DFI ACTIVITIES Learning, Networking and Collaborating in Rome The university is one of the largest European universities and one of the oldest in history, founded in 1303. The conference was held on the university campus in the heart of the historic center of Rome overlooking the Colosseum and directly beside the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincol i , home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece statue of Moses. The sessions were held in university classrooms during final exams; a lively student buzz bringing us back to our college days. Professor Massimo Grisolia (center), conference chair, at the banquet with colleagues. The DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement was held on June 5-8 at the Sapienza University of Rome. Conference chair, Professor Massimo Grisolia, welcomed the attendees to his “magical” Rome and opened the conference with Professor Antonio D’Andrea, dean of faculty of civil and industrial engineering, Sapienza University. The theme of the conference was Urbanization and Infrastructure Develop- ment: Future Challenges. Maurice Bottiau, deputy general manager of Franki Foundations Belgium, DFI Europe treasurer, and Daniele Vanni, Trevi, co- chaired the program committee, supported by committee members, Professor Paolo Marzano, Sapienza University, and Gianfranco DiCicco, GDConsulting, DFI secretary and trustee. Four hundred attendees from 37 countries participated in the event including geotechnical engineers, contractors, designers, owners, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, researchers, academics and graduate students. The exhibition hall was in the cloister, an open-air courtyard with cobble stone pavements, surrounded by 30 booths displaying products and services including construction and laboratory equipment and tools and geotechnical design software. Breaks and breakfasts were held in the cloister, and attendees were seen throughout the event networking at umbrella-covered café tables. Stephan Jefferis, Environmental Geotechnics in the U.K, was one of many speakers. More than 400 attendees attended over 70 technical presentations. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2018 • 23
