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Sponsored by ASCE's Geo-Institute's Technical Committees
INSTRUCTORS:
Austin Downey, Ph.D.
Farshid Vahedifard, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE
Majid Ghayoomi, PhD, PE
Sadik Khan, Ph.D., P.E.
Purpose and Background
During the past 50 years, significant changes in precipitation and evaporation have taken place due to global warming in the United States, where precipitation has increased by about 10% in some parts of the country while severe droughts affect other parts of the country. The changes in soil-atmosphere interaction are having an impact on the behavior of the build environment, including the performance of foundations, embankments, levees, and slopes.
The ASCE G-I Unsaturated Soils committee is excited to host a session in the ASCE web-conference 2022 on†Unsaturated Soils in a Changing Climateâ€. The intent of the web-conference is to present current ongoing research on the effects of climate change and extreme events on the build environment. The presentations are focused on research linking the performance of geotechnical infrastructure involving unsaturated soils with climate stressors such as excessive rainfall, drought, wildfire, and extreme events. The topics include the evaluation of the unsaturated soil behavior at the lab and field scale under boundary conditions representative of extreme climate changes, geophysical testing, and climate change mitigation techniques.
The presentations are focused on different topics related to Climate Change and Extreme Events, which is creating major risks to our infrastructure system and built environment.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Understanding the Effect of the Extreme Weather and Risk in the Unsaturated Environment due to the Climate Change
- Effect of the Excessive Rainfall and Flooding Event on Geo-Infrastructure and Slope Stability
- Effect of the Wild-Fire on the Stability of Unsaturated Slopes.
- Understanding the Climate Risk in the Unsaturated Soil Environment
- Evaluation of the State of the Unsaturated Soil using Advanced Sensor Technology
- Learn New Solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Achievement of the learning objectives will be assessed through a short post-test.
Who Should Attend?
Geotechnical Engineers
Construction Engineers
Practicing Geotechnical Engineers
State Highway Officials
Dam and Levee Owners
Researchers from Academia and National Labs.
Students
Outline
- Spatial mapping of soil saturation levels using UAV deployable smart penetrometers
- Post-Wildfire Stability of Unsaturated Slopes against Rainfall-Triggered Landslides
- Flooded Pavement Assessment: Performance of Flexible Pavements Under Extreme Weather
- Impact of high-volume rainfall on highway embankments and risk mitigation using Vetiver Grass on Expansive Soil
How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]