Geo-Institute Director’s Cut

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 10 of Season 4, Brad speaks with Jason DeJong of UC Davis, the 2023 Shamsher Prakash Lecturer!

SHOW NOTES:

- Unbelievably, there are STILL new Choose Your Own Adventure books! https://www.cyoa.com/

- Nerts looks VERY complicated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerts

- Watch the following week's show with David Frost to learn something about Jason that most people don't know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyjcHC-5XJk

- More info about the Prakash Lecture: https://www.asce.org/career-growth/awards-and-honors/shamsher-prakash-award-and-lecture

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 35 of Season 7, our guest is Georgette Hlepas of the US Army Corps of Engineers, brand new Governor on the G-I Board!

SHOW NOTES:

- Microwave popcorn is a hot topic on the Internet. Here's how to do it, according to some person: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Hack-Microwave-Popcorn/

- More info on our upcoming student competitions: https://www.geoinstitute.org/students/geochallenge

- Georgette has a great aquarium nearby her - the Shedd Aquarium! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOSZ6TQF8hE&vl=en&xstg=CAMSEBUJ_b-oH-PhF0yjBgb_zzE%3D

- And the Surfside report is technically not out yet - here are the technical findings, released in June of 2026: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/06/nist-releases-technical-findings-what-caused-2021-partial-collapse

- Georgette had her official welcome to the Board of Governors last week!

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 11 of Season 4, Brad speaks with David Frost of Georgia Tech, the 2023 H. Bolton Seed Lecturer!

SHOW NOTES:

- More U2! Stick around at the end for an amazing story from David about the start of the band that he saw in person!

- Watch last week's Director's Cut to hear Jason DeJong tell us something about David that not everyone knows! https://youtu.be/TjiaapjoSj8

- The GEER report from the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake: https://geerassociation.org/component/geer_reports/?view=geerreports&id=65&layout=build

- More info about the Seed Lecture: https://www.asce.org/career-growth/awards-and-honors/h-bolton-seed-medal

- Sign up to watch David's lecture if you can't see it live in person in LA! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geo-congress-2023-h-bolton-seed-lecture-david-frost-tickets-445117186487

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 34 of Season 7, our guest is Shahbaz Ahmad of Kiewit, the current Chair of the G-I Colorado Chapter!

SHOW NOTES:

- Here's some background on the BART project Shahbaz talks about: https://www.enr.com/articles/61798-single-bore-tunnel-method-chosen-for-bart-silicon-valley-phase-ii

- Here's some info about the Palisade Peach Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgYVat559m0

- Dasheri mangoes, in case you want to track them down: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasheri

- Some footage of a Concrete Canoe competition in India, and it looks like the canoes are getting larger! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTczPzEXNAw

- Want to start a Graduate Student Organization (GSO) on campus? https://www.geoinstitute.org/students/graduate-student-organizations

- Kyle Field is pretty big - find out more at https://12thman.com/facilities/kyle-field

- And here's a list of some of Texas A&M's greatest football traditions: https://www.tamu.edu/campus-community/traditions/gameday/index.html

- Read Shahbaz's GEOSTRATA article here: https://www.readgeo.com/geostrata/october_november_2026/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=2150430

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 12 of Season 4, Brad speaks with Ishraq Faruk and Alinda Gupta of the University of Texas-Arlington, winners of the 2023 Geo-Shirt competition!

SHOW NOTES:

- The work of the SWIS lab at UT Arlington is amazing - you can check it out here! https://swis.uta.edu

- Find out more about our student competitions here: https://www.geoinstitute.org/students/geochallenge

- Bangladesh is a FASCINATING country. Start here to learn more: https://www.britannica.com/place/Bangladesh

- And learn more about Bengali, the national language of Bangladesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_language

- Be sure to find Ishraq and Alinda in LA and say congratulations on their Geo-Shirt win!

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 18 of Season 4, Brad speaks with Shadi Najjar of American University Beirut and chair of the Geo-Risk 2023 conference!

SHOW NOTES:

- Want to experience raw chickpeas? Here's how to grow some and what to expect! https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/10/17/raw-green-chickpeas-are-rare-delight

- Learn all about American University of Beirut: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_University_of_Beirut

- All the things Shadi recommended to do and see in Lebanon:

- Beirut Corniche: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294005-d324266-Reviews-Corniche_Beirut-Beirut.html

- National Museum of Beirut: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294005-d1157183-Reviews-National_Museum_of_Beirut-Beirut.html

- Gemmayzeh: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294005-d2433047-Reviews-Gemmayzeh_Street-Beirut.html

- Byblos, Jeita Grotto, and Harissa: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g294005-d11451749-Byblos_Jeita_Grotto_and_Harissa_Day_Trip_from_Beirut-Beirut.html

- Mar Mikhael: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294005-d6362838-Reviews-Mar_Mikhael_Neighborhood-Beirut.html

- And, of, course, everything you need to know about Geo-Risk 2023! http://www.geo-risk.org

- There are so many great pages listing all the types of kibbeh! Start here: https://stepfeed.com/kibbeh-17-awesome-versions-of-the-most-versatile-levantine-dish-8231

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 33 of Season 7, our guest is Ning Lu of Colorado School of Mines!

SHOW NOTES:

- This is the second episode I ever recorded in Zoom - there were some adventures, but it turned out OK!

- Here's a recipe for Dandelion Tea from no less an authority than the Cleveland Clinic! https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dandelion-tea-benefits

- There are a lot of videos and tips on how to remove thistles. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnuMiklcEk0

- Apparently people roast tomatoes in the microwave?!? https://lifehacker.com/you-can-roast-tomatoes-in-the-microwave-1844803559

- Here's the "Poem of Pi." https://www.reddit.com/r/Chinese_handwriting/comments/11rh5j7/fun_fact_008_yuan_zhou_l%C3%BC_shi_poem_of_pi_%CF%80/

- The Guide to Publishing in ASCE Journals! https://ascelibrary.com/doi/10.1061/9780784479018.fm

- All about Distinguished Membership! You can nominate a friend or colleague! https://www.asce.org/career-growth/awards-and-honors/distinguished-members

- Here's the first edition of Ning and Bill's textbook - new one out soon! https://www.wiley.com/en-us/shop/general-introductory-civil-engineering-construction/unsaturated-soil-mechanics-p-9780471447313

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 31 of Season 4, Brad speaks with Kerry Rowe of Queen's University!

SHOW NOTES:

- The CGS annual meeting is AMAZING. Here's the website for 2023: https://geosaskatoon2023.ca/

- Want to develop an Australian accent? Start here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19nrArCbpUk

- Info on the two Rowe Lectures for 2023: https://iceg2023.org/session/kerry-rowe-lecture/ and https://12icg-roma.org/program/special-lectures/

- Here's one spot where Kerry tells us that geosynthetics are not magical: https://www.readgeo.com/geostrata/march_april_2021/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=36#pg38

- We would be remiss to not link to Kerry's 2017 Terzaghi Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyLpkObB1a8

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 32 of Season 7, our guest is Andy Boeckmann of Dan Brown and Associates, Technical Co-Chair of IFCEE 2027!

SHOW NOTES:

- Here's how to start learning about the Rocheport Bridge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocheport_Bridge

- There are 7 major bridges in the DC area, so I wasn't far off!

- Here's something to get you started on the Virginia Appalachian accent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqnBAWb1uvc

- Andy's GEOSTRATA Extra on foundation reuse is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2E2Lc4d86M

- You must educate yourself on the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinals%E2%80%93Cubs_rivalry

- Get all your info about the International Foundations Conference and Equipment Expo (IFCEE) here! http://www.ifcee.com

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com. 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 14 of Season 4, it's April Fool's Day and the tables have turned! Katerina Ziotopoulou interviews Brad!

The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.

Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.