2014 Geotechnical Symposium at UW - Student Research

The Geotechnical Symposium at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle was a successful event to connect and exchange research done by graduate students in the Pacific North West (PNW).

Lisa Dunham

Lisa Dunham, PhD student at University of Washington:
The goal of her research is to map possible landslides along roads in Alaska. This map could be the basis for future risk management and road improvements. In her research, she combines geomatic analysis using LiDAR with geological features and a risk analysis to determine relative risks alongside Alaska's roads. Her findings are going to be visualized in form of a map. 
The work is a cooperation of the University of Alaska, Oregon State University, University of Washington, PacTrans, and Alaska Department of Transportation & Pubic Facilities.

Michael Huber

Michael Huber, master student at University of British Columbia in Canada:
District heating is used to transport hot water or to heat/cool public buildings. Thermal expansion of the pipes and the soil-pipe interactions must be taken into account. Michael's research project analyzes soil-pipe interactions of district heating pipes and investigates different methods to handle the stress of the pipes due to thermal expansion by building lyres and low-loss pipe connections.

Panel Discussion

The Symposium ended with a panel discussion about education at universities in the PNW. Questions about the structure of education were asked between students of each school to discuss similarities, differences and possible improvements.

To summarize all, most of the universities have similar education structures from the length of study, use of laboratory equipment, type of classes like Geology, Seismology, Hydrology, Foundations, Soil Mechanics ... , and student associations, who invite guests from the industry every week or month to give lectures. The education at all universities mainly contributes to the field of research.


"Wish-List"

From student's perspective, some points were mentioned, which could improve the education at the universities in the PNW. Let's say, it is the “wish list” of the students: 

• Introductory classes in rock mechanics,
• Classes about presentation techniques and report writing,
• Complete case studies throughout an academical term or year, and 
• More hands-on experience outside the class room in form of field trips.

I hope the Geotechnical Symposium in the PNW is going to happen again in the near future. It is a great opportunity to present ones research objectives, exchange ideas and - most importantly - make connections for future work.