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Geotechnical News • September 2014
www.geotechnicalnews.com
GEOSYNTHETICS
students holding an interest in geo-
synthetics. Our members are eligible
to participate in all NAGS and IGS
events and receive discounts in accor-
dance with the individual guidelines of
each conference – often the discount is
sufficient to compensate for the NAGS
membership fee with registration at
just one event. Programs sponsored
by NAGS at our events have grown
to include a student paper competi-
tion at the biennial conference, with
the finalists receiving travel support
to the conference, and the top-ranked
paper being acknowledged with a
cash award for the author. The award
winning student also receives finan-
cial support for participation at an
international conference following the
biennial conference at which the paper
was first presented.
We are currently in the midst of
changes that are intended to enhance
our impact within the North Ameri-
can geosynthetics community. Unlike
other national IGS-chapters, NAGS
is one of several geosynthetic organi-
zations at work within the USA and
Canada, all of which share similar
objectives and goals, namely con-
tinuing professional development,
improved communication and the pro-
motion of geosynthetics technology.
Accordingly, NAGS is seeking either
to combine with, or coordinate the
efforts of, these other organizations in
order to minimize unnecessary dupli-
cation of effort and improve the future
success of our mutual objectives and
goals. Given this objective, NAGS
is revising its By-Laws to allow for
designated Board seats to be filled
by representatives of other organiza-
tions. Agreements have been reached
to allow three organizations each to
appoint one member to the NAGS
Board: these members will represent
the GMA, the ASCE Geo-Institute
Geosynthetics Committee, and the
CGS Geosynthetics Division.
Returning to the theme of continuing
professional development, we have
recently developed a NAGS Webinar
Series, which is broadcast quarterly.
The initiative is being undertaken with
leadership from Dr. Richard Brach-
man, Queens University, Canada. The
webinars delivered to-date are:
• 19 March 2014, by Dr. Kerry
Rowe, on “Recent insights on the
performance of GCLs in bottom
liners and covers”.
• 9 July 2014, by Bob Mackey, P.E.,
on “Composite Drainage Nets.”
• 8 October (upcoming), by Dr.
Jonathan Fannin, on “Geofilters –
granular and geotextile”.
Other activities of NAGS include:
• assisting with the organization of
the Geosynthetics’15 Conference,
Portland, Oregon, USA, 15-18
February 2015 (http://geosynthet-
icsconference.com)
• hosting the GeoAmericas 2016
Conference, Miami South Beach,
Florida, USA, 11-14 April 2016
• establishing the NAGS Recogni-
tion Awards: Committee Chair, Jay
McKelvey, P.E., Earth Engineer-
ing, Inc.
• considering the rationale for a name
change - in recognition of Mexico
now having its own IGS-chapter,
and an emerging belief that the
“North American” Geosynthetic
Society is no longer appropriate –
however a suitable alternative has
not been found acceptable by the
NAGS Board.
For more information regarding the
activities and efforts of NAGS or
interest in getting involved in the
above activities, please feel free to
contact Bob Mackey, NAGS Presi-
dent,
or David
Suits, NAGS Executive Director,
Geotextiles and Geomembranes
Kerry Rowe, Editor
Geotextiles and Geomembranes was
launched in 1984, shortly after the
founding of the International Geotex-
tile Society in 1983, in response to
the rapid development of research and
applications for geotextiles, geomem-
branes and related products (what we
now collectively term geosynthetics)
under the editorship of Dr. T.S. Ingold
and with Dr. J.P. Giroud as the Chair
of the Editorial Board. As indicated in
the first editorial, it was intended that
Geotextiles and Geomembranes would
provide a “forum for the dissemina-
tion of information amongst research
workers, designers, engineers and
manufacturers”. Published by Else-
vier, it has now been doing so for 30
years! In 1994, Drs. Ingold and Giroud
moved on to launch Geosynthetics
International and thereby provide a
second specialty geosynthetics journal
and Dr. N.W.M. John became Editor.
No papers were published in 1995.
Kerry Rowe, Editor of Geotextiles
and Geomembranes and Past-
President of the IGS