Geosyntec is developing business-specific active floodproofing systems and conducting resiliency audits in support of New York City Economic Development Corporation's RISE : NYC program. Geosyntec's Andrea Braga (Massachusetts) and Kelly Havens (California) are leading the effort. Featured in New York City's OneNYC 2017 Progress Report (p. 190), Geosyntec's active floodproofing project is one of 11 projects selected to receive Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR) funds as part of the RISE:NYC Technology Competition.…
Lee Mullon, Mike Hardin, and Max Wallace (Florida) presented separate water resources topics at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 33rd Annual Water Resources Seminar in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on April 28, 2017. This seminar is organized by the ASCE East Central Branch Florida Section where Lee Mullon, Thomas Amstadt, and Mark Ellard all serve as officers of the Environmental & Water Resources Institute Committee. The event helps raise funds for engineering scholarships,…
Ranjiv Gupta (Arizona) will co-present a two-day short course with Jeffrey Kuhn, Director of the Geotechnical Laboratory at TRI Environmental (TRI). The course, entitled "Slope Stability of Containment Systems: Understanding Issues Related to Design and Interface Friction Testing," will take place at TRI in Austin, Texas on May 23-24, 2017. Ranjiv has over ten years of academic and professional experience in the field of geotechnical, geoenvironmental and geosynthetics engineering. Since joining Geosyntec, he has been…
Grant Wallace (North Carolina) co-authored an article entitled "Quantifying the electron donating capacities of sulfide and dissolved organic matter in sediment pore waters of wetlands" that was published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts on April 25, 2017. The paper concerns the estimation of electron donating capacity (EDC) values for a set of pore water samples collected from the sediments of four separate wetlands in the Cottonwood Lakes Study Area in Jamestown, North…
As in previous years, Geosyntec will make a significant technical contribution to 2017 World of Coal Ash Conference (WOCA) at the Lexington Convention Center & Hyatt Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky on May 8-11, 2017. WOCA is an international conference organized by the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER). The 2017 conference is the 7th joint biennial meeting with a focus on the science, applications and…
Joe Cleary (New Jersey) will Present at the New Jersey Water Environment Association's (NJWEA) John J. Lagrosa 102nd Annual Conference & Exposition at Bally's Atlantic City in New Jersey on May 8 and 10, 2017. Joe will be presenting "Trends and Technologies for Energy Management for Industrial and Municipal Projects" during an American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) Workshop on Energy Management for Water and Resource Recovery Facilities on May 8. 2017. He…
Jule Carr (Illinois) was elected President of the Chicagoland Chapter of Engineers Without Borders for the 2017-2018 term at the April general body meeting. Jule is a Senior Staff Engineer based in Illinois. Her practice is focused on contaminated site assessment and cleanup, geotechnical, and geospatial engineering services for private and public sector clients. Her project experience includes in situ technologies such as hydraulic cutoff walls, soil mixing, and chemical oxidation. Engineers Without Borders (EWB)…
Dylan Eberle (Massachusetts) co-authored an article entitled "Impact of ISCO Treatment on PFAA Co-Contaminants at a Former Fire Training Area" that was published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal on April 9, 2017. The paper concerns the effects of an in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment, designed to treat chlorinated VOCs, on perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) co-contaminants at a former fire training area at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Despite concerns of ISCO potentially leading to increases…
Geosyntec is pleased to announce and congratulate the winners of our Eighth Annual Student Paper Contest for 2017. We are proud to continue our support of top students across the United States through our paper competition, and we send our sincere thanks to all participants. The quality of papers received was extremely high and only the narrowest of margins separated the top papers. It really was a difficult decision picking the winners. As always, we…
Geosyntec ranks highly in a number of categories according to Engineering News-Record's (ENR) "The Top 500 Design Firms" for 2017. Notably, Geosyntec ranks 12th Top 20 Hazardous Waste, and 56th in the Top 500 Design Firms. These rankings reflect our growing practice diversity and client service excellence. Here are the rankings we earned in 2017: #56 Top 500 Design Firms #12 Top 20 Hazardous Waste #18 Top 20 Sewer and Waste #49 Top 50 International…
Mary deFlaun (New Jersey) co-authored an article entitled "Hexavalent chromium bioreduction and chemical precipitation of sulphate as a treatment of site-specific fly ash leachates" in the World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, online edition on April 7, 2017. Mary and co-authors from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein, South Africa collaborated on the paper. It details a study undertaken in Mpumalanga, South Africa,…
Sandra Dworatzek (Ontario), a Senior Manager at SiREM, a division of Geosyntec, will deliver an update on the Genome Canada-funded anaerobic benzene project during the meeting at the Sustainable In-Situ Remediation Co-operative Alliance (SIRCA) in Edmonton, Alberta on May 1, 2017. She will be providing the year one update on the progress of the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) anaerobic benzene project. SIRCA is a group dedicated to advancing research activities, remediation technologies and risk…
April 28, 2017
Stephanie Jones Published in Fuel Science Journal
Stephanie Jones (Maryland) co-authored an article entitled, "Evaluation of Waste Materials for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation" that was published in the journal Fuel: The Science and Technology of Fuel and Energy in Volume 188, Pages 294-309 on January 15, 2017. The article summarizes laboratory scale tests that were conducted to assess the efficiency of two different types of waste materials to remediate acid mine drainage. The waste materials used in the study were recycled concrete…
April 27, 2017
Ken Susilo Joins P3 Water Summit Stormwater Management Panel
Ken Susilo (California) will join a panel discussing public-private partnerships (P3) and performance based infrastructure (PBI) for stormwater management at the P3 Water Summit at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Hotel in San Diego, California in Grand Ballroom C from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on May 5, 2017. The Panel, entitled "Applying P3s to Stormwater," will discuss how cities and counties are in need of technically sound solutions and funds for implementation, funds…
April 26, 2017
Rodolfo Sancio to Present at Offshore Technology Conference
Rodolfo Sancio (Texas) will make a significant technical contribution to three sessions at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2017 at NRG Park in Houston, Texas on May 1, 2017. The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. OTC is the largest event in the world for the oil and gas industry featuring more than 2,300 exhibitors,…
April 25, 2017
STAR Implementation Receives Superior Achievement Award
The 2017 Superior Achievement Award was presented to the project team for "The Evolution of STAR from Laboratory Concept to Full-Scale In Situ Implementation" by The American Academy of Environmental Engineering and Scientists. The honor was given at the Awards Luncheon and Conference on April 13, 2017 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Savron is a division of Geosyntec. This award recognizes how a collaborative team of individuals from Savron, Geosyntec, the University…
April 25, 2017
Smarter Stormwater Systems Named Best Feature Paper by Environmental Science & Technology
Each year, Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) selects top papers in four categories that tell compelling stories about environmental problems that matter to communities. Geosyntec's Aaron Poresky collaborated on "Smarter Stormwater Systems" which was selected as the top "feature" paper for ES&T's Best Papers of 2016. ES&T selected the winners from a competitive field of approximately 1600 papers that cover the full spectrum of environmental quality research. Best Paper winners are exceptionally innovative, substantive, well-written,…
April 21, 2017
Duane Graves Published in Environmental Science & Technology
Duane Graves (Tennessee) co-authored an article entitled "Natural Attenuation in Streambed Sediment Receiving Chlorinated Solvents from Underlying Fracture Networks" that was published in Environmental Science & Technology Journal on March 22, 2017. Duane's co-authors were Burcu Simsir, Jun Yan, Jeongdae Im, and Frank E. Loffler. Abstract Contaminant discharge from fractured bedrock formations remains a remediation challenge. We applied an integrated approach to assess the natural attenuation potential of sediment that forms the transition zone between…
April 20, 2017
Yazen Khasawneh and David Espinoza to Present at the Purdue Geotechnical Society Annual Workshop
Yazen Khasawneh (Michigan) and David Espinoza (Maryland) will be presenting at the upcoming Purdue Geotechnical Society's annual workshop on "Climate Change and Geotechnical Engineering" at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana on Friday, April 21, 2017. Yazen's presentation is entitled "Displacement Analysis of World Islands' Breakwater." David's presentation is entitled "Bringing the Engineers Back into the Boardrooms: Connecting Climate Risk to Financial Performance." The workshop attracts geotechnical engineers from Indiana and the Midwest. The Purdue…
April 18, 2017
SiREM Hosts Dr. Kevin Finneran in Upcoming Webinar
Dr. Kevin Finneran (Clemson University) will be featured as the next guest speaker in SiREM's webinar series to discuss "Microbial and Chemical Reactions in Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA)" on April 20, 2017. Dr. Finneran will discuss critical data used to assess the potential for MNA at sites contaminated with several major contaminants including chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, metals and metalloids, and mixed contaminant plumes. Also in the webinar, SiREM's Jeff Roberts (Ontario) will present…
April 18, 2017
Amanda Hughes Published in Natural Resources & Environment
Amanda Hughes (Illinois) co-authored an article published in the American Bar Association's (ABA) journal Natural Resources & Environment in Volume 31, number 4, Spring 2017. The article, entitled "Volunteer Citizen Scientists, Unintentional Legal Consequences," discusses how crowdsourced citizen environmental science volunteers necessarily but unwittingly also volunteer to follow complex laws that have yet to be clearly interpreted by the courts. The Geosyntec authors collaborated with Steven M. Siros, and Alexander J. Bandza, of Jenner &…
Rodolfo Sancio (Texas) will deliver a presentation entitled "Integrity and Risk Assessment of Pipelines and SCRs" at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute's (NGI) workshop at the NGI office in Houston, Texas from 8:00 - 4:00 p.m. on April 27, 2017. According to Rodolfo, delivering safe, reliable and cost effective solutions to complex and challenging problems is the ultimate goal in our industry. Currently, the codes and standards lack specific guidance on geotechnical soil modeling for pipelines…
April 17, 2017
Silvia Mancini, Mike Kavanaugh, and Mark Davidson Published in Natural Resources & Environment
Silvia Mancini (Ontario), Mike Kavanaugh, and Mark Davidson (California) co-authored an article published in the American Bar Association's (ABA) journal Natural Resources & Environment in Volume 31, Number 4, Spring 2017. The article, entitled "The 'CSI' in Environmental Forensics Using Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis in Legal Matters," discusses the utility of compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) in environmental forensics, with a particular focus on appropriate use in legal settings. The Geosyntec authors collaborated with William Pence,…
Mary deFlaun (New Jersey), Claire Wildman (California), and Neal Durant (Washington, D.C.) presented at the 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition entitled "Advanced Materials, Technologies, Systems & Processes" at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on April 3-4, 2017. Mary was invited to present on bioreactors in South Africa, Claire's presentation was about chromium chemistry in bioreactors, she also co-moderated a session on metals treatment in remote areas, and Neal was invited…
April 12, 2017
Lee Mullon Published in the Journal of Hydrology
Lee Mullon (Florida) co-authored and article published in the Journal of Hydrology on March 9, 2017. The article is entitled "Multi-scale Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting Using Nonlinear and Nonstationary Teleconnection Signals and Artificial Neural Network Models." It analyzes at how climate change teleconnection signals are used in predicting precipitation in the Adirondack Mountains. The research used a statistical approach to isolate unique teleconnection signals that exist in the Adirondack Mountains. Those unique signals were then utilized…
April 11, 2017
Geosyntec Project Wins Silver Medal at ACEC New Hampshire Engineering Excellence Awards Ceremony
A Geosyntec project was selected as the Silver Engineering Excellence Award (EEA) winner by the American Council of Engineering Companies New Hampshire Chapter (ACEC-NH). The award was presented at the Chapter's 2017 EEA ceremony for the design and construction of a high-capacity groundwater supply with in situ treatment. Geosyntec designed and constructed the system for a Midwest biotech production facility to augment their existing water supply and treatment system. The water supply changes were necessary…
MMI Engineering (MMI) is featured in an article entitled "Improving Passive Fire Protection Systems" in Offshore Engineer magazine on pages 26-27 in the April 2017 edition. Coinciding with the magazine's focus on asset integrity, the article discusses the importance of Passive Fire Protection (PFP) and how, more often than not, incorrect systems are specified and installed, a practice which compromises safety and loss prevention. The article also details The Hydrocarbon Passive Fire Protection Network (PFPNet), an independent,…
April 6, 2017
Bob Hartzel, Andrea Braga, and Dan Bourdeau to Present at Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference
Bob Hartzel, Andrea Braga (Massachusetts), and Dan Bourdeau (Portsmouth) will present at the 28th Annual Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Conference, sponsored by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), at the Hotel Northampton in Northampton, Massachusetts on April 12-13, 2017. Geosyntec's presentations will focus on recent groundbreaking projects that use advanced stormwater management tools to minimize NPS impacts on water quality. Bob's presentation, entitled "Massachusetts Watershed Based Plans (WBPs): A New Web-Based Tool…
SiREM technologies will be featured in two platform presentations at the annual Clemson Hydrogeology Symposium at Clemson University in South Carolina on April 6, 2017. Sandra Dworatzek, a Senior Manager at SiREM, a division of Geosyntec, will present "Laboratory Testing in Support of Monitored Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents." The talk presents Gene-Trac qPCR testing and next-generation sequencing for microbial community characterization along with magnetic susceptibility, X-ray diffraction for iron mineral speciation, and other leading-edge…
April 4, 2017
Lelio Mejia to Present at GEO-Institute, Los Angeles Chapter's 2017 Spring Seminar at the Queen Mary
Lelio Mejia will present a lecture at the 40th Spring Seminar and 20th Geo Expo of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute Los Angeles Chapter in Long Beach, California at 3:30-4:30 p.m. on April 12, 2017. Lelio's lecture, entitled "Engineering Challenges of the Dams of the Panama Canal Expansion," will present an overview of the Panama Canal Expansion Project and of the dams that form the new Pacific Access Channel, known as the…
Dogus Meric (Illinois) is the lead author of an article published in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering on March 17, 2017. The article, entitled "Nonlinear, Nonequilibrium One-Dimensional Large-Strain Consolidation Coupled Contaminant Transport Model of Capped Sediments," considers numerical modeling to estimate transient chemical flux leaving the capped sediments. The new model offers the use of site-specific time-dependent sorption in addition to its previously existing capabilities on finite-strain…
Geosyntec staff will make a substantial technical contribution to the United States Society on Dams (USSD) 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Anaheim, California on April 3-7, 2017. Presentations will be made by Lelio Mejia, Chris Conkle, Al Preston (California), Glenn Rix, Raphael Siebenmann (Georgia), Lucas deMelo (Maryland), Jamey Rosen (Guelph), Andrew Higgins (Ontario). The 2017 USSD Conference Theme is "It's a Small World: Managing Our Water Resources." The theme makes lighthearted reference to the…
March 29, 2017
Geosyntec Team Wins IAFSM Innovation Award
A team of Geosyntec professionals received the Innovation Award during the 2017 Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management (IAFSM) Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Illinois on March 8-9, 2017. The award was given for their work on the Phase II Pilot Study. In the fall of 2016, The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and Geosyntec completed a first of its kind pilot study within a 17 square mile…
