The theme for GeoOttawa 2017 is “70 Years of Canadian Geotechnics and Geoscience”. The organisers will build on this conference theme throughout the technical program and social activities, and plan to remind delegates of the extensive contributions of geotechnical and hydrogeological practitioners to Canada’s built form since the Canadian Geotechnical Society was founded 70 years ago. In addition to the technical program and plenary sessions, the conference will include a complement of local tours and short courses.
Items on the conference program include sessions for both tunnelling and trenchless technology, and Mark Knight of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo is leading a short course on Sunday, October 1 on the theme of “Geotechnical Engineering for Trenchless Technology Projects.” Separate registration required.
This workshop will focus on the role of the geotechnical engineer on trenchless construction projects, industry standards and good practices. It will also provide information on potential risks and liabilities and how they can be mitigated. Real case study examples will be used to demonstrate how to create a successful project and how poor geotechnical engineering practices can increase geotechnical engineers in trenchless projects.
New this year is the GeoContractor forum entitled “Designer and Contractor Interface in Geotechnical Construction”. Organisers say this event will be run as a moderated special session in which four to five invited contractors will each present an opening statement on the general topic of the forum. A question and answer session will follow, including pre-determined questions and audience questions. The event is tentatively scheduled for Monday morning, running parallel to the first round of technical presentations following the opening plenary session.
