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"From the Geo-Institute Forums"

ecuscino | Created: 30 Jun 2023 | Updated: 13 Jul 2023
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Computational Geotechnics
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A curious post reminds us that while our geotechnical eyes are constantly on the ground, sometimes the understanding we seek may come from above….

A Geotech Summer Playlist

ecuscino | Created: 22 May 2023 | Updated: 22 May 2023
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Maintain and update your geotechnical seasonal soundtrack with these suggestions from member blogger James Press.

A Geotechnical Engineer's Letter to Santa

ecuscino | Created: 23 Dec 2022 | Updated: 23 Dec 2022
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It has been well over two decades since I last wrote you, and I must apologize for neglecting this annual communique. I think I’ve been a pretty good engineer this year....

Career Day

ecuscino | Created: 22 Nov 2022 | Updated: 22 Nov 2022
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It’s Career Day. Can you convince a room full of fourth graders to become geotechnical engineers in ten minutes or less?

Foundations from History: The Twin Towers

ecuscino | Created: 11 Sep 2023 | Updated: 11 Sep 2023
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Foundations from History: The Twin Towers By Michael Bennett, P.E. (A.G.E.S., Inc., King of Prussia, PA) Author’s Note: This piece is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the...

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering: Part 2, Excavation, featuring the Lincoln Memorial

ecuscino | Created: 20 Nov 2023 | Updated: 20 Nov 2023
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Deep Foundations
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What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 2: "Excavation"

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering: Section 1, Soil Investigation

ecuscino | Created: 25 May 2023 | Updated: 20 Nov 2023
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What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 1: "Soil Investigation"

More Pressing Matters

tvlasova | Created: 18 Aug 2022 | Updated: 02 Sep 2022
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By James Press, EIT, Geotechnical Engineering Associate, Aterra Solutions Hello, Geo-Institute faithful! I’m very excited to present the first edition of a new column: More Pressing Matters . I’ll be...

Q1 Progress Report: G-I Videogame Development

ecuscino | Created: 24 Jan 2023 | Updated: 24 Jan 2023
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"I wanted to provide some updates on “A Geotechnical Adventure” (working title) ahead of the public demo currently scheduled for beta in March (will likely need to push this back, again). "

Rejected Keynote Proposal for Geo-Congress 2023

ecuscino | Created: 31 Mar 2023 | Updated: 31 Mar 2023
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We had several proposals for our keynote addresses for Geo-Congress. Here's one of the ones that we ended up not choosing.

Spooky Soil Mechanics

ecuscino | Created: 30 Oct 2023 | Updated: 30 Oct 2023
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A special guest lecturer presents his award lecture "Spooky Soil Mechanics: A More Ghoul-omb Approach"

The Engineer's Field Book of Frights

ecuscino | Created: 28 Oct 2022 | Updated: 28 Oct 2022
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Some projects seem scary. For us, it’s just another day on the job.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 1)

ecuscino | Created: 13 Jan 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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First post in our new Geotechnical History blog, and part 1 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood. In this post: The why, when, and how of the construction of the dam that eventually became known as the South Fork Dam. (This post revised Feb. 16, 2023)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 2)

ecuscino | Created: 24 Feb 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 2 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the replacement, breach, and abandonment of the Western Reservoir, and its rebuilding as the South Fork Dam.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 3)

ecuscino | Created: 04 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 3 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the weakening of the South Fork Dam, the increasing frequency of floods in Johnstown, and an approaching storm.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 4)

ecuscino | Created: 17 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The efforts to save the dam, its failure, the possible geotechnical mechanisms of the failure, and the horrific consequences.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 5)

ecuscino | Created: 18 Apr 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The aftermath of the Johnstown Flood: relief efforts, journalism, analysis, and lessons learned. This post is the conclusion of the series and includes references.