delivered by Professor Richard Finno, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, of Northwestern University. This lecture reintroduced causes of geotechnical engineering failures expressed by Dr. Osterberg in his Terzaghi Lecture, and presented more recent geotechnical failures via case studies on serviceability and stability issues related to earth retaining structures and foundations. The annual lecture and award honors Dr. Osterberg and recognizes innovations in deep foundations construction related to engineering design, testing or education, and is supported by DFI Corporate Member Loadtest. WiDF social networking reception Conference chair, speakers and moderators On Thursday afternoon, the 2017 Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in Design and Construction of Marine Foundations was presented to Robert B. Bittner, P.E., of Bittner-Shen Consulting Engineers and past DFI president, for his body of work to advance the technology of deep foun- dations. Bittner delivered a presentation on “Ben C. Gerwick Inspired Innovations,” where he introduced different innovations and provided examples of successful applications worldwide that have helped to solve the many extreme challenges of the marine environment. A feature to this year’s SuperPile conference was the focus on safety throughout all aspects of geotechnical construction work. During the plenary session on Thursday, six presentations were delivered that highlighted concerns and 22 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2017 risks associated with working platforms and h e a v y e q u i pme n t operat ion, speci f ic conc e rns wi th the installation of drilled displacement pi les, designing for safety on deep foundations and earth retention projects, and the issues pertaining to integrity testing and QC/QA pro g r ams . During the parallel ses- sions on Friday morning, one track was devoted to safety where presen- tations were delivered on lifting and handling of rebar cages, drill rig and driven pile safety, installation of helical piles, and mobile crane operations. Prof. Richard Finno, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, presents the Osterberg Memorial Lecture The conference was concluded with a presentation by Peter Faust, Dipl.-Ing., of Malcolm Drilling Company, on the EFFC- DFI Best Practices to Tremie Concrete for Deep st Foundations guide (1 edition), which is the culmination of a col- laborative effort of a joint Concrete Task Robert B. Bittner, P.E., Bittner-Shen Consulting Engineers (center), received the Ben C. Gerwick Award from Roderick Ellman, P.E., (left) Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers and Marine Foundations Committee chair, and Jack Gerwick, P.E., COWI North America
