DFI ACTIVITIES Record Breaking Attendance at DFI’s 41 Annual Conference st (41 Annual Conference) featured a number of firsts: first DFI event with 1,000+ atten- dees, first parallel technical track to supple- ment the traditional foundations-related program, first female Hal Hunt Lecturer, and first ceremony for DFI’s President’s Award. DFI’s International Conference on Deep Foun- dations, Seepage Control and Remediation st track on seepage control and remediation was prompted by the work of the DFI Seepage Control Working Group, chaired by Paul. The conference program aimed to highlight the importance of water infrastructure internationally and the criticality of foundation-related aspects of these essential structures. Foundation track co-chair Tony Marinucci, with keynote speaker George Pierson DFI Technical Activities Manager Mary Ellen Large with speakers and moderators Over 1,080 attendees filled three floors of the Marriott Marquis in New York City’s Times Square, enjoying technical sessions, exhibits and meetings. Dr. Antonio Marinucci, MBA, P.E., Consultant, and Silas Nichols, P.E., Federal Highway Adminis- tration, chaired the foundations track. David Paul, P.E., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Gianfranco Di Cicco, GDConsulting and DFI trustee, chaired the track on seepage control and remediation for dams and levees. Nidal Abisaab, P.E., RA Consultants, and Yaser Taheri, P.E., Moretrench, technical program chairs for the foundations track, along with Elena Sossenkina, P.E., HDR, technical program chair for the seepage track, rounded out this motivated and enthusiastic organizing committee leadership. DFI gratefully acknowledges their effort and commitment to the success and quality of the conference and its technical content. The seepage track brought new topics, attendees, and exhibitors to the DFI conference. The inclusion of the parallel Keynotes and Lectures Keynote lectures were delivered in plenary sessions, and foundation and seepage track presentations followed in parallel sessions during the two and a half days of the technical program. Rooms were full, as industry members delivered presentations on case histories, research, design, and quality assurance. “Quick Fire” presenta- tions were presented this year and included 10-minute, author-led slide presentations as an alternative to electronic poster sessions. Dr. Satoru Ueda, lead dam specialist at the World Bank, presented the first keynote lecture, which stressed the importance of water projects in the world, and outlined funding of projects and the role of World Bank’s engineers and constructors. DFI leadership will be working with the World Bank to explore opportunities for collab- oration for DFI members in these critical worldwide water projects. The keynote lecture in the foundations track was presented by George Pierson, P.E., Seth Vaidya, Gianfranco Di Cicco, co- chair of the seepage and remediation track, and keynote speaker Satoru Ueda president and CEO of Kleinfelder. Pierson addressed all aspects of risk management from identification to mitigation to resolution. Charles R. Alexander, Jr., SES, chief, Interagency and International Services Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), pinch hit for James Dalton, P.E., USACE, to present the seepage track keynote on the grouting remediation of critical seepage at the Mosul Dam in Iraq. The Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) Committee sponsored the first female Hal Hunt Lecturer in the 28-year history of this annual keynote on communication. The committee invited Dr. Mae Jemison, the first female African- American NASA astronaut, to present her talk, “Exploring the Frontiers of Science DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2016 • 23
