PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Hal Hunt Memorial Lecture T here has been a buzz from the DFI Lecture at the DFI 40 Annual Conference in Oakland, Calif. last year. As you recall, that lecture was given by the Major League Baseball general manager for the Oakland A’s, Billy Beane. We also had a great Hal Hunt Lecture in 2014 in Atlanta, given by Dr. Paul Mayne from Georgia Tech. The theme of the Hal Hunt Lecture is com- munication. Communication is the key to faithful since the incredible Hal Hunt th first female African American astronaut. She received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Stanford in 1977, and an M.D. from Cornell University in 1981. Dr. Jemison worked for the Peace Corps before applying to the space program. She is a dancer, and also holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engi- neering and the humanities. Dr. Jemison is a professor-at- large at Cornel l and a professor of environmental s tudi e s a t Da r tmouth College. She is a strong advo- cate for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers. The WiDF Committee has John Wolosick, P.E., D.GE President [email protected] John Wolosick and Billy Beane, last year’s Hal Hunt Lecturer successful design and construction of deep foundations. Without effective communi- cation, our businesses are in big trouble. This year, at our International Confer- ence on Deep Foundations, Seepage Control and Remediation in October in New York City, the Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) Committee is leading the fundraising effort for this year’s Hal Hunt Lecture. To that end, we are proud to announce that we have our first woman presenter in the 25-year history of the l e c t u r e . We h a v e s e l e c t e d Dr . Ma e Jemison, a physician and NASA astronaut. Dr. Jemison flew into spa c e a b o a rd the shuttle Endeavor in 1992, becoming the been soliciting corporate and individual sponsorships for this momentous event and has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our member firms. Donations beyond the cost of Dr. Jemison’s appearance will benefit the DFI Educational Trust Women in Deep Hal Hunt Lecture Underwriters DFI thanks the following companies for underwriting the appearance of Hal Hunt Lecturer Mae Jemison on Friday, October 14, during the International Conference on Deep Foundations, Seepage Control and Remediation in New York City. Supporting Sponsors GMS Piling Products Malcolm Drilling Co. Inc. TEI Rock Drills Inc. Patron Sponsors JAFEC USA, Inc. Jeffrey Machine Inc. Menard USA ROC Equipment Shimmick Construction Thornton Tomasetti Williams Form Engineering Corp. Sponsors Compaction Grouting Services, Inc. Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) Gannett Fleming, Inc. GEI Consultants, Inc. Schnabel Engineering DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2016 • 7 “Communication is the key to successful design and construction of deep foundations. Without effective communication, our businesses are in big trouble.” Foundations Fund. At press time, the commi t tee had raised $38,000 — a testament to the commitment of DFI members to the future of deep foun- dations and to increasing diversity for the benefit of all. I hope you are as excited as I am to welcome Dr. Jemison to our Annual Con- ference. We expect to have a s t anding - room-onl y attendance as we did for the Billy Beane lecture. Having a nationally renowned speaker raises the caliber of the conference and creates enthusiasm and comradery for our members. So, we look forward to seeing you all in New York City this fall. We are trying to break our record of more than 900 attendees in Oakland. Be there, or be square!
