What’s happening with

Environmental and Engineering Geology in Texas?

Find out in the latest issue of AEG’s Texas Section News -- see attached.

Be sure to register for the 6th Annual Shlemon Specialty Conference:

Modern Subsidence, Sea-Level Rise, and the Future of the Gulf Coast

May 13-15, 2010  |  Galveston, Texas

Last minute spots are still available!

HURRY – Early Registration ends Thursday, April 22

2010 Shlemon Specialty Conference

Modern Subsidence, Sea-Level Rise, and the Future of the GulfCoast

Sponsored by the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists and AEG Foundation

May 13 – 15, 2010   ~   The San Luis Resort   ~   Galveston Island, Texas

Modern Subsidence, Sea-Level Rise, and the Future of the GulfCoast

Shlemon Specialty Conferences provide an intensive 3-day forum of technical discussions among researchers and practitioners, with focus on topics beneficial to society and directly related to application of the engineering and environmental geosciences. The conferences are intended to disseminate practice and research results, and to foster improvement and understanding of applied geology.

The sixth Shlemon Specialty Conference, Modern Subsidence, Sea-Level Rise, and the Future of the GulfCoast, will include keynote presentations by invited experts, a field excursion, poster sessions, and ample time for informal interaction.

The Subsidence Field Trip held in conjunction with the conference on the second day will include various stops around Galveston and the Bay Area to observe locations that could be or have been impacted by subsidence. Field trip leaders are Dr. Carl Norman and Richard Howe. Attendees will be transported to the field trip stops by rented bus.

The technical focus of the conference concerns:

·                         Subsidence measurements

·                         Processes causing subsidence

·                         Quaternary geology of the Gulf Coast

·                         Coastal flooding, and protection

·                         Space-based geodesy of New Orleans

·                         Subsidence of New Orleans

·                         Northern hemisphere glaciations and crustal physics, subsidence modeling

·                         In-SAR and oil field subsidence

·                         Groundwater-induced subsidence of the Gulf Coast

Abstracts are still being accepted for poster sessions.. Posters will be on display throughout the entire conference with time set aside each day for review and discussion.

Abstracts for poster sessions should be no more than 350 words and include the title of the abstract, author(s) full name, affiliation, affiliation address, and email address and sent to Julie Keaton, Conference Director ( aegjuliek@aol.com) . Abstracts may be selected for oral presentation.

If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Palomares, General Chair ( cpalomar@tceq.state.tx.us ) or Roy Dokka, Technical Program Chair ( rdokka1@lsu.edu ).

Conference Keynote Speaker

Dr. Roy K. Dokka , Executive Director of the Center for GeoInformatics, Director of the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center, and Fuehan Endowed Professor of Engineering, Louisiana State University, will speak on  The Nature of Modern Subsidence: The basics: Definition, Measurement, and Natural and Anthropogenic Processes and will provide a case history: Late 20 th Century Subsidence of New Orleans and its Causes Revealed". (Dr. Dokka is a structural geologist and geodesist).

Conference Speakers

Dr. John Anderson , RiceUniversity: Late Quaternary Global Seal-Level Rise and Its Impact on the Northern Coast of the Gulf of Mexico – Past, Present and Future

Dr. Erik Ivins , California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Subsidence and the Physics of Later Quaternary Sediment and Water Loading of the Lithosphere in the Mississippi River Delta Region

Dr. Tom Holzer , USGS: The Importance of Faulting and Groundwater Offtake in the Subsidence History of the Houston Area

Dr. Sean Buckley , University of Texas: Use of Radars for Subsidence Studies

Dr. Ronald Blom , California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Advanced Radar Systems for Coastal Subsidence Monitoring in the Future

The San Luis Resort Spa & Conference Center

Location:
5222 Seawall Blvd. , Galveston , TX77551
Phone: 800-392-5937

Reservations must be made no later than April 21 – after this time, rates will be significantly higher!

Discover unparalleled luxury at The San Luis Resort, Spa & ConferenceCenter, a 30-acre year-round beachfront hotel and resort property on beautiful Galveston Island, Texas. Recipient of the AAA Four Diamond Award® since 2000, The San Luis Resort features lavish accommodations, breathtaking Gulf views and personalized service. ( www.sanluisresort.com)

Dinner after Field Trip

At the conclusion of the field trip, dinner will be provided at the Gaido’s Famous Seafood Restaurant.

A tradition of excellence for over 92 years, Gaido’s Famous Seafood Restaurant first opened in 1911 when S.J. Gaido, opened his restaurant. The Gaido family commitment was to make the trip to GalvestonIsland worthwhile with the best in service and the finest in seafood.

Dr. George Davis will be the dinner’s Keynote Speaker. Dr. Davis is a Regents Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona.  His primary scientific interest has been field-oriented structural geology, with applications in regional tectonics and active tectonics.  His current research is in Greece, where he is a team leader on the Mt.Lykaion (Zeus) Sanctuary and Excavation Site in the Peloponnesus.  His role is to interpret the geologic history of the site, including active tectonics, in specific relationship to the archaeology of Lykaion.

20 Professional Development Hours

(PDH’s earned upon attendance. No partial credit given –

Must attend the entire conference to earn the 20 PDH’s.)

_____________________________________________________

Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists
Texas Section Scholarship Fundraiser
Bear Creek Golf Course, Dallas TX
April 3, 2009

Please mark your calendars for the April 3rd, 2009 AEG Texas Section Scholarship Fundraiser. The fundraiser this year will be a golf tournament in Dallas. The golf event will be a scramble format at Bear Creek Golf Club, which is located in the southwest corner of the DFW airport. Check-in begins at 12:00pm with tee times commencing at 1:30 pm. An awards reception and catered meal for participants will be held immediately following the event.

Attached please find a copy of the registration brochure.

Plenty of opportunities are available for you to contribute to this worthwhile event for the Scholarship fund. To be successful, this event will require a huge effort from our constituency.

PLEASE CONSIDER assisting in the following. We need your help!

Preparation of a master contact list for sponsorship from:
Engineering and environmental firms,
Local oil and gas companies, and
Vendors that Texas Section AEG members use (drillers, testing labs, attorneys, well suppliers, drafters, surveyors)
Volunteers to solicit the above contacts
Volunteers to assist the day of the event
And most importantly participants for the golf event!

If you have ideas for making this event a success, please contact Bill Flanigan with your plan (bflanigan@txi.com or 214-502-0580). If you have sponsors you can solicit, please do so but please coordinate this with Bill Flanigan to avoid multiple parties contacting the same companies, vendors, and potential sponsors.

AEG Texas Section Fall Meeting and Field Trip
October 18, 2008

Where: Government Canyon State Natural Area (GCSNA) is an approximately 8,622-acre area in Bexar County, just outside San Antonio. The State Natural Area was purchased by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1993, in cooperation with Edwards Aquifer Authority (formerly Edwards Underground Water District), San Antonio Water System, the Trust for Public Land and the federal government Land and Water Conservation Fund. The park opened to the public on October 15th, 2005.

Who: John Hoyt of Edwards Aquifer Authority and Ed Miller of GeoCam will lead the meeting and field trip. George FitzGerald will give a 1-hour ethics talk that will satisfy the Texas Board of Professional Geologists continuing education requirements.

What: Topics to be discussed include:
· A demonstrated case of Trinity Aquifer/Edwards Aquifer connection;
· A discussion of Edwards Aquifer water balance questions and projects being conducted to address those questions; and
· Geoscience ethics

After an introduction to the GCSNA, we will take a walking tour. Topics for the hike include:
· Area stratigraphy and units exposed at GCSNA;
· Area geologic structure and structural expressions at GCSNA;
· Relationship between geologic structure and groundwater resources;
· Groundwater resources of GCSNA; and
· Range management research and related hydrologic data collection at GCSNA.

The Fine Print: Note that on the walking tour and during our entire time in the GCSNA, we must all follow park rules, which include staying on marked trails. No rock hammers are allowed. Please be advised that you should be in a condition to comfortably walk about two miles on park trails to participate in the walking tour.

When: Saturday, October 18, 2008
8:00 AM GCSNA Gate Opens
8:00 AM Registration at Park Pavilion
9:00 AM Meeting and Field Trip Begin
Detailed schedule to be sent via email before October 18th meeting date.

Member Fee: $35 per person (Family receive member rate as well.)
Non-Member Fee: $50 per person
Students: $15. SPONSORS WELCOME!!
Registration Fee includes: Lunch and presentation materials.

Click to download print version of the meeting announcement >>

AEG accepts check or cash day of meeting. Attendees are responsible for a $3 entry fee for GCSNA. Mention that you are attending the AEG meeting to receive the discounted rate.

Hotel: Nearest hotels at 1604 and Bandera Rd. (Hwy 16). Quality Inn (210.372.9079) or Motel 6 (210.695.6616). Prices range from $90-110.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Jerry McCalip at jmccalip@mccalipandcompany.com or 972-919-6186.

Park web site:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/government_canyon/
Park map:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4505_165c.pdf

AEG's 2008 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana — September 15-20
(technical sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, September 17, 18 and 19).

Field Trips planned:
1) Slope Stability — Mississippi River Bluffs;
2) Hurricane Katrina Devastation Area;
3) Avery Island Salt Dome and Tobasco Tour;
4) Civil War Military Geology — Vicksburg Campaign;
5) Coastal Geology — Barrier Islands; and 6) NASA — Stennis Space Center.

Symposia planned:
1) Hurricane Katrina and Mechanism of Failure;
2) New Madrid Earthquakes;
3) Coastal Geology;
4) Coastal Hazards;
5) Tunneling; and
6) Coastal Protection — New Orleans.

A very special event is planned — Mardi Gras Parade and Reception. Enjoy a procession through the French Quarter witha N'awlin jazz groupand experience Cajun and Creole taste delights.

The meeting hotel, the JW Marriott, is located along historic Canal Street (formerly the old Le Meridien Hotel).

Guest Tours through New Orleans are planned, with a River Road Journey — Antebellum Life; Honey Island Swamp Tour; and Garden District Tour with Lunch at Commander's Palace.

Abstracts are currently being accepted. Please submit to Julie Keaton at aegjuliek@aol.com. Deadline for abstracts is May 1, 2008.

Check AEG's web page — www.aegweb.org — for updates on events for this meeting you will not want to miss!