Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the analysis, design and construction of foundations, slopes, retaining structures and other systems that are made of or are supported by soil or rock. The research ranges in nature from analytical and numerical analysis of geotechnical problems to constitutive modeling, experimental modeling and design-oriented research. Historically, the Geotechnical Faculty have continuously maintained a balance between theoretical, experimental and design-oriented research, and this tradition remains true today.
The Geotechnical Engineering area in Civil Engineering is relatively unstructured and provides freedom for students and their graduate committees to develop a plan of study that will meet individual goals. A broad range of courses are available in the areas of geotechnical engineering as well as other areas of civil engineering. Additionally, it is possible for students to take courses in geology, mathematics, chemistry, agronomy and other engineering disciplines. The Geotechnical Facilities provide means for undergraduate and graduate students to examine the nature and validity of strength and compressibility theories and their application to stability and settlement analysis. The Purdue Geotechnical Society enhances the strong bond and working relationship among alumni, faculty, students, and staff of the Geotechnical Engineering group at Purdue University for the benefit of all.
Spotlights
April 24, 2012
Dr. Antonio Bobet has received the "National Award for Significant Contributions in Science and Technology - SENACYT Panama" for his contributions to research. The award was presented during the International Congress Panama Canal 2012.
April 23, 2012
Alain El Howayek received first prize in the poster competition at the 2012 Geo-Congress event this past March in Oakland, CA.
May 11, 2011
Congratulations to Prof. Prezzi for being awarded the Telford Prize of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
March 28, 2011
The Purdue Geotechnical Society is pleased to announce the 9th edition of the Purdue Geotechnical Workshop and 9th Leonards Lecture that will take place on Friday April 8, 2011 on the Purdue campus.
September 20, 2010
Congratulations to Prof. Antonio Bobet, selected by the ASCE GeoInstitute Board of Governors to receive the 2011 Ralph Peck Award for his outstanding contributions to the geotechnical engineering profession.
June 3, 2010
Congratulations to Prof. Joe Sinfield on his selection by the National Academy of Engineering to participate in the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering program.
May 18, 2010
Congratulations to Prof. Vince Drnevich, recipient of the 2010 NSPE Joe A. Rhoads PE Mentor of the Year Award.
April 22, 2010
Highlights from the 8th edition of the Purdue Geotechnical Workshop and 8th Leonards Lecture that took place on Saturday May 1, 2010 on the Purdue campus. This year's PGS workshop is entitled Making Waves in Geotechnical Engineering, and is intended to celebrate the career and accomplishments of Professor Vincent P. Drnevich, who retired in May.
March 31, 2010
Congratulations to Prof. Vince Drnevich on being named an ASCE Distinguished Member. ASCE only awards this honorary status to 8-10 people per year and is limited to 1 distinguished member per 7500 ASCE members.
March 27, 2009
On April 24, 2009, the Purdue Geotechnical Society hosted the 7th G.A. Leonards Lecture, in honor of Professor Gerald A. Leonards, a Purdue geotech faculty member from 1946-1991. This year's Leonards lecturer is Prof. Bernard Amadei from the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder, with his lecture entitled "Engineering With a Human Face."
January 7, 2009
Prof. Drnevich has been appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels to represent the education position on the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.
November 8, 2007
Prof. Vincent Drnevich, along with recent master's degree students Adam Prochaska and Aaron Evans, have developed a new method for determination of maximum dry unit weight and water content range for effective compaction of granular soils using a vibrating hammer.
May 14, 2007
It has been a successful end of the semester for the geotech group at Purdue. Three graduate students, Yiannis Zevgolis, Oliver Colic and Wen-Chao Huang, were honored by the College of Engineering as “outstanding students” for their contributions to their Schools and the College.
April 17, 2007
Professor Emeritus Milton Harr Writes his first novel, "The Great Affair."
March 6, 2007
An interdisciplinary group of researchers at Purdue University have found that adding small quantities of bentonite to fine sands reduces the risk of liquefaction. This NSF collaborative research project includes Purdue Civil Engineering Professors Antonio Bobet, Vincent P. Drnevich and Marika C. Santagata, Professor Cliff T. Johnston, Agronomy, and Professor Alexander Wei, Chemistry.
February 27, 2007
Assistant Professor Marika Santagata of the Geotechnical Engineering group was awarded this month the CAREER award, the National Science Foundation's most prestigious honor for young researchers.
January 8, 2007
The School of Civil Engineering would like to congratulate Professor Rodrigo Salgado on the recent publication of his book titled "The Engineering of Foundations." This book provides readers with a modern text that incorporates theory with real world practices.
December 4, 2006
The Second Annual Joint Conference of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and Midwest Crossroads Alliance for Graduate Education for the Professorate (AGEP) honored the top undergraduate and graduate oral and poster presentations. Graduate student Julia Clarke received second place in the graduate competition for her poster on "The Micro-Structural Breakdown and Recovery of Bentonite Suspensions Modified by Sodium Pyrophosphate."
October 19, 2006
Professor Vincent P. Drnevich was recently recognized at Purdue for U.S.
Patent No. 7,040,145 issued on May 9, 2006 for "Method and Apparatus for
Measuring Density and Water Content of Soil." He is co-inventor with
Xiong Yu, a former doctoral student who is now an assistant professor at
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
August 23, 2006
Purdue University hosted the third symposium and workshop on time domain reflectometry (TDR) for innovative soils applications. This two and one-half day cross-disciplinary event was held September 17th-20th, 2006 and featured five plenary lectures by world leaders in this technology, 35 technical presentations, and equipment exhibits.
