CGS News

Call for Nominations for CGS Awards

Nominations for CGS Awards may be submitted to The Canadian Geotechnical Society Secretariat, 8828 Pigott Road, Richmond, BC, V7A 2C4, Canada; Fax: (604) 277-7529, e-mail: cgs@cgs.ca, by not later than June 1, except where noted.

The nomination letter must include:

• reasons why the individual merits the award relative to the nomination criteria

• any other pertinent information on the nominee

• C.V. of the nominee

Letters from other Canadian Geotechnical Society members supporting the nomination add strength to the nomination.

Nominators are asked to review the full award details before preparing nominations for the Awards listed below. The Awards details can be obtained from the Society’s Awards and Honours Manual, (Sections B-1 to B-12 inclusive), which is available to CGS members in the CGS Members Section of the CGS Website. CGS members can log-in at http://cgs.ca/login.php, then proceed to Online Member Resources, find CGS Manuals and proceed to the Awards and Honours Manual. Information can also be obtained from Division Chairs, Section Directors, and the Secretariat.

Funding for the Society’s awards is provided by generous support from the independent charitable body, The Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique. Members are invited and encouraged to submit nominations for the following CGS Awards:

R.F. Legget Medal - the highest CGS honour

Awarded to an individual for outstanding life-long contributions to geotechnique.

R.M. Quigley Award

Awarded to an individual or individuals for the best paper published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal within the preceding year in which the prize is awarded. Nominations are made by the Associate Editors of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

G. Geoffrey Meyerhof Award

Awarded to an individual for outstanding and exceptional contributions to the art and science of foundation engineering.

Thomas Roy Award

This award is presented to honour an outstanding contribution to the field of Engineering Geology in Canada.

Roger J.E. Brown Award

The award is presented to an individual, preferably Canadian, for publishing the best paper on permafrost science or engineering in:

• Canadian Geotechnical Journal, or

• Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, or

• proceedings of National or International permafrost conferences, or

• to honour an individual for their excellence in the field of permafrost.

Awarded every second year, it will be awarded in 2014.

John A. Franklin Award

This award recognizes an individual or individuals, who have made an outstanding technical contribution in the fields of rock mechanics or rock engineering in Canada and or internationally. Awarded every second year, it will not be awarded in 2014.

Geosynthetics Award

This award was presented for the first time in the 2000 to recognize an individual or individuals who have made an outstanding technical contribution to the use of geosynthetics in Canada and/or internationally. Awarded every second year, it will be awarded in 2014.

Geoenvironmental Award

This award was presented for the first time in 2000 to recognize an individual or individuals who have made an outstanding technical contribution to the practice of multidisciplinary geoenvironmental engineering in Canada and/or internationally. Awarded every second year, it will be awarded in 2014.

Robert N. Farvolden Award

Following some years as the Hydrogeology Division Award, the Robert N. Farvolden Award was presented for the first time in 2002. The Groundwater Division selects the winner of the award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to groundwater science and engineering in Canada. The Awards Committee of the Groundwater Division commonly asks for input from the International Association of Hydrogeologists, Canadian National Chapter, (IAH-CNC).

CGS Graduate Student Award

For the best paper authored or coauthored and presented by a geotechnical graduate student at an accredited Canadian university. The winning paper each year is presented by the student at the annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference. All submissions and accompanying documentation must be received by the Chair of the Student Awards Sub-Committee on or before May 21 of the competition year. The contact information for the Chair is Sumi Siddiqua, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 1137 Alumni Avenue, Kelowna, BC, VIV 1V7, Tel: 250-807-9863, sumi.siddiqua@ubc.ca.

CGS Undergraduate Student Awards

There are two undergraduate student awards that endeavour to increase student awareness of the Society and their involvement in it.

• The Undergraduate Student Report, Individual Submission Award was established in 1987 with the main purpose of recognizing and rewarding excellence in the preparation of a geotechnical report by an individual full time undergraduate student in an accredited engineering program or a geoscience program in a Canadian university.

• The Undergraduate Student Report, Group Submission Award was added in 1990 to recognize and reward excellence of a report prepared by one or more undergraduate students in an accredited engineering program or a geoscience program in a Canadian university.

All submissions and accompanying documentation must be received by the Chair of the Student Awards Sub-Committee on or before May 21 of the competition year. The contact information for the Chair is Sumi Siddiqua, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 1137 Alumni Avenue, Kelowna, BC, VIV 1V7, Tel: 250-807-9863, sumi.siddiqua@ubc.ca.

A.G. Stermac Awards for Service to the Canadian Geotechnical Society

Before 1999, these awards were known as the CGS Service Plaques. A.G. Stermac Awards are presented to members of the Society who have contributed specific or special, worthy and significant service(s) to the Society. All submissions must reach the Society’s Secretariat not later than June 1.

Call for Nominations for Awards from the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC)

Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) members are invited to submit nominations for EIC Awards to the Society Secretariat (cgs@cgs.ca) or the Secretary General (vsowacgs@dccnet.com) by no later than July 15, 2014. All members of the Society are eligible for awards, prizes and honours from the Engineering Institute of Canada. EIC policies dictate that all candidates nominated by CGS members for EIC awards must be members of the CGS.

Nominators are required to provide nomination documents consisting of the following four items:

1. A completed EIC Nomination Form that can be obtained from the EIC Website,

2. The nomination letter,

3. The candidate’s Curriculum Vitae, (short form preferred) and

4. Supporting letters from colleagues who are preferably Fellows of the EIC (FEIC).

Nominators are asked to review the full awards details and criteria prior to preparing nominations for the Awards listed below. More information on the procedures, details and schedule for EIC honours and awards can be found in Sections D-1, D-2 and D-3 of the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Awards and

Honours Manual. This information is available to CGS members in the CGS Members Section of the CGS Website. CGS members can log-in at http://cgs.ca/login.php, then proceed to Online Member Resources, find CGS Manuals, then proceed to the Awards and Honours Manual. Continue in the Manual to Sections D1, D2 and D3 for detailed information. This information includes a list of past recipients and also past FEIC members. FEIC members are listed both chronologically and also for convenience, alphabetically.

The CGS Executive Committee reviews all nominations submitted by members, as well as other possible candidates. The nominations are forwarded to the Honours and Awards Committee of EIC for consideration. All constituent societies of EIC participate in this program.

Members of CGS are eligible for the following EIC honours and awards:

• The Sir John Kennedy Medal is the most senior award of the Institute. This medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding merit in the engineering profession, or of noteworthy contributions to the science of engineering or to the benefit of the Institute.

• The Julian C. Smith Medal, established in 1939 by a group of senior members of the Institute to perpetuate the name of a Past President of the Institute. The medal is awarded for achievement in the development of Canada.

• The John B. Stirling Medal was established in 1987 through the generosity of E.G.M. Cape and Company Ltd. to honour a former President of the Company who was President of the Institute in 1952.  It is awarded in recognition of leadership and distinguished service at the national level within the Institute and/or its Member Societies.

• The Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal was established in 1988. The medal is presented in recognition of leadership and service over many years at the regional, branch, section or equivalent levels, within the Institute or its Member Societies.

• The K.Y. Lo Medal was created in 1998 and is awarded to a member of the EIC who has made significant engineering contributions at the international level. Such contributions may include:

             - promotion of Canadian expertise overseas;

             - training of foreign engineers;

             - significant service to international engineering organizations;

             - advancement of engineering technology recognized internationally.

• Fellowship of EIC (FEIC).  A member of CGS, of at least 45 years of age, can become a Fellow of the Institute on the grounds of excellence in engineering practice and exceptional contributions to the well-being of the profession and to the good of the society.

• Honorary Membership. The Council of the EIC may elect to Honorary Membership in the Institute, non-members who are not engineers but who have achieved distinction through service to the profession of engineering.

Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique 2014 National Graduate Scholarship

Dr. Dennis Becker, President of the Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 7th annual Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique National Graduate Scholarship.

The scholarship, valued at $5,000, was established by the Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique in 2007, on the occasion of the 60th Canadian Geotechnical Conference in Ottawa. The 2014 scholarship will be presented at the Canadian Geotechnical Conference, in Regina this fall.

Any Canadian or permanent resident, entering or registered in a Canadian university Masters or PhD program that is directly related to an identified field of geotechnique, is eligible. Programs include geotechnical engineering, geological engineering, mining engineering, geoenvironmental engineering or geoenvironmental geoscience, engineering geology and hydrogeology. Nominees must have high academic standing and preference will be given to those who have some practical experience and are active, or show leadership, in the geotechnical community.

Nominations are limited to one per academic department and require a letter, accompanied by rationale, written and signed by the graduate supervisor. Rationale should include evidence of academic standing, research output, contributions to practice, and leadership/activity in the geotechnical community. A nomination package is limited to five pages. For award ceremony purposes, the nomination package should also include a digital image (300 dpi) of the nominee.

Nominations for the 2014 Scholarship will be accepted by the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Scholarship Selection Committee Chair, Dr. Paul Simms (c/o Carleton University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa ON. K1S 5B6, paul_simms@carleton.ca) up until May 1, 2014. If submitted by email, nominations must be signed by the supervisor and include the words “Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique National Graduate Scholarship” in the subject line.

For further information, refer to the Foundation’s website www.cfg-fcg.ca or contact Dr. Dennis Becker, 403-260-2253, Dennis_Becker@golder.com.

Members in the News - 2014 EIC Awards

The following CGS members were recently recognized for their contributions and received these awards from the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC).

Dr. Ward Wilson – Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada

Dr. Wilson graduated in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba and completed his Master’s degree and PhD at the University of Saskatchewan. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta and brings over 25 years of industrial experience to his practice in advanced mine waste management and unsaturated soil mechanics for numerous sites worldwide.

He has served as a specialist consultant to several large international mining companies such as the well-known Acid Rock Drainage Risk Review recently completed by Rio Tinto. In addition, Dr. Wilson recently served as the lead author responsible for the chapter on Prevention and Mitigation in the Global Acid Rock Drainage Guide. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the Oil Sands Tailing Research Facility, where he leads innovative research programs to support and enhance the Alberta oil sands industry’s ability to manage and mitigate environmental risks associated with oil sands tailings.

Régis Bouchard – Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada

Régis Bouchard is a pioneer in the development of in situ geotechnical characterization techniques and high quality sampling and was Techmat’s leader for 25 years. He was the first to offer piezocone testing in the province of Quebec. He developed and adapted various sophisticated tools, such as a self-boring permeameter, the large diameter Laval sampler for sands and the use of a geocamera in boreholes.

He is the author and co-author of numerous scientific papers dealing with the mechanical behaviour of sensitive clays and compacted clay for liners, the behavior of embankment dams and the design of sewage ponds. He was also heavily involved with various industrial research chairs, including those from Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke, where he made himself very accessible to researchers and students.

Régis Bouchard is highly recognized, not only in Quebec where he has worked for major clients such as Hydro-Quebec and the Ministry of Transportation, but also elsewhere in Canada, California and Taiwan.