large engineering firm. He provides risk management advice to Victor and CNA policyholders. Gebre holds a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Doctor of Law (JD) from Tulane University Law School.

Coming Soon: December 2024 Webinar II – DVGI Member on Geotech of Lincoln Memorial
DVGI is offering a holiday special with TWO webinars the week before Christmas! The chapter invites you to register here for a Thursday, December 19, 2024 lunchtime webinar on geotechnical history. Michael Bennett, P.E., of Gannett Fleming TranSystems will present on “A Monument and Its Meaning: The Lincoln Memorial’s Geotechnical and Civic History.” Bennett will review the project’s geotechnical construction, both as it originally played out in the early 1900s and several major 21st-century improvements. The presentation will also review how the Memorial’s popular meaning has shifted since its 1922 dedication and how the structure itself played a key role in that sea change. Ultimately, the Memorial provides a clear example of how, within geotechnical engineering, even the most technically meritorious work often pales next to its human impacts. The ASCE Geo-Institute National Capital Section, the event’s sponsor, will provide a Microsoft Teams link to registrants prior to the webinar. We anticipate 1 PDH will be awarded for attendance.

About the Speaker: Michael Bennett, P.E., is a geotechnical project engineer with Gannett Fleming TranSystems, as well as DVGI’s Webmaster. He is licensed in two states (NJ, PA), has over 5 years of geotechnical experience, and has worked on both private and public sector projects. Bennett’s role at Gannett involves geotechnical work on a variety of infrastructure projects, including highway, rail, and water treatment work. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering and a BA in History from Lafayette College and an MS in Civil Engineering (geotechnical concentration) from Virginia Tech.

Recap: DVGI November 2024 Meeting
DVGI continued its 2024-25 meeting schedule on Tuesday, November 12th, as Sarah McInnes, P.E., and Daniel Gleason of PennDOT and Majid Khabbazian, Ph.D., P.E., of Schnabel Engineering presented on the June 2023 emergency repair of I-95 in Philadelphia. The presentation reviewed the repair effort from demolition to the reopening celebration and focused on the cutting-edge design methods, innovative construction techniques, and careful coordination it took to reopen the interstate in just 12 days following a bridge collapse caused by a fuel tank truck fire. The project commanded national media coverage, and politicians such as PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and even President Joe Biden stopped by to give the team members hard-earned congratulations on their Herculean efforts. Both the project history and a Thanksgiving-style dinner made the evening a well-spent one for the nearly 100 attendees – a DVGI record!

Majid Khabbazian, Ph.D., P.E., of Schnabel Engineering commands the attention of a packed house as he discusses the tightly constrained design schedule for the emergency rebuild of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia.

DVGI Receives Best Chapter Award from ASCE Geo-Institute
During ASCE’s GeoCongress 2024, held February 25th to 28th in Vancouver, BC, DVGI was honored to receive the ASCE Geo-Institute’s 2023 Best Chapter Award. With the award, the Geo-Institute recognized DVGI’s accomplishments for its members and community. DVGI thanks the many volunteers whose dedicated service led to its selection out of the many deserving local Geo-Institute chapters.

DVGI members attending GeoCongress, including several present and former board members, accept the ASCE Geo-Institute’s 2023 Best Chapter Award from G-I President Jie Han, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, at GeoCongress 2024 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.