Schlumberger and NEORig took visitors on an impressive virtual tour to explore an oil and gas drilling rig. More than 1,000 visitors attended live equipment demon- strations on the training grounds in the nearby machinery plant in Aresing. Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) held its first-ever BAUER OT-B Drilling Rig Operator’s Training from May 7-11 at its Coraopolis, Pa. headquarters. The course comes in the wake of the 100- year-old company being designated a Regional Training Center for BAUER Foundation Equipment. ECA trainers Joe Kinworthy and Jason Church (pictured) tapped into 45 collective years of drilling rig experience to help operators from several respected foundation drilling contractors improve safety and produc- tivity. The course focused on such topics as drilling rig stability, safe operation, ground conditions, safe working platforms, productivity and new technology. ECA can host a customized training session or bring the program directly to interested companies. Contact Dave Schell at (301)599-1300 or [email protected] for more information. Geokon has been certified under ISO 9001:2015 from both ANSIANAB in the U.S. and UKAS in Great Britain. The recertification audit began in February 2018 and concluded in May. “We are excited to be awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification and feel it demonstrates our company’s commitment to ensuring the highest quality in our instrumentation, as well as our core philosophy to continuously improve our products, services, and processes,” said Geokon Director Jack Taylor. Geokon’s calibration program also complies with ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 and all primary calibration standards are traceable to the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and are calibrated by laboratories with ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. UT short course improvement, along with a broad spectrum and cellular). UT Austin will host the 40 course March 4-8, 2019. For details visit www.groutingfundamentals.com. The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) named Arup the winner of the 2018 Gold Engineering Excellence Award for work on Northeastern University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. By using advanced energy modeling software and building information modeling in the early phases of the design process and holding workshops with Payette and Northeastern, Arup empowered its client to make more informed design decisions and reach performance and sustainability of grout materials (cementitious, chemical, th The University of Texas at Austin’s 39 annual short course on Grouting Fundamentals & Current Practice in February. Professionals from around the world attended the event to learn about the latest practices in geotechnical grouting materials, methods and applications. The course faculty included experts from sevend countries, many of whom are active members on the ASCE G-I Grouting Committee. The 2018 course included 70 delegates representing engineering design firms, specialty geotechnical contractors, hydropower facility owners, equipment manufacturers and material suppliers. An integral part of this course is the half-day field demonstration that facilitates direct hands-on learning, and included high shear mixing, QC testing of fluid grout, slab jacking, penetration of microfine cements, tube-a-manchette grouting, methods for nondestructive quantification of ground Cockrell School of Engineering hosted the th goals. These goals required innovative solutions including an optimized building façade, cascade air system and chilled beam technology. Those solutions helped the new complex surpass the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, to achieve 33% energy-cost savings over code and 75% energy savings compared to typical laboratory performance. The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) awarded Geocomp Corporation a 2018 Silver Engineering Excellence Award for its work on seismic assessment projects overseen by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The 2018 awards were announced at the recent ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence and Awards Gala. In 2015, the EPA issued the “Coal Combustion Residuals Rule” to address risks associated with failures of surface impoundments and land- fills used to dispose of CCR generated by DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2018 • 121
