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In this issue:
- Design Methodologies for Cast-in-place Piles
- CPT Interpretation Short Course - November 8th
- Legislative Update
- Sacramento Short Course: Updates to the California Building Code
- October EP Meeting
- SFGI and the Buff's in Normandy
- San Bernadino County Channel Repair
- Rocscience: New Product Roadmap
- Promoting Geo-Professions through Student Chapter Growth
- NEW Scholarships for 2020!
- Welcome our New Members
- Upcoming Events - the e.Calendar
Design Methodologies for Cast-in-place Piles: DFI Traveling Lecturer comes to San Jose
 CalGeo managed to snag a date with Willie NeSmith, this year's Deep Foundations Institute Traveling Lecturer. We are hosting a dinner meeting event in San Jose on October 23rd - REGISTER NOW!
We like to move our events around so that hopefully, once or twice a year, something is conveniently located near you. If you are near the San Jose area, or just want to learn more about design of cast-in-place piles, please register! The larger the turn out, the more we will come back to San Jose.
Willie M. NeSmith, P.E., is the former chief geotechnical engineer for Berkel & Company Contractors. NeSmith received a B.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974, and for the following 25 years worked as a consulting geotechnical engineer on projects in the U.S., the Middle East and Africa. He began to specialize in deep foundations in 1990, and joined Berkel & Company in 1999, after serving as a consultant for implementation of Berkel's displacement pile system. He is a leading authority on the design and installation of cast-in-place displacement piles in the U.S., having designed or evaluated over 200 displacement pile projects nationwide. NeSmith has authored over 20 professional publications and is a past member of the DFI Augered Cast-in-Place (ACIP) Pile Committee. He also served as the lead instructor for the DFI ACIP Short Course. NeSmith received his first professional registration in Georgia in 1978.
The presentation will be similar in structure to our regular regional dinner meetings.
This meeting is open to all geo-professionals and interested attendees from CalGeo, ASCE, consulting firms, government organizations, students and more!
Join us on October 23rd at Flames Eatery for dinner and Mr. NeSmith's presentation on Design Methodologies for Cast-in-place Piles. This lecture is an in-depth treatment of current design methodologies for cast-in-place piles. Conventional continuous flight auger (CFA) drilled displacement piles are addressed.
REGISTER NOW>>
Program:
6:00pm Registration/Arrival (restaurant validates at upstairs parking garage)
6:30pm Dinner
7:15pm Presentation
8:30pm Conclusion
Thank you to the Deep Foundations Institute for providing us with their 2019-2020 Traveling Lecturer, Willie NeSmith! For more information, please visit DFI.org
Cost: $50 CalGeo members and ALL emerging professionals, $60 Non-members, $20 students
Please register on-line by October 20th to save your seat!
CPT Interpretation Course: Your CPT Bootcamp
You've just received a CPT report with some squiggly lines and data. Maybe even collected dissipation tests and shear wave data. Now what??
Join us for a half day short course with the CPT "Guru" himself, Dr. Peter K. Robertson, to get all your questions answered. Dr. Robertson will use example data and walk you through how to analyze CPT data using commercially available software. No license required! Even if you have your own spreadsheets, this course will help you identify poor quality data, what can go wrong, what it means when things don't "agree" and more.
From interpretation of dissipation tests, seismic data, to liquefaction; we'll fit as much as we can into a half-day "CPT boot-camp."
Join us on Friday November 8th in Pleasanton, CA for this half-day short course including a buffet breakfast at the host hotel, Hyatt House. Parking is free for all attendees. Please plan on bringing a laptop computer so you can follow along with the real-world examples using the popular Geologismiki software programs, CPeT-IT (CPT Interpreation) and Cliq (Liquefaction analysis).
This is a hands-on demonstration so please bring a laptop with the software or a trial version installed. Visit Geologismiki's website to download a free trial.
Cost:
Includes full buffet breakfast at hotel, coffee, morning snack and parking. Free software trial valid for 30-days.
Members: $180, Non-members: $280
Program:
7:30-8:00am Buffet breakfast & registration at Hyatt House Pleasanton
8:00-11:30am Course
Coffee break and snack will be provided mid-morning.
 Thank you to our sponsor, Gregg Drilling LLC
Visit Geologismiki's website to download a free trial of the software.
Space is limited to 40 attendees to allow for question and answer and one-on-one assistance.
Legislative Update
Quick rundown of new legislation and how it may affect you:
AB 5 - Signed into law. Applies a new, problematic ABC test to determine a worker's employment status. Architects and engineers are fully exempted, other professionals are not. Firms are advised to engage their attorneys early to determine how you will be impacted. One or more initiatives are expected to be filed for the 2020 ballot as well.
AB 1768 - On the Governor's desk. This bill expands the definition of public works to include work conducted during site assessment or feasibility studies. This bill would also specify that pre-construction work, including design, site assessment, feasibility studies, and land surveying, is deemed to be part of a public work, regardless of whether any further construction work is conducted. Awaiting guidance from DIR as to how they will define these terms and implement the bill.
SB 522 - Two-year bill. There is currently a coalition effort to oppose this tax on services bill. Research was conducted showing that a tax on services will increase construction costs for infrastructure projects and do nothing to improve the state's tax volatility issues, which arise from an over reliance on personal income tax.
AB 626 local outreach effort ramping up
ACEC California's sponsored Continuity of Services bill, AB 626 (Quirk-Silva), will be taken up again in January. Between now and then, it is critical to the bill's success that we are able to get our public agency clients and state representatives on in support. This effort is being spearheaded by ACEC with help from CalGeo.
How You Can Help:
- Send a letter of support to Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva and your state legislators on behalf of your firm, if you haven't already.
Sample support letter from your firm to legislature
- Request that your public agency clients send a letter to Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva supporting AB 626. The following documents may be helpful to your effort and should be shared with your agency contact(s):
Sample support letter from public agency to legislature
AB 626 background sheet
Amendment language that will be inserted into the bill in December/January
- Whenever an RFP is issued by a public agency or in any pre-proposal meeting with a public agency, ask for an official response from the agency to the following: "If my firm performs these services, would we be eligible to propose for subsequent work on this project, or would that be considered a violation of Government Code 1090?" Please send an email note to [email protected] and/or CalGeo telling us the response you receive.
- Plan to schedule a meeting with your state representatives in their districts in the Fall to discuss them supporting (or better yet, coauthoring) AB 626.
- Let CalGeo know of any actions you take or how you can help with the above so that we can coordinate efforts.
AEG/EERI/ASCE-GI Sacramento Short Course: Updates to the California Building Code
Join AEG, EERI, and ASCE-GI on October 21st at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento for updates to the 2019 California Building Code. The focus of the event will be on practicing geoscience professionals including geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, and related fields. Instructors from California Geological Survey (CGS), Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), and Dr. Zia Zafir PE, GE will provide an overview and detailed instruction.
Presented by:
Chase White, California Geological Survey
Jennifer Thornberg, California Geological Survey
Zia Zafir, Kleinfelder
Maximum Capacity of 125 - book early to ensure your seat before it sells out!
October 21st Schedule:
8:30-9:30: Registration
9:30-9:45: Opening/Welcome (EERI, ASCE GI, AEG)
9:45-10:30: Overview of CGS School & Hospital Review Program and Updates to Note 48 (CGS)
10:30-11:30: New/Updated ASCE 7-16/2019 CBC Seismic Provisions (Dr. Zia Zafir)
11:30-12:00: Structural engineering perspective (DSA/OSHPD)
Afternoon Session:
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:00-2:00: Geology and Seismology Elements of CGS Review/Note 48 and 2019 CBC Provisions (CGS)
2:00-3:00: Geotechnical Elements of CGS Review/Note 48 and 2019 CBC Provisions (CGS with Dr. Zia Zafir)
3:00-3:15: Break
3:15-4:00: Advanced ground motion issues/time history analysis (Dr. Zia Zafir)
4:00-4:30: Panel Discussion/Questions
Pricing:
Morning Only (Professional)* - $50
Full Day + Lunch (Professional)** - $125
Student*** - $15
*Morning Only does not include lunch and is for the Morning Session only
**Full Day includes lunch and both the morning and afternoon sessions.
***Student registration is for a full day and DOES NOT include lunch.
Looking for a SoCal event like this? Don't panic - we got you. Save the date for November 16th at the Sheraton Pomona Fairplex for AEG's 2019 Full-day CBC Update Short Course
October Emerging Professionals Sacramento Meeting
A New Design Method for Working Platforms Stabilized by Multi-axial Geogrid
Presented by Tensar on October 23rd @ GEI Offices, Rancho Cordova
Join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month for our Sacramento area Emerging Professionals Meeting. All geo-professionals welcome regardless of age or experience! This month its technically the 4th Wednesday but we'll let it slide...
Venue will rotate between the GEI office in Rancho Cordova and the North Natomas Library in Sacramento. This month the meeting will be at the North Natomas Library in Sacramento.
Presentation Synopsis:
The design of working platforms typically involves the calculation of a two-layer bearing capacity. Existing calculation models are quite empirical with imprecise input parameters while other proposed methods have tended to involve multiple design charts and been suited to either strip or circular foundations only. It has also been difficult to incorporate the benefits of geogrid in an accurate way. The recently developed “T-Value Method” defines bearing capacity simply in terms of the ratio of strengths of the two layers and can be applied to both clay and sand subgrades. It also allows realistic incorporation of the benefit of multi-axial stabilizing geogrid in terms of the enhanced shear strength of the upper granular layer. This is leading to significant cost savings due to thinner working platforms that are designed in a safe and scientifically rigorous way. The greater
ductility of stabilized granular layers also provides greater assurance that the assumed failure mechanisms can be fully mobilized before strain softening in the granular layer occurs. This presentation summarizes the development of this design new method and describes some of the full-scale field tests that have been used in its validation.
Cost: $20 Professionals, Students Free
Includes casual dinner and presentation
RSVP to [email protected] by October 21st.
Not local to Sacramento? Register for the webcast HERE>>
SFGI Dinner Meeting: Stabilization of the Buffs at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France
SFGI is pleased to welcome John R. Wolosick, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE for their October dinner presentation at Scott's Seafood in Jack London Square, Oakland on October 9th.
Abstract
On D-day, June 6, 1944, an Army Ranger battalion led by Colonel James Earl Rudder was tasked with taking Point du Hoc in Normandy, France. It was a tough battle, with about 100 Rangers losing their lives while scaling the cliff and capturing the remaining Germans. The site is now a highly visited landmark, with about 750,000 people visiting per year.
Due to the harsh weather and rough seas in this area, the cliffs have receded about 10 meters since 1944. This erosion threatened the stability of an historic German Observation Post, which had to be closed to the public due to the danger of its immediate proximity to the cliffs.
A team of engineers headed by Texas A&M University performed geotechnical and geological investigations, recommended fixes with cost estimates and established instrumentation to monitor the OP and the cliff. The presentation presents the history of the site along with the results of the investigation, repair recommendations and a presentation of the final construction works.
Speaker Bio
John R. Wolosick is the Director of Engineering for Hayward Baker Inc., Atlanta, Georgia. From this home base, he works on projects all across the United States. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has 40 years of experience in Geotechnical Engineering and contracting. John is the author of more than 35 technical papers.
Mr. Wolosick was the recipient of the 2008 ASCE/Geo-Institute Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award. He is a Past-President of the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI - 2014-2016). John is the former Co-Chair the ADSC/DFI Micropile committee (2004-2007). He is also Past-Chair of the ASCE Georgia Section Geotechnical Committee (2003-2005).
Mr. Wolosick was named the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers 'Engineer of the Year - Industry' in 2017 and received the George F. Sowers Piedmont Award from the Georgia ASCE/Geo-Institute in 2019.
Program:
5:45 pm - Registration and Social Hour
6:30 pm - Dinner**
7 pm - Announcements and Presentation
** Dinner is not guaranteed for individuals arriving after 6:30 pm.
Register Here>>
$65 - Professionals and Guests
$75 - Walk-in Professionals and Guests**
$20 - Students
San Bernardino Channel Repair - EagleLIFT
 In the Southwestern United States, Drainage channels are an important infrastructure tool for ensuring heavy rain events do not cause flash floods and subsequent property damage. Maintaining these systems is essential to make sure that communities are protected and public works systems, such as roadways, are not interrupted due to washout or pooling water. This local County in Southern CA, was experiencing problems with a portion of its drainage channel and contacted EagleLIFT to perform the drainage channel repair.
The County had approximately 250 linear feet of its drainage channel that had become undermined by water that was traveling underneath the concrete panels. The water began to washout the base support soils of the channel, causing voids and settlement along the channel's bottom and sidewalls. The County was seeking a cost-effective solution to extend the life of the drainage structure and to avoid the cost of rip and replace. READ MORE>>
Rocscience Announces New Product Road Map
Rocscience just announced their product roadmap for 2019-2020 to coincide with the recent launch of Maintenance+ on September 1. They will be delivering new releases of all their software over the coming months. This roadmap is our way of letting you know when releases will be available as well as what features you can look forward to. For info on their website HERE>>
Promoting Geo-Professions through Student Chapter Growth
We like to plan for the future and recognizing an already short-fall in qualified new hires for our member companies, CalGeo is working hard to build up our student interest and membership in Student Chapters. We have a three-pronged approach to do this:
- Boost student chapter membership and start new chapters. CalGeo sponsors all the student chapter Geo-wall teams and these are often seedlings for new chapter members and interest in geotechnical engineering. CalGeo is working hard to start new chapters at Cal State Fresno, Cal State Long Beach and our newest chapter at Sacramento State.
- Get students to our events. We have discounted regional meeting registration and short courses to make them available to students wanting to network and gain more knowledge in our area. We allow 2 students from each chapter to attend our conference FOR FREE and this year will be providing them with accommodations at the host hotel. Additional chapter members can attend for only $100.
- Show them the money! Not only have we added cash prizes to award winning chapters in the areas of: Best Poster/Video, Most Active Chapter and Rising Star, but we are implementing $10,000 in scholarship money this year! CalGeo is looking to give out (5) scholarships with the primary qualifier being CalGeo Student Chapter membership and involvement.
Don't miss an Opportunity - Check out our job board
Check out CalGeo's new and improved Job Board for new opportunities. Members can post for free on CalGeo's job board and expand to all of Zip Recruiter's job network for only $149. If you are asked to pay $249 (non-member price), your company account is not recognized as a member.
How to post a job:
- Visit CalGeo's website and click on the Jobs link in Navigation.
- Look for the Employers link on the top right corner to sign-in.
- Click the blue Member Login button on the job board and use your CalGeo membership login credentials to get the member price.
Call or E-mail Kelly Cabal with any questions!
New Scholarships Announced for 2020!
We are very excited to announce that CalGeo has formed a new scholarship program to promote the study of geo-professions within our Student Chapters. We are planning to give out $10,000 this year to students involved in various CalGeo student chapters across the Golden State. Applications will be accepted until February 29, 2020 and awards presented at our Annual Conference April 22-24, 2020 in Lake Tahoe! *Attendance at the conference is not a requirement for award.
Download Scholarship Application
Welcome CalGeo's Newest Members
We are pleased to welcome some new individual members to the CalGeo family this month:
Adeleine Tran with Jacobs Engineering.
Rahul Vaishnav with Analysis and Solutions Consultants
 We are also very excited to welcome two new companies to CalGeo's membership this month:
Geo-Advantec, Inc. is a privately held Small Business Enterprise (SBE), providing a full range of high quality geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, earthquake engineering, soils and materials testing, and during construction testing and inspection services for projects of various magnitude and scope.
 CTS (Construction Testing Service): founded in 1994, Construction Testing Services has provided special inspections, material testing and geotechnical engineering for nearly $30B in construction throughout California and Nevada. We competitively bid projects and provide the highest level of service including project management and budget control services.
The e.Calendar & Upcoming Events - The Geo-Calendar
Quick Browse: SoCal events in ORANGE, NorCal events in GREEN
CalGeo Events:
October 23, 2019: October EP Meeting, GEI Rancho Cordova, Sacramento
October 23, 2019: DFI Lecture dinner meeting & Bay Area EP Kick-off, Flames Eatery, San Jose
November 8, 2019: CPT Bootcamp 1/2 day Short Course, Hyatt House, Pleasanton
Other Geo-Professional Events:
October 9, 2019: SFGI Dinner Presentation, Scott's Seafood, Oakland
October 14-16, 2019: Itasca Focused Seismic and Liquefaction Training, Crowne Plaza LA Harbor, Los Angeles
October 21, 2019 9am-5pm: AEG/EERI/ASCE-GI Short Course: Updates to the California Building Code and CGS Requirements for Schools and Hospitals, Citizen Hotel, Sacramento
November 16, 2019 (full day): AEG & CalGeo are coordinating a similar full-day workshop on Updates to the Califoria Building Code and CGS Requirements for Schools and Hospitals, Sheraton Pomona Fairplex, Pomona
SAVE THE DATE (No excuses!)
January 25, 2020: NorCal Loss Prevention Seminar (Saturday 8am-12pm), Fairfield
February 8, 2020: SoCal Loss Prevention Seminar (Saturday 8am-12pm), Burbank
April 22-24, 2020: CalGeo's Annual Conference & 50th Anniversary! You don't want to miss this one. Cross your fingers for some good snow and skiing at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe
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