The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
An earlier mailing than usual to update you on activities at the AGM in June.
Flyers, booking arrangements and full details of all BGA events are available on the BGA website atwww.britishgeotech.org.uk.
Attending BGA Events in person: Advance registration is no longer required for most BGA events (except the Annual Conference for catering purposes) which will hopefully encourage fuller theatres.But please check the start times for lectures on the BGA website to ensure you don’t miss anything!
Corporate Sponsorship for Networking after BGA Lectures in London: members tell us they value mixing with other industry professionals when attending lectures in person and the BGA have been fortunate to secure corporate sponsorship for the ICE Café Bar to be open after Lectures – please support this initiative and make the most of the facilities available.
Recordings of past events on ICE website: for the first three months access is restricted to ICE and Society members who will need their membership number to do so.
International events are not generally listed in this newsletter unless organised under the auspices of ISSMGE Technical committees or ISRM; members are directed to http://britishgeotech.org/events/conferences/ or BGA social media (Linked In, Twitter and Facebook) for full details.
Headlines and Deadlines
Key Dates
| New | Wednesday 15 May | BGA Evening Lecture | European Codes and Development in the Design of Ground Anchors by Dr Devon Mothersille of Geoserve Global;watch online at https://www.ice.org.uk/eventarchive/overview-of-routed-anchor-technology-london |
| AGM | Committee Elections | Chairman & Vice Chairman | Kelvin Higgins took over as Chairman as and David Toll becomes Vice Chairman respectively for the next two years. |
| Treasurer and Secretary | Yvonne Ainsworth continues as Hon Treasurer and Nick Armstrong as Hon Secretary;Martin Preene, formerly Chairman, was appointed Hon Communications Officer. | ||
| Retiring Members | Fleur Loveridge (former Hon Communications Officer) and Rob Talby, co-opted for the 70th Anniversary Conference retired;elected members Ray Hobbs, Patrick Cox and Sergio Solera also retired;Sergio Solera has been co-opted to the Committee to advise on the way forward for the Cooling Prize. | ||
| Newly Elected Members | Tarryn Chalmers, Emilio Linde-Arias and Yu Sheng Hsu. | ||
| Treasurer’s Report | 2020 Subscriptions | Agreed there should be no increase in subscriptions which remain as below: Individual memberships at £69/£74 (depending on ICE membership), standard student and retired member subscriptions at £43; all overseas memberships subject to an additional fee of £21 UK concessionary student subscriptions remain at £20 retired life membership (electronic communication only and no int’l membership) remains free to those over 65 at 1st January if a paying member for more than 5 years; UK corporate membership remains at £330, overseas corporate membership at £372. | |
| Lectures | Wide range of presentations including Cooling Prize and YGES winners | ||
| Prize Giving | Cooling Prize | Dr Harry Postill, Loughborough University | Clay cut slope Deterioration, climate change and maintenance. |
| BGA Medal | Prof Glenn McDowell and Dr John De Bono | Micro mechanics of drained and undrained shearing of compacted and over-consolidated crushable sand.Géotechnique 68, No 7, 575-589. | |
| Masters Dissertation | Isabel von Celsing, University of Oxford | Offshore wind turbine foundation design using 3D finite element limit analysis. | |
| Masters Dissertation Highly Commended Certificate | Melissa Tait (Imperial College London) | The effects of small strain stiffness and stiffness degradation on slope failure | |
| Best Annual Conference Academic Poster | Natalie Wride (University of Warwick & Arup) | The performance of cohesive slab track foundation material subjected to long-term cyclic loading | |
| Special Award | Honorary BGA Membership | Douglas J Ayres | In recognition of his outstanding long term commitment to BGA activities throughout his many years of membership |
| Exhibition and refreshments in Great Hall | Networking opportunities during refreshment breaks with displays from 14 Commercial exhibitors and 12 academic posters;thanks to all our sponsors. | ||
| Date for 2020 | Wednesday 17 June 2020 | Next year’s annual conference and AGM | Put it in your calendar! |
| New – deadline extended | Friday 9 August 2019 | New Civil Engineer Tunnelling Awards 2019 | Information and entry at |
| Tuesday 24 September; refreshments at 17:30, lecture starts at 18:00 | BGA Evening lecture; post-lecture drinks sponsored by Ørsted | Avi Shonberg, Lead Geotechnical Engineer, Geotechnical Design & Installation, Wind Power, Ørsted speaking on ‘Geotechnical observations from suction buckets supporting offshore wind turbines’;advance registration not required.More details at https://www.britishgeotech.org/events/187-bga-evening-meeting-24-september-2019; | |
| New | 26 September 2019 | SUT OSIG Geoforum 4 | SS Great Britain, Bristol; information & registration at https://www.sut.org/event/osig-sw-geoforum-4/ |
| Tuesday 1 October; refreshments at 18:00, lecture starts at 18:30 | BGA ECG lecture | ‘Design to delivery, the challenges faced at BSCU’ by Francesca Waldron (seconded to Dragados) and Alberto Martin (Dragados) | |
| Wednesday 16 October; refreshments at 17:30, lecture starts at 18:00 | Joint BGA and IGS UK Chapter Lecture | Alan Bamford of ABG Ltd to speak on ‘A new Climate for Geocomposite Drainage’ | |
| 7 November 2019 | BGA Evening Lecture | Alan Phear of Arup speaking about the new BS EN earthworks standard | |
| Wednesday 13 November 2019 | Glossop Lecture | Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London | |
| 11 November (Manchester) 12 November (Glasgow) 13 November (Leeds) | BGA Touring Lecture 2019 | “Practical Implications of Subsurface Uncertainty:Lessons from 25 Years of “Dirt Engineering” by Lisa Coyne of Golder Associates, Mississauga, Canada;Venues & timings to be advised | |
| Thursday 21 November; refreshments at 18:00, Lecture starts at 18:30 | Géotechnique Lecture | Prof David White of the University of Southampton. | |
| New | 21st November 2019 | AGS Conference:Safety in Mind | The Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, B92 0EJ:ags@ags.org.uk |
| Wednesday 4 December Refreshments at 18:00; presentations from 18:30 | Fleming Award 2019 Competition | Sponsored by Cementation Skanska – an opportunity for teams to show off their collaborative skills.Invitation to submit entries will be available shortly. |
| 29 June to 1 July 2020 | ISSMGE TC204 | Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground;University of Cambridge.Information at https://www.issmge.org/events/tc204-geotechnical-aspects-of-underground-construction-in-soft-ground-tc204-cambridge-2020 | |
| 16-19 August 2020 | Int’l Symposium for Offshore Geotechnics | AT&T Conference Center – University of Texas At Austin, Texas, USA: www.dfi.org/isfog2020 | |
| Date for your Diary | 15 and 16 September 2020 | Piling 2020 | At the University of Durham – further details at https://www.piling2020.org/. |
| 1 August 2019 | ISSMGE Foundation | Application for awards deadline:http://www.issmge.org/issmge-foundation | |
| Tuesday 1 October; refreshments at 18:00, lecture starts at 18:30 | BGA ECG lecture | Design to delivery, the challenges faced at BSCU’ by Francesca Waldron (seconded to Dragados) and Alberto Martin (Dragados) | |
| PhD opportunities | For latest news see https://www.britishgeotech.org/news/2018/02/phd-opportunities-in-geotechnics-february-2018 | ||
| Don’t miss out! | Early Career Group | Mailing List | Members and colleagues with an interest in ECG activities should email bga-ecg@britishgeotech.org.uk to join their mailing list – if you failed to confirm your consent to comply with GDPR regulations you may have “unsubscribed”. |
| 30 November 2019 | BGA Fund | Applications for a BGA Fund Award to assist students with expenditure such as field trips etc will be considered twice a year.Information and forms at https://www.britishgeotech.org/about-us/bga-fund | |
| 1-4 December 2019 | YSRM 2019 5th ISRM Young Scholars' Symposium on Rock Mechanics & REIF 2019: | The Int’l Symposium on Rock Engineering for Innovative Future, Okinawa, Japan.For more information visit https://www.ec-pro.co.jp/ysrm2019; Abstracts by 30 April 2019; extended deadline 30 August 2019. |
| Updated site http://www.ground-forum.org.uk/ includes non-BGA events of interest to ground engineers. | |||
| Brexit Digest | Brexit digest – a summary of articles from the media. Sign up for e-newsletter at http://cic.us6.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=6b20ea5b6c&id=f4c2b1fdc6 |
| Application Deadline | Result issued no later than | Apply to join the UK RoGEP if you are chartered with ICE; the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3); or the Geological Society London (GSL). | |
| 23 April 2019 | 2 July 2019 | Those becoming Chartered within the last 12 months can apply with a simplified application process at a reduced cost of £30 | |
| 23 July 2019 | 1 October 2019 | Visit ice.org.uk/rogep for further details or contact registers@ice.org.uk | |
| 22 October 2019 | 8 January 2020 |
| New | ICE Publishing | Ground Vibrations from High-Speed Railways | New Title:a collection of leading international research on the prediction and remediation of railway-induced ground vibration. |
| New | The Coal Authority | Technical guidance note following review into a large subsidence event | link to a news release with more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/technical-guidance-note-released-following-subsidence-event |
| ICE Publishing | Designers Guides to Eurocodes | Eurocodes are flexible, pan European standards underpinning structural design aspects of Building Regulations. email@comms.icepublishing.com to check out special offers. | |
| ICE Publishing | Range of Titles Recently published: | FIDIC companion books – Yellow (2017 Plant Design & Build Contract), Red (2017 Construction Contract) and Silver (2017 EPC Turnkey) plus 3 vol set contracts companion; NEC4 Resolving and Avoiding Disputes, BIM in Principle & Practice, Seismic Design of Foundations, Pedestrian Facilities | |
| Chalk 2018 | Proceedings | Electronic copies can be purchased via BGA Website; Hard copies via https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/ | |
| ICE Bookshop - Civil Engineering Publication | Polymer Support Fluids in Civil Engineering | A detailed study of the use of polymer support fluids in civil engineering, covering all major aspects including fundamental material properties, laboratory and site testing, as well as case histories and specifications. https://www.icebookshop.com/Products/Polymer-Support-Fluids-in-Civil-Engineering.aspx | |
| Ground Engineering | e-newsletter and online access | BGA members automatically receive a copy of Ground Engineering magazine as part of their subscription, including access to the Ground Engineering website and can now benefit from regular email Ground Engineering but must opt-in to receive these. Read about enewsletter options and find out how to opt-in via this link https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/launch-date-announced-for-ges-new-enewletters/10038698.article?blocktitle=Latest-news&contentID=14639; use the same email address associated with your BGA membership and your BGA Membership number. BGA members who have not yet set up electronic access to Ground Engineering shouldgo to https://www.geplus.co.uk/register/ If you are experiencing difficulty logging on to the GE Members’ Area please contact the GE Editor direct at Claire.Smith@emap.com; she will ask the corporate subscriptions departmentto resolve it for you | |
| update | ICE Informs | June 2019 | ICE gives evidence to Commons inquiry into the Government’s management of major projects The role of private finance in infrastructure delivery The Williams Rail Review – rethinking how Britain’s railways operate What does net-zero emissions by 2050 mean for the infrastructure sector? ICE supported International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) 2019. For further information contactluke.driscoll@ice.org.uk |
| Latest issue | The Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists | AGS Magazine | AGS e-magazine, focussing on geotechnics, engineering geology and Geoenvironmental engineering as well as the work and achievements of the AGS, reviews topical issues, insights and concerns, publishes new guidance notes, working group activities and provides information on upcoming conferences and industry seminars. View at ags@ags.org.uk. |
| Special offer for BGA members | Canadian Geotechnical Journal | Access all content electronically from CGJ from 1996 to 2015 for just $50 US instead of $246 US. E-mail nrcresearchpress-csp@subscriptionoffice.com and type “CGJ_BGA personal subscription” in the subject field; you will need your BGA membership number. Full details on BGA website. | |
| ISRM | 2018 Journal | ||
| Further information: survey | ISSMGE closing date for results: 2 August 2019 | Design Practice Survey | The Corporate Associates Presidential Group of the ISSMGE is running a survey on design practices. Details of the survey can be found on the ISSMGE web site at https://www.issmge.org/news/are-we-overdesigning-a-survey-of-international-practice. The closing date for the results to be published at the Asian Regional Conference is 2nd August 2019. However, we will be able to incorporate responses received after this date into the final report for Sydney 2021. |
| New! Opportunity to join TCs | ISSMGE | Technical Committees | The ISSMGE Technical Committees do a lot of good work on their particular specialism. Joining a TC will give you world-wide contacts in your field of interest. You can see the full list of TCs and information about their work on the ISSMGE website: https://www.issmge.org/committees/technical-committees Each National Group can have two nominated (voting) members of a TC, but others can join as corresponding members without voting rights. The BGA is well-represented on most TCs, but there are vacancies for nominated members on some Committees. In particular, we have no representatives on TC215 (Frost), TC217 (Land reclamation) and TC219 (System performance). Please contact the BGA if you wish to participate in a Committee. |
| NOTE: updated information | ISSMGE | Twice the News & Information! Circular and Latest bulletins | For news and information about Webinars, Technical Committees, Conferences and ISSMGE Foundation Awards, you can find the latest news at https://www.issmge.org/news-information-circular-june-2019and at https://www.issmge.org/news-information-circular-july-2019 |
| Bi-monthly webinars | ISSMGE | Webinar series | appx every 2 months, usually towards the end of or beginning of the month http://www.issmge.org/en/resources/recorded-webinars. |
| ISSMGE | TC211 Website | Ground Improvement – view new ISSMGE TC211 website since January 2019 availableat www.tc211.be | |
| 1 August 2019 | ISSMGE Foundation | Application for awards deadline:http://www.issmge.org/issmge-foundation | |
| New | Special issue(ASTM International) | Geotechnical Testing Journal | “Advances in Laboratory Experimentation for Unsaturated Soils,” Guest Editors: Oliver-Denzil Taylor, Laureano Hoyos, John McCartney & William Likos. |
| New | Special issue (MPDI) | Geosciences | “Behavior of Expansive Soils and Its Shrinkage Cracking,” Guest Editors: Claudia Zapata, Idil Akin & Laureano Hoyos |
| 1-6 September 2019 | XVII ECSMGE 2019 | Reykjavik, Iceland: details at www.ecsmge-2019.com | |
| 16-19 September 2019 | 40th Annual Grouting Fundamentals | Short Course & 1st European Edition Bundeswehr University, Munich:see http://www.groutingfundamentals.com | |
| 25 September 2019 | ISSMGE and Turkish Geotechnical Society Workshop & conferences | Challenges of Offshore Geotechnical Engineering: Workshop organised between joint events of 1st Mediterranean Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference (http://www.mygec2019.org/workshop) and 27th European Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference (http://www.eygec2019.org/workshop) will be held on 23-24th and 26-27th September 2019 at Kefaluka Resort Hotel (http://www.kefaluka.com) Bodrum, Muğla, Turkey. | |
| 29 Sept to 2 Oct 2019 | Canadian Geotechnical Society's Annual Conference | St. John’s Convention Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador; Contact Lisa McJunkin; email: admin@cgs.ca; Website: http://www.geostjohns2019.ca; Email:sponsors@geostjohns2019.ca | |
| 6-10 October 2019 | XVII ARCSMGE 2019 | 17thAfrican Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering: Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa; Email: denis.kalumba@uct.ac.za | |
| 14-18 October 2019 |
| Taipei:16th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering;abstracts due by 31 March 2018; details at www.16arc.org. | |
| 10-14 November 2019 | GeoMEast 2019International Congress and Exhibition | Sustainable Civil Infrastructures Cairo, Egypt;info at info@geomeast2019.org | |
| 11-13 November 2019 | 5th Int’l Conf on Science, Engineering & Environment | Bangkok from in conjunction with the Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand, the GEOMATE International Society, Useful Plant Spread Society, Japan, etc. For details, please visit: http://www.confsee.com/ | |
| 20 - 22 November 2019 | 9th Int’l Conf on Geotechnique, Construction Materials and Environment, GEOMATE 2019 | Hotel Continental Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan, in conjunction with the Mie University Research Center for Environmental Load Reduction, The GEOMATE International Society, etc.info athttp://www.geomate.org/ |
| 21-23 January 2020 | Winter School on Geomechanics for Energy & the Environment | Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland – see https://www.britishgeotech.org/news/2019/05/winter-school-on-geomechanics-for-energy-and-the-environment | |
| 24 & 25 June 2020 | ISSMGE TC 306: | Int’l Conf on Geotechnical Engineering Education:Greece, Athens. Contact Marina Pantazidou, Email:gee2020athens@gmail.com: Website: https://www.gee2020.org; | |
| 29 & 30 October 2020 | 3rd Int’l Symposium on coupled Phenomena | Kyoto, Japan. |
| Have you joined yet? | BGA LinkedIn Group | All BGA members pre-approved for membership of the Group | To preserve the group as a useful forum to discuss geotechnical matters and BGA business, please respect the rules: nothing political, nothing offensive, no job vacancies, no overt promotions – thank you! http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5061912 |