HOME
|
CONTACT
La Société canadienne
de géotechnique
The Canadian
Geotechnical Society
FRANÇAIS
|
ENGLISH
|
MyCGS LOGIN
La Société canadienne de géotechnique
Facebook
LinkedIn
The Canadian Geotechnical Society
The Canadian
Geotechnical
Society
Facebook
LinkedIn
HOME
|
CONTACT
|
MyCGS LOGIN
|
ENGLISH
|
FRANÇAIS

Message from the President

Ian Moore, President of the Canadian Geotechnical Society

Winter 2022

 

Dear CGS members,

 

This is my last message as President. I will be reflecting on the Young Professionals and Canadian Geotechnical Conferences in Alberta, and then briefly discuss on progress for the Society over the past two years, and on the many people who have contributed to the Society during my tenure as President.

I expect many of you have had the pleasure of driving West from Calgary, traveling beside the Bow River to Banff. I did this trip in late September, with sunshine and occasional showers, the leaves turning, and my spirits rising as the foothills gave way to the mountains. Arriving at the excellent venue (the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity), I was in time to join the delegates of the CGS Young Professionals Conference for dinner at the end of their first day. Thanks to the excellent leadership of Hugh Gillen, Will Smith, and the rest of their conference organizing committee, a wonderful collection of enthusiastic and engaging young members from our Society assembled to have three days of site visits, keynote lectures, and social events, as well as the pitch presentations and posters provided by the delegates. It was a privilege to meet and interact with this next generation of geo-professionals – making it one of the most enjoyable conferences I have attended. One thing that consistently struck me was the appreciation shown by all the delegates for each other, and everything that was being presented or offered, and the openness to new ideas and perspectives. My congratulations and thanks to each member of the organizing committee and to each delegate. What a great start to my week of CGS Conference activities!

After returning to Calgary, I chaired a very effective and collegial CGS Board of Directors meeting. I express here my deep appreciation for the excellent contributions of Vice Presidents Mamadou Fall, Justyna Kos-Fairless, and Andrea Lougheed, and the other members of the Executive Committee (Representatives Wes Saunders, Thomas Pabst, and Leanne McLaren), and to all Section Chairs and Directors, and Chairs of the CGS Divisions and Committees for their efforts at the Board Meeting, and over the course of my Presidency. Thanks to all these volunteers, the Society is in excellent shape – technically, socially, and financially.

The 75th Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference, GeoCalgary 2022, was a huge success, thanks to the outstanding efforts of conference co-chairs Daniel Bertrand and Justyna Kos-Fairless, Leanne McLaren the Deputy chair and Social Events Coordinator, and all the other members of the organizing committee. The conference venue was buzzing with more than 600 delegates, many of them volunteers in the society, and everyone enjoying being together again (without any registrants needing to participate from the other end of an internet connection). For me, particular highlights were Jocelyn Hayley’s outstanding R.M Hardy Keynote Address, the Legget Luncheon honouring Robert Chapuis, the insightful speakers at the Women in Engineering Breakfast (thanks to Meghan Barton and Danika Ouellette), the CGS Colloquium (congratulations Nicholas Beier) and winning Graduate Student presentation (bravo Bruce Gee), the annual  CGS Awards Banquet (with our excellent MC Lauren Sergy) where we celebrated the achievements of many of our Society’s volunteers, and the informative and challenging Luncheon presented by the Heritage Committee (overseen by Heinrich Heinz). 

As President I enjoyed my role in the spotlight, hosting various meetings, welcoming delegates from across Canada and beyond, and seeing and celebrating the excellence of so many people across the Society. This was made possible because of the impeccable work of Daniel, Justyna and their team, but also because of the superb support provided by our CGS National Office: Lisa Reny, Emily Fournier, and Bill Reny, and of course our Executive Director Michel Aubertin. Indeed, the conference was so well-orchestrated that I was able to really enjoy the President’s role as the host or figurehead on stage, while having the opportunity to engage with many of you who attended the conference.

Another highlight of the GeoCalgary 2022 conference was the presentation by Ken Skaftfeld, Rob Kenyon, and various contributors to the new edition of Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual. This stands out as one of the most important of all the activities and accomplishments of our Society over the last two years. Others include the formation of the new Young Professionals Committee, the return to a full-to-overflowing in-person Canadian Geotechnical Conference, the speed with which CGS membership rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers, the events celebrating the achievements of the Women in our Society, and the return of the Cross Canada Lecture Tour.

In conclusion, my two-year term as President has been a privilege, an honour, and a pleasure. I greatly appreciate all the support I’ve received, and the opportunity to serve as the Society’s ‘volunteer in chief’. My best wishes to incoming President Rob Kenyon and his team, and to all of you.

Ian

 

 





The Canadian Geotechnical Society
Tel : 604-277-7527
Contact CGS
|
Home
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
About the CGS
Membership
Internal Groups
News & Events
Resource Centre
Sponsors