The end of the year is always bitter sweet and this year we say goodbye to Kelly Cabal, our Executive Director for the past 4-years.

Join us for a final farewell on December 14th at 7pm as we host the Magic of the Holidays featuring a virtual mentalist and magic show with Michael, the Magic Mentalist. Tune in with your families for a short and sweet send-off from 7-8pm.

Check your email on Friday this week for our big 2022 Annual Conference Announcement and information e-mail!

In this month's issue:

• Project Awards time is here - dust off those trophies and submit again
• Volunteer with CalGeo!
• Sponsor our student chapters & GeoWall teams
• PSMJ Video: Project management & profit margins
• Loss Prevention Seminar- Early bird pricing through 12/31
• Instrumentation course on Piezometers starts tomorrow!
• PSHA Full 15-week course already half-full! Register now >>
• CalGeo career center - jobs jobs jobs!

Each year at our Annual Conference, CalGeo puts the spotlight on the best geotechnical projects in the state with our Outstanding Project Awards. A panel of peers selects the year's finest work in a number of categories, providing winners with a powerful new marketing message, and everyone with the opportunity to learn from exciting, innovative approaches to challenging situations.

Dates: The project awards are for projects COMPLETED within the past 5-years. The award is given at our Annual Conference in 2022 but is for projects that have been completed by the end of 2021.

How to Enter: Download the requirements (PDF) below. Only online submissions are requested via the website form. The deadline for Outstanding Project Award Entries is January 31, 2022. A fee of $150/members and $350/non-members is required for each entry. Firms/individuals may submit multiple entries but will only be awarded a maximum of one award per category. Honorable mention awards are often awarded if multiple submissions prove exceptional.

Affiliate Member Submissions: We don't want to leave out our important Affiliate members! They can now submit under a new Geo-Contractor category with no restrictions on project budget or cost.

We need your help! Please consider volunteering just 1-hour (or less) per month to be a part of one of CalGeo's new committees.

We've restructured and want to enhance our committees with your voices and energy.

Committees include:

• PROGRAMS (Annual Conference, Meetings, Webinars, Short Courses, Project Awards, Emerging Professionals) - help us find speakers and topics of interest to YOU and your career goals.
• TECHNICAL (Loss Prevention Seminars, RGE Exam Materials, Technician Training and White papers) - help us put together important updates and notices for the profession, revise our RGE exam videos or the Annual Loss Prevention Seminar
• MEMBERSHIP (Member growth and outreach)
• OUTREACH (Student chapters and profession awareness)
• PUBLIC POLICY (Help us stay abreast of legislative issues that impact our profession)
• LABOR RELATIONS (Assist membership in dealing with the unionization of our industry)
• OPERATIONS (Review the financial investments of CalGeo for the future)

If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail: [email protected] with your committee preferences.

You may also update your profile through our website Member Portal with your selections.

CalGeo is sponsoring all our student chapters at the $1000 level this year. What can you contribute??

Help out your local students compete in their GeoWall challenge, volunteer to speak at one of their chapter meetings and get them excited about the field of geotechnical engineering!

Student chapter Presidents and sponsorship information can be found at: www.calgeo.org/student-outreach

Stream last week's episode of PSMJ's must-watch A/E/C Senior Executive Briefing video series, and hear Art Hoffmann, Chief Administrative Officer and Board of Directors member with 2,700-person Gannett Fleming Inc - as well as Jim Hudgins, President of 85-person THW Design - explain how their firms are improving financial performance by attacking critical challenges in:

• Project performance measurement.
• Targeting the RIGHT areas to improve.
• Where, when, and how to measure a return on investment in PM improvement.
• How to avoid the pitfall of big investments that fail to deliver LASTING change.
• And much more.

You can also hear from PSMJ’s own Dave Burstein who will share some of his latest data on how COVID has impacted A/E/C project performance at firms just like yours.

Loss Prevention Seminar: Training for your field engineers/technicians/inspectors. Now certified as a provider through ICC!

Don't miss this once-a-year event! We provide 4-hours of Professional Development with ICC credit. This training is critical for your field staff.

Always a great reminder on QAQC procedures and will save you $$$ by preventing possible legal exposure and safety over-sights.

Date: Saturday January 29, 2022

Time: 8am - 12pm

Format: Virtual (No drive time!)

Cost: $75/Early-bird member rate before the end of 2021, $100 after Jan. 1st! $250/Non-members

Last chance to jump in on our Piezometer short course on December 2nd at 12-1pm!

In 2020 Rob lead a 2-part short course series on inclinometers that was very successful. This course was recorded and the recordings can be purchased here >>

This new virtual course will focus on piezometers and include: background, installation techniques, quality control in the field, data collection and processing.

Cost: $40/CalGeo members, $95/non-members

Full Length 15-week PSHA Course: Looking for a deep dive into Probabalistic Seismic Hazard Analysis? Dr. Norm Abrahamson with UC Berkeley/Davis is offering his full-length university course to CalGeo again this spring. This year the course will NOT be held at UC Berkeley and we anticipate some student interest. We will reserve space for practitioners ONLY until January 10th so register early. Only 25-spots and the course sold out last year!

This course will follow the same outline as Dr. Abrahamson's course at UC Berkeley that is held every 2-years with the following differences:

• Course will be tailored to practicing engineers and practical applications
• 45-hr professional development certificate of completion at the end for all attendees. No university course credit.
• Cost savings compared to auditing a UC Berkeley class
• Available to anyone! Practitioners get early access ahead of current students.
• Sessions will be recorded to allow for flexible learning accommodating a work schedule

Dates: Every Wednesday & Friday starting January 19th - May 13th. No class the weeks of March 21st and April 18th

Time: 11am - 12:30pm

Format: Virtual. Zoom meeting lectures will be recorded if you miss a class. Assignments and notes will be posted on a shared Google drive.

Cost: $2500 CalGeo Members, $3000/Non-members. Proceeds are donated back to the geotechnical research departments at UC Davis and UC Berkeley.

Contact Info:

California Geotechnical Engineers' Association (CalGeo)

1048 Irvine Ave. #994, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Tel: 949-391-2436

[email protected]