Construction Materials Engineering and Testing Business Committee

ACI Standard 301-10, Specification for Structural Concrete, sets forth ambiguous requirements for initial curing of concrete test specimens in the field, requiring the contractor to “provide space and source of electrical power on the project site for facilities to be used for initial curing of concrete test specimens as required by ASTM C31/C31M, for the sole use of the Owner’s quality assurance testing agency.” Does “space” mean that the contractor must set aside an area at the construction site where the construction materials engineering and testing (CoMET) consultant or some other party will place or construct initial curing facilities? Or does “space” mean “an environmentally controlled space” for initial curing in the field?

Because uncertainty and confusion are common precursors of delays, disputes, and claims, and because CoMET consultants are likely to be blamed for any that occur, consultants need to take appropriate action to help the project team avoid related problems.

It’s far better to do what you can to avoid problems than it is to document the fact that you’re not responsible for causing them, although both actions usually are recommended. After all, the real issue is not who provides the facilities, nor is it the importance of correct initial curing in the field; it’s about serving the owner’s interests well by addressing known risks before they can become problems.

Developed by GBA’s Construction Materials Engineering and Testing Business Committee, this GBA Best Practices publication provides valuable guidance to becoming a trusted advisor and eliminate risks, headaches, and wasted time before they arise.

This is the updated version of a previously published Practice Alert.

DOWNLOAD UPDATED BEST PRACTICES: INITIAL CURING OF CONCRETE TEST SPECIMENS IN THE FIELD

The GBA Best Practices series of documents, available to members only, provides guidance on geoprofessional business-practice issues. As indicated by the name, Best Practices is a combination of great ideas and proven actions our members have gathered through collaboration into one document.

GBA Best Practices documents are free for all members.

Relive all your favorite, most inspiring moments from GBA’s 2024 Annual Conference as you prepare to CHAMPION EXCELLENCE in the geoprofessions.

Watch, listen to, and learn from our lineup of speakers on your own schedule as they discuss engagement strategies, inspiring students to join the profession, driving innovation, curiosity as the ultimate competitive advantage, overcoming challenges, and more.

These videos are available for all GBA members on-demand at your convenience.

WATCH CONFERENCE RECORDINGS

Here’s a brief look at what you’ll get when you login with your GBA membership:

Why Curiosity is the Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Best-selling author Diana Kander delivers a keynote on how to institutionalize curiosity by asking better questions to stay competitive and relevant to customers; how to determine blind spots within your organization; and how to create a more innovative culture that leads to results and drives growth.

What’s in it for Them? Engagement Strategies in Changing Times
GBA President Guy Marcozzi, P.E., D.GE, LEED AP BD+C, F.ASCE (Verdantas) raises your awareness and understanding by championing new interaction strategies to experiment with that will enhance success and overall fulfillment by providing new takes on empathy and effective engagement.

GBA Meets Reality TV – Emerging Leaders Class 5
You have heard of “Shark Tank” – now get ready for a special presentation from Emerging Leaders Class 5 as they put on their entrepreneur hats and make their pitch in the “Tiger Cage.”

Business Snapshot Summary
Geocomp Inc. Executive Vice President and COO Gary Torosian shares the results of the most recent GBA survey on the state of the economy and the greater geoprofessional industry and reviews important trends to help you assess how your firm is performing.

ADAPT: Overcoming Adversity to Become a Champion and Role Model
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Abbott shows how you must be willing to adapt, change, and mold yourself to meet challenges in your own unique way as you continue toward your goals.

Becoming a Champion of Our Profession for Future Geoprofessionals
Hear from GBA Board Member Carrie Foulk, P.E., G.E. (BSK Associates) about how you can help increase the pipeline of students interested in the geoprofessions and be a part of the solution to staffing shortages and record project backlog.

Into the Unknown: How Leadership, Ingenuity, and Perseverance Put a Rover on Mars
Aspiring rock star turned rocket scientist Adam Steltzner – chief engineer of the Mars 2020 Project – shares his innovation challenges, leadership struggles, and flawless execution to show you how to overcome daunting obstacles in times of uncertainty.

These session recordings are available free to all GBA members.

GBA Business Technology Committee

In the ever-evolving landscape of the geoprofessional industry, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to drive innovation, efficiency, and curiosity. GBA’s Business Technology Committee is producing a six-part series to educate GBA members on the implications of AI on the geoprofessions. The articles, written by Enrique Farfan, Ph.D., P.E. ENV SP (HDR), explore how this technology works and its potential uses.

The second article focuses on large language models (LLMs) – what they are, how they work/generate content, and examples of their use and “understanding” of the geoprofessions. Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is one of the most popular and powerful LLMs, but there is an extraordinary technology race taking place. ERNIE 4.0 and Gemini from Google have emerged as ChatGPT competitors.

As AI continues to evolve, its integration into specialized fields like the geoprofessions not only enhances current methodologies but also opens avenues for unprecedented solutions, making the mastery of AI communication an indispensable skill for the future.

READ “HOW LLM WORKS” NOW

See the previous articles in the series:

AI Unveiled: The Wizardry Behind Chatbots and Intelligent Systems

The Ghost in the Machine: Hallucinations

GBA Nominating Committee

Guy Marcozzi, P.E., LEED AP BD+C (Verdantas) is the new President of the Geoprofessional Business Association. Mr. Marcozzi took office during ceremonies at GBA’s annual meeting held on April 19, 2024 in Anaheim, California.

Mr. Marcozzi will serve as GBA’s President and Chair of the Association’s Board of Directors.

Other directors who will serve during GBA’s 2024-2025 fiscal year are:

President-Elect: Teresa Peterson, P.E., C.M.E., LEED AP O&M, ENV SP (Gannett Fleming)
Secretary/Treasurer: Dan Schaefer, P.E. (Froehling & Roberston)

Directors-at-Large are:

• Kent Bannister, P.Eng. (TREK Geotechnical)
• Elizabeth Clarke (Structure Groups)
• Vic Donald, P.E. (Terracon)
• Carrie Foulk, P.E., G.E. (BSK Associates)
• Jeff Jaros (NTH Consultants)
• Stu Thompson (CTL|Thompson)

GBA is grateful for the service of outgoing board members: Immediate past-President Matt Moler, P.E. (S&ME) and Brad Melocik, P.E., P.H. (DOWL).

The GBA Fiscal Year is May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2025.

Learn more about President Marcozzi’s geoprofessional journey in this director spotlight.

Learn more about each GBA Director.

Left to right: Jeff Jaros, Kent Bannister, Stu Thompson, Vic Donald, Dan Schaefer, Elizabeth Clarke, Carrie Foulk, Teresa Peterson, Guy Marcozzi.

GBA Conference Committee

GBA invites dynamic and engaging speakers to submit an abstract for our 2025 Annual Conference – where the geoprofessional industry comes together.

Speakers can contribute to the elevation of the geoprofessional industry and form powerful partnerships while sharing best practices for risk management.

As a presenter, you will gain visibility and credibility; create new relationships; and generate awareness of your expertise in our industry.

GBA is seeking speakers on presentation topics such as:
• Setting high standards
• Promoting environmental responsibility
• Prioritizing health and safety
• Setting industry standards
• Empowering employees to be guardians of the earth.

The abstract submission deadline is Friday, August 2, 2024.

2025 Annual Conference Theme: Guardians of the Earth

The 2025 Annual Conference theme underscores the critical role of geoprofessionals in protecting human health and safety through their expertise in understanding and managing Earth’s resources, hazards, and environmental conditions. It highlights geoprofessionals’ dedication to identifying and mitigating risks, ensuring the resilience of infrastructure, and promoting sustainable development practices.

While gathered in Savannah, Georgia, we will highlight the vital contributions of geoprofessionals to innovation, progress, and sustainability across all aspects of society underscoring the importance of recognizing the ethical responsibility of geoprofessionals as they tackle complex challenges and pave the way for a brighter, more resilient future for all.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM

LEARN MORE

GBA Business Technology Committee

Drones offer geoprofessionals a means to enhance their reconnaissance or basemap quality. While free aerial photos are widely accessible online, there are instances where a higher resolution or improved shadows are necessary for specific presentations or gaining a different perspective of a site. Drones provide a cost-effective solution for achieving these requirements. They not only capture aerial photography of customized areas and viewpoints but also offer thermal imaging and laser mapping capabilities, revealing details otherwise concealed, even from a bird’s eye view. However, understanding key tips can give you a strategic edge when acquiring such imagery.

In the context of working on an eroding bluff, the accompanying photos illustrate a geologist mapping geological units to aid engineers in repair selection and assist contractors in bidding for the installation of anchor systems. Detailed oblique aerial photos describing the geological terrain prove valuable for contractors in comprehending the work area’s limitations. In this specific scenario, the geologist redirected city crews engaged in thermal drone imagery for analyzing the unhoused population to also collect oblique photography of the eroding bluff from multiple angles.

A comparison between public domain imagery and drone imagery underscores the advantages of the geologist’s choice of drone imagery as the optimal representation of the erosional feature. Drones also give the geologist the flexibility to choose lighting direction, altitude, and pitch for the photos. Therefore, consider the optimal time of day for desired shadows, maintaining a consistent altitude, ensuring photo overlap, and consider the benefits of thermal or laser capabilities when selecting drones. Cloud-based applications provide additional processing options, enhancing the overall efficiency of data utilization.

GBA’s Business Technology Committee is dedicated to disseminating the technology of the geoprofessional industry. Learn about GBA committees and how to join one HERE.

GBA has a long history of sharing the painful and sometimes expensive lessons its member firms have learned through its popular GBA Case History series. Member firms can also learn from one another from projects that turned out successfully.

In the newest Case History – #116 – a GBA member firm was hired to evaluate and design the repair of  a sheet pile dock at a food processing plant. The owner was pleased with the design but did not have the capital to construct the full repairs and tasked the engineer with devising a temporary solution. In the early morning hours on the first day of mobilization for the project, the dock collapsed and the project immediately shifted from repair to replacement.

Through the extraordinary efforts of the contractor and trust from the owner, the project was completed before the plant’s operating season began and the geotechnical engineer was made to look like a hero.

GBA Case Histories provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management. Learn where others went wrong, how they handled their problems, and how you can learn from their experiences to avoid the same problems in the future.

Case Histories are FREE for all GBA Members.

Download Case History #116 HERE.

View the GBA Case History Digest or search the GBA resource library to find other learning opportunities for your firm.

Get a glimpse into the Winter Leadership Summit in this special video  recap by GBA President Matt Moler, P.E. (S&ME, Inc.) as he shares how the event helps GBA committees drive the organization forward.

In his message, Moler highlights the contributions of GBA’s volunteer leaders – members of the Board of Directors, committees, and task forces.

GBA is grateful to everyone who contributed to the resounding success of this productive, collaborative, and enjoyable occasion. Explore GBA’s calendar of events for more opportunities to engage with us and your fellow geoprofessionals.

GBA recognizes that we must adopt different platforms to communicate membership value to our members. Traditionally – like many organizations – we’ve used written publications. We’ve recently adopted audio and video elements to our communication channels through The 1st Word video series, the GBA Podcast, and other multimedia resources.

WATCH MATT’S MESSAGE NOW

GBA Board of Directors

Based on our strategic objectives, feedback from members, and historical data, the  GBA Board of Directors has adopted a new schedule of events, beginning this year. GBA’s goal with these events remains to deliver conferences that have high-value content, provide collaboration and networking opportunities, celebrate the contributions of volunteer leaders, and that are warm and welcoming to all. We also want to schedule and deliver events that attract more attendees, representing more member-firms.

GBA’s most active members overwhelmingly state that in-person meetings are one of the most important aspects of membership. In support of in-person networking, we are committed to delivering two in-person events each year.

GBA will continue to have a conference each April, which has been renamed our Annual Conference (formerly the Spring Conference) and we will shift what has been called the Winter Leadership Summit to October and rename it the Fall Leadership Summit.

Here is more information on each event that will regularly take place on an annual or biennial basis:

Annual Conference – Annual in-person event that features Committee meetings, Committees in Concert, keynote speakers, business round tables, annual awards banquet, networking events, and exploration opportunities unique to the local area.

Summer Board Meeting – Annual meeting that includes association business of the Board of Directors, including creating and advancing the GBA Strategic Plan.

Fall Leadership Summit – Annual in-person event featuring Board and Committee meetings, Committees in Concert, networking opportunities, facilitated workshop and/or keynote presentation on a topic valuable to all in attendance. The Fall Leadership Summit will be held during the week and avoid weekends. The goal is to build on the successes of Committee participation in the Leadership Summit with an enhanced format to provide more value to attendees.

Crystal Ball Workshop – Stand-alone facilitated event held approximately every two years, drawing subject matter experts, industry leaders, and constituents representing consultants, academia, contractors, regulatory agencies, and clients.

This schedule allows GBA to make each event even more valuable to GBA members, gives Committees time to collaborate on important actions throughout the year, and allows GBA to host special industry events beyond the Crystal Ball Workshop, and provide timely professional development through webinars, seminars, and short courses.

See what event are currently scheduled HERE.

Please contact us if you have any questions at info@geoprofessional.org.

GBA Business Practices Committee

To maximize your hiring manager’s efforts and protect your firm from legal trouble resulting from bad hiring practices, GBA’s Business Practices Committee has developed a new Best Practices document titled, “Interviewing – The Right Way!”

One of the foremost issues of concern facing geoprofessional firms is a lack of new talent entering the industry. This workforce shortage can create a scenario where good hiring practices have been kicked to the curb. Interviewing involves a significant number of legal do’s and don’ts. Employers must understand the rule of law related to interview and application questions to ensure they’re performed in accordance with state and federal regulations.

Hiring the right talent is important for long-term stability and growth for your firm and the geoprofessions as a whole. Many hours will go into writing job descriptions, sorting through applications, and interviewing candidates – yet interviewing is one of the least-trained roles in the engineering industry.

When you don’t interview in the best way for your firm’s open position, you may miss out on the innovative hire that impacts your business growth for years to come.

Studying and sharing this Best Practices document and enacting the suggestions contained herein ensures greater interview success, leading to hiring more valuable employees and minimizing risk for your firm.

This new resource is FREE for GBA members.

Not sure if your firm is a member? Check here.

Invest in your firm’s most precious resource – its people.

DOWNLOAD GBA BEST PRACTICES: INTERVIEWING – THE RIGHT WAY!

GBA Multimedia Delivery Committee

GBA has a long history of sharing the painful and sometimes expensive lessons its Member Firms have learned through its popular GBA Case History series. Member Firms can also learn from one another on projects that turned out successfully.

In this Case History, a GBA-Member Firm was hired to assess whether a proposed facility was “buildable” in a rock quarry with reclaimed fill material, prior to purchase. The project scope did not include final design or construction observation services. The relationship was complicated in its early stages because a third-party acted as an intermediary between the client and Member Firm.

After construction began, the Member Firm was again contracted to assess the exposed subgrade at the project site, where static groundwater was observed, consistent with the Member Firm’s prior report. The client told the firm they didn’t do enough to call out the issues related to the groundwater and that they were reserving the right to hold the firm responsible for the additional costs incurred.

The Member Firm remained involved in the project and took steps to strengthen the client relationship. The team’s suggestions along the way resulted in considerable savings and the project was finished within budget – and without a lawsuit.

GBA Case Histories provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management. Learn where others went wrong, how they handled their problems, and how you can learn from their experiences to avoid the same problems in the future.

Case Histories are FREE for all GBA Members.

Download Case History #115 HERE

View the GBA Case History Digest or search the GBA resource library to find other learning opportunities for your firm.