Mexico City Symposium a Success The 2nd International Symposium on Deep Foundations took place in Mexico City in November, organized by Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) and the Mexican Society for Geotechnical Engineering SMIG). The event gathered specialists, manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and academics related to our industry. With an attendance of more than 300 people, the symposium continued the success of the previous event, two years prior. There were four technical sessions: drilled shafts/slurry walls, innovative technologies, soil improvement, and testing and monitoring. There were 21 DFI’s president, Robert Bittner, spoke at Symposium attendees (L to R): Franz- Werner Gerressen, Jesús Irigoyen and Stefano Fagioli of Bauer with Mario Terceros of Incotec speakers who presented state-of-the-art papers from countries that included the U.S., Spain, Italy, Germany, Bolivia, Panama, France and Mexico. the opening ceremony about DFI’s mission, objectives, and achievements. Afterwards, he presented a paper titled “Innovations in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations.” The symposium included an exhibit of equipment distributors, tools, software, technical associations and more. This event continues efforts to strengthen the bonds between technical organizations in the U.S. and Mexico. The organizing committee included Theresa Rappaport, DFI executive director, Mary Ellen Bruce, DFI technical activities manager, and Walter Paniagua, M.E., CEO, Pilotec. 32 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2014
