Sep
30
to Oct 1

Geocarolinas 2025

Reserve Your Ticket Online Now

The Carolinas Chapter of the Geo-Institute is proud to announce the fifth Geo-Carolinas Conference. GeoCarolinas 2025 will be held at the Hilton, Charlotte-Airport on September 30 - October 1, 2025.

Join us for an engaging conference showcasing cutting-edge advancements in geotechnical engineering. Hear from top experts in the field through a series of compelling technical presentations.

In addition to the speaker sessions, the event will feature:

  • A lively conference reception for networking and connection

  • Vendor exhibits highlighting innovative products and services for the geotechnical industry

  • A Student Poster Session with graduate students presenting exciting research from NC State, UNC Charlotte, NCA&T, Clemson University, USC, and the Citadel

  • A Career Fair-style employee recruitment event at the close of the conference for the attending undergraduate and graduate students to network with participating geotechnical firms and contractors

The conference will include invited technical presentations by leaders in the field of geotechnical engineering, including:

  • Damian Siebert (Haley & Aldrich)

  • Ellen Rathje (UT-Austin)

  • Paul Axtell (Dan Brown & Associates)

  • Mary Nodine (FHWA)

  • Michael McGuire (Lafayette)

  • Anne Lemnitzer (UC Irvine)

  • Brina Montoya (NC State)

  • Aaron Mann (Terracon)

  • Russell Green (Virginia Tech)

  • Carlos Santamarina (Geogia Tech)

  • Frederic Masse (Nicholson) TBD (NCDOT)

Registration is now open! Early bird ticket prices are available until August 15.

We are continuing our commitment to the next generation of engineers by offering expanded scholarship for graduate and undergraduate students from Carolina universities to attend and participate at GeoCarolinas 2025.

Hotel Reservations

We are excited to share the booking details for securing your room at our special group rates.

Making reservations online: Use this link to reserve your room

Making reservations by phone:

  1. Dial 1-800-445-8667 . Specify the “Geo-Institute Conference” Room Block.

  2. Provide your arrival date and number of nights.

  3. Have a credit card available to hold the room.

Hotel Rates:

  • Room rate is $162.00 per night.

  • Prices are subject to change.

For questions about registration, please contact Johnny Vastag.

Program Schedule

Schedule not yet available

Fees

Online Ticket Sales: Purchase your ticket online now

  • Early Bird General Admission (Ends August 15, 2025): $450.00 + $18.84 Fee

  • General Admission (Starts August 15, 2025): $550.00 + $22.74 Fee

  • Student: $100.00 + $5.19 Fee

  • ASCE Life Member (35-Year Tenure): $350.00 + $14.94 Fee

  • Government Employee: $250.00 + $11.04 Fee

  • Early Bird Exhibitor (Ends August 15, 2025): $1,500.00 + $59.79 Fee. Includes 2' x 6' table, table linen, and conference registration fees for one (1) attendee.

  • Exhibitor (Starts August 15, 2025): $1,600.00 + $63.69 Fee. Includes 2' x 6' table, table linen, and conference registration fees for one (1) attendee.

  • Conference Sponsor: $500.00 + $20.79 Fee. Conference sponsors will have their company logos during all pre-event promotional material, as well as prominently displayed during the event and at the off-site reception.

  • Platinum Sponsor: $1000.00 + $40.29 Fee. Conference sponsors will have their company logos during all pre-event promotional material, as well as prominently displayed during the event and at the off-site reception. Platinum sponsors will also be invited to the private reception with the conference speakers the Monday evening at an off-site location (1 dinner attendee per sponsorship).

  • Career Fair Employer: $300.00 + $12.99 Fee. The career fair event is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon from 3 PM - 5 PM after the final technical presentation. Undergraduate and graduate students from the represented Carolinas' universities will attend. The event format is a shotgun start with 1-2 students meeting with employers for approximately 5 minutes before rotating. More information to follow.

    Employer registration ticket includes admittance for two (2) individuals. Exhibitor booth includes a 2'x6' table.

Maps

Hotel: Hilton Charlotte Airport, 2800 Coliseum Centre Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28217

 
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Feb
12
to Feb 13

GeoCarolinas 2024 - SOLD OUT!

Register Online Now SOLD OUT

The Carolinas Chapter of the Geo-Institute is proud to announce the fourth Geo-Carolinas Conference. GeoCarolinas 2024 will be held at the Mint Museum Uptown on February 12-13, 2024. Located at 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte, Mint Museum Uptown houses the internationally renowned Craft + Design collection, as well as outstanding collections of American, contemporary, and European art. It includes the 240-seat James B. Duke Auditorium and an adjacent 22-exhibitor atrium. Several hotels, restaurants, and attractions are located within walking distance, including NASCAR Hall of Fame, Discovery Place Science, Bank of America Stadium, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, and Wells Fargo Museum.

The conference will include invited technical presentations by leaders in the field of geotechnical engineering, including:

  • Nick Machairas

  • David Frost

  • Kyle Rollins

  • Alejandro Martinez

  • Georgette Hlepas

  • Dov Leshchinsky

  • Andrew Whittle

  • Hannah Iezzoni

  • Kula Kulasingam

  • Willie Degen

A conference reception, exhibits, a Student Poster Session sharing ongoing research from NC State, UNC Charlotte, Clemson University, and USC will also be featured at the conference. As with the previous conference, additional scholarships for our Carolina universities' graduate and undergraduate students will be provided to participate in an employee recruitment event.

All conference activities will be held at the Mint Museum. A reserved hotel block will be available at the nearby Westin Charlotte hotel until January 12, 2024 January 18, 2024. Book your group rate for the GeoCarolinas Room Block. Link available below.

Program Schedule

Download a PDF of the schedule. (Updated 2024-02-05)

Fees

  • The conference is sold out.

  • Early Bird (Ends January 12, 2024): $400.00 + $28.67 Fee (Early Bird registration has been extended until January 18, 2024)

  • Standard (Ends February 14, 2024): $500.00 + $35.38 Fee

  • Student (Ends February 14, 2024): $100.00 + $8.55 Fee

  • ASCE Life Member (Ends February 14, 2024): $325.00 + $23.65 Fee

  • Conference Sponsor (Ends January 12, 2024): $500.00 + $35.38 Fee. Conference sponsors will have their company logos prominently displayed in the UNCC City Center and at the off-site reception.

  • Platinum Sponsor (Ends January 12, 2024): $1000.00 + $68.91 Fee. Conference sponsors will have their company logos prominently displayed in the UNCC City Center and at the off-site reception. Platinum sponsors will also be invited to a private reception with a number of the conference speakers Sunday night at an off-site location (1 per sponsorship).

  • Career Fair Employer (Ends February 2, 2024): $300.00 + $21.96 Fee. Registration is limited to the career fair event admission Tuesday afternoon after the final technical presentation. Ticket includes admittance for two individuals. Exhibitor booth includes a 2'x6' table.

  • Exhibitor (Ends February 12, 2024): $1,500.00 + $102.45 Fee. Includes 2' x 6' table, table linen, and conference registration fees for one attendee.

Career Fair

The GeoCarolinas planning committee is excited to continue a career fair as part of this conference. This will be an excellent opportunity for current engineering students to gain exposure to career opportunities and for engineering firms to meet the next generation of engineers.

  • The career fair is tentatively scheduled after the speaker sessions on February 13th.

  • There will be a standalone registration for the career fair for each participating firm.

  • The registration fee will include attendance for 2 representatives from each firm and a table for display materials. This registration does not include attendance to the conference.

  • Sponsors receive a reduced rate for registration.

  • Graduate and undergraduate students from the Carolina-area engineering programs will be present.

For more information, please contact Tom Wells.

Hotel Reservations

Making reservations online: Use this link to reserve your room. Special room block rate no longer available. Check the hotel for availability.

Making reservations by phone:

  1. Dial 1-866-837-4148 toll free. Specify the Geo-Carolinas Room Block.

  2. Provide your arrival date and number of nights.

  3. Have a credit card available to hold the room.

Reservation information:

  1. The last day to book within the group block is Friday, January 12, 2024. There is a new room block that is available through Thursday, January 18, 2024, at $229/night plus taxes and fees. Visit their website to check for availability.

  2. You will be responsible for all your own charges (room, tax and incidentals).

  3. Check-in time is after 4pm and check-out time is 11am.

  4. The hotel has a 72-hour cancellation policy which means that any cancellations must be processed more than 72 hours prior to the arrival date to avoid a late cancellation fee in the amount of 1 night’s room and tax.

  5. Complimentary basic Wi-Fi in guestrooms for Bonvoy Members.

Hotel Parking:

  • Valet: $40 overnight

  • Self: $35 overnight

Prices are subject to change.

Exhibitors & Sponsors

 
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Sep
12
to Sep 13

GeoCarolinas 2022 (Registration now OPEN)

RSVP Online NOW

What: GeoCarolinas 2022 Conference

Where: The Mint Museum, 500 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

 

When: Monday and Tuesday, September 12 and 13, 2022

Speakers: Confirmed so far:

  • Mr. Frederic Masse (Nicholson): Comparison of CFA Piles, Displacement Piles, and Rigid Inclusions

  • Dr. Jesus Gomez (GEI): Rigid Inclusion with Post-Improvement CPT

  • Professor Rich Finno (Northwestern): Advances in Design and Construction of Excavation Support (2018 Peck Lecture)

  • Dr. Bob Bachus (Geosyntec): Cross USA Lecturer

  • Professor Jon Stewart (UCLA): Millenium Tower Failure and Repair

  • Professor Gray Mullins (USF): O'Neal Lecture - Drilled Shafts: What We Know, Think We Know, and Need to Know

  • Professor Greg Baecher (University of Maryland): Terzaghi Lecture - Uncertainty in Geotechnical Engineering

  • Professor George Filz (Virginia Tech): Large Reclamation Project Earth Retention System Failure

  • Dr. Jeff Keaton (Wood): Engineering Geology: Fundamental Input or Random Variable

  • Mr. Phil Sirles (Collier Geophysics): Geophysics

  • Mr. Van Komurka (GRL): Incremental Rigidity Method for Load Test Data Reduction

  • Dr. Georgette Hlepas (USACE): Instrumentation and Performance Data Management

Schedule: TBD

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Charlotte City Center at 237 South Tryon Street Charlotte, North Carolina 28202. Register online to get the group rate.

GeoCarolinas 2022 will be held at Mint Museum Uptown on September 12-13. Located at 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte, Mint Museum Uptown houses outstanding collections of American, contemporary and European art. It also includes the James B. Duke Auditorium and an adjacent 22-exhibitor atrium, where the conference will be held. Several hotels, restaurants and attractions are located within walking distance, including NASCAR Hall of Fame, Discovery Place Science, Bank of America Stadium, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Wells Fargo Museum.

The conference will include invited technical presentations by George Filz, Greg Baecher, Gray Mullins, Jon Stewart, Bob Bachus, Rich Finno, Jesus Gomez, Frederic Masse and other leaders in the field of geotechnical engineering.

A conference reception, exhibits, a Student Poster Session sharing ongoing research from NC State, UNC Charlotte, Clemson University, and USC will also be featured at the conference. This year, additional scholarships for our Carolina university’s graduate and undergraduate students will be provided to participate in a new event for employee recruitment.

Regarding COVID-19 precautions, the GeoCarolinas Conference will follow the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) guidelines for mass gatherings that are in place at the time of the conference. Those guidelines are updated regularly and can be found here NC DHHS COVID-19 Response.

Sponsors:

 
 

ECS

 
 

DFI

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Sep
27
to Sep 28

GeoCarolinas 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina

dca.Mint-Museum-Uptown2.jpg

What: GeoCarolinas 2021 Conference

Where: The Mint Museum, 500 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

When: Starts at 10:00am on Monday, September 27, 2021 and ends at 3:00pm on Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Speakers: Preliminary List:

  • Ellen Rathje: Lessons Learned from GEER

  • Frederic Masse: Lessons Learned from Ground Improvement Projects Around the World

  • Jesus Gomez: Slope Failure Case History

  • Peter Robertson

  • Rich Finno: Advances in Design and Construction of Excavation Support

  • Shideh Dashti: Liquefaction-induced Foundation Settlement

  • Van Komurka: Pile Set-Up, Load Matching, Bi-Directional Load Testing, Etc.

  • Bob Bachus

  • Jon Stewart: Millennium Tower Failure and Repair

  • Jeff Keaton: Engineering Geology - Fundamental Input or Random Variable

  • George Fliz: Large Reclamation Project in Earth Retention System Failure

Schedule: Download a preliminary version of the event schedule.

Hotel: Hotel Partner will be Courtyard Charlotte City Center (GeoCarolinas block rate is $159/night). RSVP for a room.

Regarding COVID-19 precautions, the GeoCarolinas Conference will follow the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) guidelines for mass gatherings that are in place at the time of the conference. Those guidelines are updated regularly and can be found here NC DHHS COVID-19 Response.

Save the Date.JPG
 
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Aug
3
11:00 AM11:00

Pile Driving Contractors Association Presentation on Pile Driving Vibrations

Speaker: Dr. Catherine Aimone-Martin, President, Aimone-Martin Associates, LLC

Date: Tuesday, August 3, 2021 from 11::00am until 1::00pm

Topic:  Pile Driving Vibrations - Monitoring and Analysis

RSVP: Register Online

Summary: Best practices used to monitor and manage ground and structure vibrations during pile driving will be presented. The webinar will address the origins and justifications of vibration limits found in many pile driving project specifications. The use of seismographs to develop a site vibration attenuation model will be explained and illustrated with examples from projects where claims of structure damage were circumvented or easily refuted based on sound measured data.

At the conclusion of the webinar, attendees will understand the following:

  • Regulated limits placed on pile driving operations measured at structures are very conservative and well below the limits that could possibly cause cracking in structures.

  • The use of seismographs deployed by qualified vibration specialists to record ground and structures motions coupled with a site attenuation model is essential to defend pile driving operations and meet construction schedules.

Upon completion of the webinar program, you will receive up to 2.0 Professional Development Hours (PDH).

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ASCE Catawba Branch - GI-Carolinas June Meeting
Jun
24
12:00 PM12:00

ASCE Catawba Branch - GI-Carolinas June Meeting

Please mark your calendar for the June Meeting.  We will be meeting on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 12 PM in the “Manchester Room” at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 650 Tinsley Way, Rock Hill, SC 29730. 

This month we are having a combined meeting with ASCE and Geo-Institute Carolinas.  The Geo-Institute (G-I) is a specialty membership organization focused on geo-professionals and the geo-industry. It is one of the American Society of Civil Engineers' eight specialty Institutes.

The topic of the meeting will be “Geotechnical Aspects and Challenges of the I-59/20 Bridge Replacement through Downtown Birmingham Alabama” presented by Michael Valiquette, VP of Geotechnical Services at Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering. 

If you plan to attend, please RSVP at the link below or reply to this email no later than Monday June 21 so that we can provide a headcount to Hilton Garden Inn:  

June RSVP Link

We now have the ability to accept payments via PayPal in addition to paying at the meetings.   The only difference is that we have to add $1 to cover the processing fee, so PayPal payments would be $21 and cash or check will still be $20.  The link is below:

https://www.paypal.me/ASCEcatawba/21

 
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Nov
6
8:00 AM08:00

Charlotte Short Course on Coal Combustion Residuals

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is presenting a short course titled “Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs): Current Regulations and Solutions“.

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Following the massive coal ash spill in Tennessee in 2008, USEPA took aggressive steps to assess impoundments and other units that manage residuals from coal combustion and that contain free liquids. On 19 December 2014 USEPA published the new rule titled: “Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals from Electric Utilities” in the Federal Register (Docket No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0640). The rule establishes technical requirements for CCR landfills and surface impoundments under Subtitle D of RCRA to establish requirements for safe disposal of CCRs from coal-fired power plants. The new regulations address the risks from coal ash disposal - leaking of contaminants into ground water, blowing of contaminants into the air as dust, and the catastrophic failure of coal ash surface impoundments. Attendees will gain a broad knowledge of current and emerging CCR regulations, local experience managing CCRs, and the advantages of using geosynthetics to manage and dispose of CCRS.

Organizer: Timothy D. Stark with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2019. Registration and continental breakfast starts at 7:30am. Program ends at 5:00pm.

Location: Center City Building, University of North Carolina Charlotte, 320 East 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

Program: View a draft PDF of the program (subject to change)

Cost:
Students: Free
FGI Member: Free
If registering before October 15, 2019:
Industry Professional: $49
Government Professional: Free
If registering after October 15, 2019:
Industry Professional: $99
Government Professional: $49

Register: Register online now at https://gesoynthetics-ccrs-charlotte-2019.eventbrite.com

Attendees will gain a broad knowledge of current and emerging CCR regulations, local experience managing CCRs, and the advantages of using geosynthetics to manage and dispose of CCRs. Course attendees will earn seven (7.0) PDHs. Lunch and break refreshments will be provided.

 
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Mar
4
to Mar 5

Geo-Carolinas Conference 2019

The Carolinas Chapter of the Geo-Institute is proud to announce the second Geo-Carolinas Conference. The event will take place March 4 and 5, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conference will include state-of-the art technical presentations by leaders in the field of geotechnical engineering, as well as a reception and exhibits. This year’s conference will also include a Student Poster Session prior to the Reception sharing ongoing research from NC State, Clemson University, UNC Charlotte, USC, NC A&T, and the Citadel.

Guest speakers include Rudy Bonaparte, Paul Mayne, Daniel Pradel, Amy Cerato, Lance Kitchens, John Turner, Erik Loehr, John Wolosick, Bob Gilbert, Ian Chaney, Kevin Franke and Steve Say.

Visit the conference’s sign up page to learn more.

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