Geohazard Association Newsletter | March 2019
President's Note
A belated Happy New Year and welcome to 2019! The year started off with great in-person committee meetings that coincided with the Transportation Research Board annual meeting in Washington D.C. The committees have a lot of events and goals planned for this year, so be sure to keep an eye out for great things to come.

This year the AGHP is focusing on spreading knowledge: not only within our association, but also with the rest of the industry and general public. We are lucky to have some extremely enthusiastic individuals and corporations that are dedicated to improving the status quo. We are expanding our webinar program, organizing workshops and reaching out to academic and government institutions to strengthen our relationships. Our goal is to promote our individual and corporate members by getting them in front of the people who need their expertise. We will also be conducting a membership drive to help grow the association’s membership base, and therefore breadth of knowledge and resources.

If you are not already part of this movement, I invite you to come participate! Whether you are looking to connect with other professionals with similar interests, help shape industry standards and practices, or share your experiences through giving a webinar, there are many ways to become involved.

Sincerely,
Ahren Bichler
President, Association of Geohazard Professionals

AGHP BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TERM 2018 – 2020
  • President   |   Ahren Bichler, Trumer N.A.
  • Vice President   |   Colby Barrett, GeoStablization International
  • Secretary   |   Pierce Runnels, Geobrugg
  • Treasurer   |   Mike Koutsourais, Maccaferri
  • Corporate Member Rep   |   Brian McNeal, Access Limited Construction
  • Individual Member Representative   |   Martin Derby, Golder Associates Inc.

AGHP Committees
The AGHP Committees are a great place to stay up to date on hot topics and have an influence on initiatives that will shape the future of the industry. Most committees meet monthly via tele- or web conferencing. Everyone is highly encouraged to join a committee and get involved in the association on a much deeper level and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge from your fellow members.

Please review our committees below and sign up today!

New Corporate Sponsor: GeoBuild LLC.
Hazards GeoBuild LLC specializes in providing innovative design-build and value engineering turn-key services by applying innovative solutions to complex geohazards. We can literally "hit the ground running" to quickly solve and construct a cost-effective geotechnical solution for your landslide repair, slope stabilization, rockfall mitigation, and earth retention applications. AGHP offers great opportunities for GeoBuild to collaborate with others in the geohazard management field and help move our profession forward.

Member Profile: John Metzger, IDS GeoRadar North America
I became involved with Radar Monitoring in 2006 and for over 12 years have deployed, supported, and advanced new businesses with radar monitoring tools. Developing and applying near real-time data for geohazard activity began in 2007 with the Ferguson Slide in California on Highway 140. Later in Washington State and Colorado, specific events were supported with radar instrumentation and techniques. The challenges involved with growing a business model included expensive hardware, limited field expertise, and sectoral unfamiliarity with near real-time data.

Icefall - Risk and Mitigation
Hazards from falling chunks of ice (“icefall”) may develop along highway slopes, above mine openings and from building structures or transmission lines. Unlike rockfall, evidence of icefall occurrence is not always apparent given that ice can melt in such a short duration of time. Icefall hazards are not routinely considered by the civil engineering and geologic/natural hazards communities; however, the consequence of direct impact with structures or vehicles can be just as catastrophic as rockfall.

Welcome New Members
The Board of Directors would like to formally welcome the newest members of the Association of GeoHazard Professionals :

  • James Brylawski from Geonor Inc.
  • Peter Bullock from Base Geotechnical Inc.
  • Jill Carlson from the Colorado Geological Survey
  • Daniel Ferg from GeoStabilization International
  • Ben George from Landslide Technology
  • Mark Goldbach from Golder
  • Paul Hale from GeoBuild
  • Toshi Horiguchi from the National Defense Academy
  • Jake Hudson from NV5
  • Kenneth Myers from The Mines Group Inc.
  • Marina Pirulla from Politecnico di Torino
  • Thomas Richards from Nicholson Construction
  • Chris Sampaleanu from Golder
  • Gabriel Von Rickenbach from Geobrugg
  • Daryn Yonin from Trans Canada
Mark Your Calendars For Our 2019 Webinar Series
Registration is open for the March 14, 2019 webinar " Sediment and Large Wood Trapping Structures: Best Options and Functional Design Approach," presented by Dr. Guillaume Piton, Researcher, Université Grenoble Alpes (France), Torrential Erosion, Snow Avalanche Research Unit, IRTSEA, Center of Grenoble


Future Webinars:
  • May 23 - Mapping and Monitoring Topic
  • June 20 - RocScience Topic
  • July 18 - Anchor Testing Topic
  • September 26 - Standard Specifications Topic
  • November 14 - Rope Access Topic
Rope Access Committee Announces 2019 Safety Recognition Program
The association encourages every company utilizing services requiring rope access to participate in the 2019 Rope Access Safety Recognition program. Presented annually to recognize outstanding achievement and efforts in the rope access safety programs of participating companies, this recognition honors best-in-class safety development and implementation initiatives within the geohazard industry. 

“We want to acknowledge companies that foster & employ safe rope access work procedures and commit to enhancing the safety culture within their organizations,” states Ahren Bichler of Trumer Schutzbauten Canada Ltd and AGHP President. “This recognition provides owners and procurers of work involving rope access labor confidence that our winners will perform their complex and perilous remediation tasks in a safe and professional manner. Additionally, this award process enhances the safety attitude across our industry.”  

To learn more about the recognition and apply, click here for more information.

The winners of last year’s Safety Recognition were:

New Corporate Member Benefit
To maximize corporate members' exposure to the geohazard industry, the association will now advertise their attendance to industry conferences and exposition. Send the association a listing of the conferences you'll be attending, and we'll promote your participation on our website and LinkedIn page - Corporate members. Just another benefit of AGHP corporate membership.
Developing Testing Standards for our Industry

Up to now, there is no or very little standard specification for geohazard solutions in North America. Often projects specifications are referring to the wrong ASTM specification or Federal specification. The Standard Specification committee is working to develop standard that could be used by the industry. New standard will help to improve the quality of the project and the image of the geohazard industry.  

Announcing the 2019 Photo Contest

The 2019 AGHP Photo Contest is open to all members of the AGHP and all industry- related participants. Take advantage of this great opportunity to demonstrate geohazard materials, technologies, and events! These photos will be used to promote the exemplary work of the geohazards community, raise awareness of the importance of your expertise, and add to the beneficial dialogue between geohazards professionals and the large engineering community.

Credit to the winning submissions will be given. Promote your work. Promote your field. This year we have divided the competition into two categories: Individual and Corporate. Any individual member or affiliated with a corporate/directing company can submit their photograph for the chance to win first, second, and third place prizes. We also invite corporations to submit photos for recognition as Best Corporate Photo. All entries must be submitted by May 12, 2019, and include a photo title, description, and photo credit. All winners will be announced on June 28, 2019 . 

Submit your photos here
The Association of Geohazard Professionals (AGHP) was created to support the development of standards, specifications,
and best practices concerning the design and implementation of geohazard-related technologies and products;
and to support and provide education to the Geohazard Community and those it serves.

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