2017 3rd NASL Short Courses

Debris Flow and Shallow Landslide Mitigation Geobrugg Course

• Time: 8 am – Noon
• Session make-up: (4 hours)
• Description: This half-day course trains participants through lecture, case histories, and hands-on exercises.
• Principles covered:
  1. An overview of the basic forces of debris flows that result in erosion and/or torrent channels
  2. The basic theory behind a unique dimensioning software program
  3. Use of DEBFLOW^© dimensioning program for designing flexible debris flow barriers
  4. Case studies working with the dimensioning program
• This course is intended for consulting engineers, geologists, municipalities, public works, transportation agencies, as well as landscape architects and specialty construction contractors. This course is recommended to anyone with an undergraduate level of understanding of geology and/or geotechnical engineering and some experience with basic natural hazard mitigation concepts; or a Bachelor’s level education or higher in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, geology, or related fields.
• Co-Instructors:
  • Dr. William F. Kane received a BA degree (1975) in Geology from James Madison University and his MS (1981) and PhD (1985) degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. In 1997 he founded KANE GeoTech, Inc. Dr. Kane is a registered PE (professional engineer) in 24 states and a registered PG (professional geologist) in Tennessee. He conducts engineering workshops in the U.S. and internationally. He has appeared as a geotechnical expert both in litigation and nationally on radio and television, including CNBC and CBS. Dr. Kane has been designing, building, installing and monitoring geotechnical instrumentation systems since 1994. These completely automated systems are capable of recording groundwater levels, rates and directions of ground movement, locations of failure surfaces, rainfall quantities, and soil moisture.
  • Tim Shevlin received a BS degree (2001) in environmental science from Allegheny College and his MS degree (2004) in engineering geology from Kent State University. He is a registered professional geologist in Pennsylvania and worked as a geotechnical designer for nationally known civil engineering firms before joining Geobrugg North America in 2009.

Anchored Mesh Slope Stabilization Systems Geobrugg Course

• Time: 1 pm – 5 pm
• This half-day course trains participants through lecture, case histories, and hands-on exercises.
• Principles covered:
  1. An overview of basic forces involved with shallow slope instabilities and deeper sliding surfaces
  2. Use of RUVOLUM^© dimensioning program for designing tensioned wire mesh systems and rock stabilization principles, including an overview of tensioned spiral rope net rock protection concepts
  3. Modeling and field tests
  4. Examination of designed systems and study of sample design problems using the program
• This course is intended for consulting engineers, geologists, municipalities, public works, transportation agencies, as well as landscape architects and specialty construction contractors. This course is recommended to anyone with an undergraduate level of understanding of geology and/or geotechnical engineering and some experience with basic natural hazard mitigation concepts; or a Bachelor’s level education or higher in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, geology or related fields.
• Co-Instructors:
  • Dr. William F. Kane received a BA degree (1975) in Geology from James Madison University and his MS (1981) and PhD (1985) degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. In 1997 he founded KANE GeoTech, Inc. Dr. Kane is a registered PE (professional engineer) in 24 states and a registered PG (professional geologist) in Tennessee. He conducts engineering workshops in the U.S. and internationally. He has appeared as a geotechnical expert both in litigation and nationally on radio and television, including CNBC and CBS. Dr. Kane has been designing, building, installing and monitoring geotechnical instrumentation systems since 1994. These completely automated systems are capable of recording groundwater levels, rates and directions of ground movement, locations of failure surfaces, rainfall quantities, and soil moisture.
  • Tim Shevlin received a BS degree (2001) in environmental science from Allegheny College and his MS degree (2004) in engineering geology from Kent State University. He is a registered professional geologist in Pennsylvania and worked as a geotechnical designer for nationally known civil engineering firms before joining Geobrugg North America in 2009.

Analysis of Landslides: Shear Strengths, Testing, and Analyses

• Time: 1 pm – 5 pm
• Session make-up: (4 hours)
• This short course will provide attendees with current geotechnical engineering practices for landslide investigations and applicable shear strengths, shear strength testing, static and seismic stability analyses, and transient seepage analyses. In particular, the course will focus on selection of drained vs. undrained shear strengths for landslide analyses, measurement and selection of drained peak, fully softened, and residual shear strengths, understanding the importance of a cohesion value and stress dependent strength envelopes in stability analyses, and estimating pore-water pressures from seepage analyses for landslides.
• Instructor:
  • Timothy D. Stark, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE has been a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1991. Dr. Stark has received a number of awards for his research, teaching, and service activities including the Best Paper in Geosynthetics International Journal, 2016; 2015 James M. Hoover Lecturer, Iowa State University; Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2013 and 1998; Associated Editor of the Year by ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2011; Best Scholarly Paper from Journal of Legal Affairs of ASCE, 2011; R.M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2003; R.S. Ladd ASTM Standards Development Award from the ASTM, 2013, 2011, and 2002; Walter L. Huber Research Prize from ASCE, 1999.