DFI ACTIVITIES There is still time to sign up for the 37th Annual Conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center/Hilton-Americas Houston. The program is on the DFI website and regis- tration is open. Don’t miss the many events and the timely technical program listed at deepfoundations2012.org and on page 16. DFI will recognize the Outstanding Houston Annual Conference: Still Time to Register–Don’t Miss Out Dr. Wright is a P.E.with B.S., M.S. and Project Award winner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for a challenging pedestrian tunnel, and will also honor the winners of the annual Distinguished Service Award and the new Bill Bermingham Inno- vation Award. The winners of the Young Professor and Student Paper Competitions Awards will present at the Friday morning session. Attendees of the Business Meeting Lunch on October 18 will also hear the annual Hal Hunt Lecture. The exhibit hall’s 100 spaces are almost sold out and will display products and services throughout the conference. This year’s exhibitors will have the opportunity to sign up early for space at DFI’s 2013 38th Annual Confer- ence in Phoenix during the Houston event. Two Keynote Lectures A highlight of the Annual Conference is the Keynote Lecture, and this year DFI will offer two outstanding lectures. The first will be delivered by Steven Wright, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, who will speak following the Welcome Lunch on Wednesday, October 17. Dr. Wright’s lecture, “Stability Analyses for Slope Stabilization Measures – Lessons Learned,” focuses on the fact that slope stabilization with piles, piers, soil nails and tieback anchors is usually analyzed employing some form of conventional limit equilibrium slope stability analysis software adapted to include such reinforcing elements. While including reinforcing elements into such software is straightforward, Wright notes that the analyses are sometimes complex with unexpected or uncertain results. He will present examples of lessons learned from such analyses and recommend practices for reducing potential problems and errors. Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. He has over 40 years of experience with teaching, research and consulting in geotechnical engineering. He is the author of numerous technical papers and reports, co-author of the book Soil Strength and Slope Stability by John Wiley and Sons, and the current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manual EM 1110-2-1902 Engineering and Design - Slope Stability. He is also the sole author of the computer codes known as UTEXAS4 and TexGraf4 for slope stability analyses. He has served as consultant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and numerous private organizations on slope stability. Lecture and Tour The second Keynote Lecture will be presented by Professor Dr. Ing Sebastian Bauer, managing director of Bauer Maschinen GmbH. He will speak on Friday morning at 8:35 a.m., on the “Continuing Advancement of Drilling Efficiency through New Methods and Equipment Technology.” Bauer, who is responsible for R&D of all Bauer equipment, heading up a staff of 250 employees, will focus on the importance of using the “right construction method, supported by the equipment, on the efficiency factor of the equipment, and the perfect support of the operator by advanced electronic controls and systems.” Bauer was heavily involved in the international production strategy of Bauer, dramatically increasing the production capacity in China and building a big production facility from scratch in the U.S. He is a direct descendant of the Bauer family who originally founded the company in 1790 and is one of the major shareholders of the Bauer Group. Bauer studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich and after working there as a research assistant he achieved a doctorate degree. He is vice chairman of the Executive Board of VDMA BuB (Association of German Manufacturers of Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery), chairman of FVB (Research Association for Construction Equipment and Building Material Machi- nery) and a member of the Council of the Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences. Professor Sebastian Bauer After completion of the Friday Professor Steven G. Wright morning session, Bauer will lead a tour from 1:00-4:00 p.m. with transportation and beverages to the Bauer plant in Houston. For more information and to sign up for the FREE tour, please contact HQ, or sign up at the Conference. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2012 • 17
