Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference

32nd Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference Proves to be Most Successful

The 32nd Annual Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference was held on April 23-26, 2007, in Overland Park, Kansas. The Kansas Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted the 4-day Conference, which focused on a wide-range of geotechnical technologies such as deep foundations, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Geofoam, and earth retaining structures.

Representatives from 10 State DOTs (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Resource Center, the FHWA Division Office in Kansas, contractors, consultants, suppliers, and invited speakers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) attended the event. In fact, more than 100 practitioners were registered for the Conference.

Making the Most of the Time Together

The 4-day Conference was well-planned and organized. It included an "ice-breaker" session on the opening day, followed by two full-day schedules, and ended with tours of the U.S. Cavalry Museum in Fort Riley, Milford State Park, and the ACH EPS Geofoam Technology facility. During the two full-day sessions, the scripted agenda consisted of presentations on technical topics and several case studies, along with seminars from members of the COE and the URS Corporation--one presentation was on the seismic retrofit work on the Tuttle Creek Dam and another addressed Turkey Creek Tunnel Repairs. According to both State and FHWA participants, the Conference was considered "the best and most productive technical session they attend" during the year. Case studies also provided a friendly environment for the fluid discussion of real-life experiences among participants.

Who's On-Deck?

The Southwest Conference continues to be a success. The FHWA Resource Center and the Texas Department of Transportation have already set the date and location for the 2008 Conference. Next year, the Conference will be held from April 21 to April 24 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The 2009 and 2010 conferences will be hosted by the Arizona DOT and the Louisiana DOT, respectively.

For more information on the Southwest Geotechnical Conference, contact:

Daniel Alzamora
Geotechnical Engineer
FHWA Resource Center
(720) 963-3214
daniel.alzamora@dot.gov

History of Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference

No	Year	Site
1^st	1976	El Paso, TX
2^nd	1977	Las Vegas, NV
3^rd	1978	Albuquerque, NM
4^th	1979	San Diego, CA
5^th	1980	Oklahoma City, OK
6^th	1981	Scottsdale, AZ
7^th	1982	Little Rock, AR
8^th	1983	Carson City, NV
9^th	1984	Austin, TX
10^th	1985	San Francisco, CA
11^th	1986	Santa Fe, NM
12^th	1987	Scottsdale, AZ
13^th	1988	Oklahoma City, OK
14^th	1989	Sparks, NV
15^th	1990	Austin, TX
16^th	1991	Sacramento, CA
17^th	1992	Honolulu, HI
18^th	1993	Little Rock, AR
19^th	1994	Baton Rouge, LA
20^th	1995	Scottsdale, AZ
21^st	1996	Tulsa, OK
22^nd	1997	Santa Fe, NM
23^rd	1998	Reno, NV
24^th	1999	Sacramento, CA
25^th	2000	Arlington, TX
26^th	2001	Baton Rouge, LA
27^th	2002	Scottsdale, AZ
28^th	2003	Reno, NV
29^th	2004	Sacramento, CA Agenda Conference Flyer
30^th	2005	Oklahoma City, OK Executive Summary
31^st	2006	Albuquerque, NM Executive Summary Agenda
32^nd	2007	Kansas City, KS
33^rd	2008	Corpus Christi, Texas April 21 - April 24, 2008 For more information, contact Daniel Alzamora (720) 963-3214

Locations

Member Federal and State DOT organizations include: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Resource Center