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Geotechnical News • September 2013
www.geotechnicalnews.com
GEO-INSTITUTE NEWS
ASCE/G-I Co-Sponsored
Seminars
Design and Construction of Micro-
tunneling Projects
September 25-27, 2013
Secaucus, NJ
Soil and Rock Slope Stability
September 26-27, 2013
Denver, CO
Deep Foundations: Design, Con-
struction, and Quality Control
October 24-25, 2013
San Diego, CA
For more seminar /information:
www.
asce.org/geo/Continuing-Education/
Seminars/Seminars/
Student News
Two New Graduate Student
Organizations
The G-I welcomed its newest 18th
and 19th Graduate Student Organiza-
tions (GSOs) — North Carolina State
University (NCSU) and the University
of Wisconsin, Madison effective May
7, 2013.
NCSU’s mission statement is that its
GSO “…is the platform through which
geotechnical engineering students can
build up their academic and profes-
sional experience. The GSO will help
geotechnical engineering students
by improving their awareness of
geotechnical issues within society as
they become geo-professionals.” For
information, contact Brina Montoya at
bmmorten@ncsu.edu.
The UW-Madison Graduate Student
Organization (UWGSO) states that it
will function “…to enrich the edu-
cational and personal experiences
of students interested in the various
facets of geotechnical engineering,
including foundation design, reten-
tion structures, ground improvement,
geoenvironmental, geological, and
geophysical engineering. The orga-
nization is committed to growing
both the awareness of geotechnical
engineering as well as UW-Madison’s
reputation as a leader in geotechnical
engineering education.” For infor-
mation, contact William J. Likos at
likos@wisc.edu
2014 Geo-Challenge
Hope you’re having a great summer
and following the G-I on Facebook
and Twitter.
It’s not too soon to start thinking about
the G-I’s 2014 Geo-Challenges: the
GeoWall, GeoPrediction, and Geo-
Poster challenges that will take place
during the 2014 Geo-Congress in
Atlanta, GA, February 23-26, 2014.
For details,
https://sites.google.com/site/geochall
engecompetition/?invite=CLzXzrcE&
pli=1or contact Jennifer Canning at
jcanning@asce.org.
Student Internship
Opportunities
Looking for an internship opportunity?
Then explore the positions listed on
the ASCE website at http://careers.
asce.org/jobs#/results
/keywords=inte
rnship&resultsPerPage=12/1,false
to
help further your career path. Come
back often since new positions are
added all the time.
G-I Chapter News
Geoconfluence 2013
November 7, 2013
St. Charles Convention Center
St. Charles, MO
The St. Louis Chapter of the Geo-
Institute is joining with the Univer-
sity of Missouri-Columbia and the
Missouri University of Science and
Technology to host this year’s Cross
U.S. Geo-Institute Lecturer, Dr. Tom
O’Rourke, for its third annual Geo-
Confluence. The conference is the St
Louis Region’s annual geotechnical
engineering and geo-environmental
conference and will include technical
topics and case histories focused on
the geotechnical engineering and geo-
environmental industry. For additional
information or to register, visit the St.
Bank and its affiliates were original ad-
dressees thereof; provided, however,
that U. S. Bank and its affiliates shall be
deemed not to be subject to or bound by
any of the obligations of any original
addressee or owne of the Property in
any agreement related to the Report....”
In essenc , this wording would require
environmental professionals to commit
risk management suicide. It gives the
Bank all the benefits of being able to
rely on the report (plus a potential es-
cape from the constraints of the eco-
nomic loss doctrine) with absolutely
none of the liabilities or responsibilities
that comprised the business context
through which the report was devel-
oped. In a best-practices scenario – the
type of scenario to which, I presume,
the Bank subscribes – the client selects
a particularly qualified consultant, dis-
cusses its needs with the consultant, and
then works with the consultant to mutu-
ally establish a scope of service for the
engagement. The consultant and client
then discuss the consideration the con-
sultant needs to fulfill the scope of ser-
vice and manage the risk associated
with potentially lifelong responsibility
for the deliverable. Such consideration
includes the fee and certain risk man-
agement provisions of the contract,
such as limitation of liability.
By requiring a consultant to prepare
and sign its form letter, the Bank is stat-
ing, in essence, “We want to be able to
rely on the report indefinitely (and even
if w do not issue the financing, by the
way) wit out h ving to accept any of
your contractual safeguards, without
having to compensate you for any of
your customary, anticipated risks, and
without having to compen ate you for
your new, significantly expanded risks,
especi lly the ew risk that arises be-
cause you designed your service for
some other party, and with no knowl-
ed e of the Bank’s needs and prefer-
ences, and o knowledge of th service
scope the Bank believes is best-suited to
address those n eds a d preferences.”
To a very real extent, Mr. Grundhofer,
this is like requiring a physician to be li-
able for your health after you decide to
follow the course of treatment the phy-
sician prescribed for your fri nd whose
illness (in your opinion) was kind of
like your own.
Geotechnical News, September 2005
19
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To deliver on time and
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Learn more about us and
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