IGS President
2002 - 2006
Daniele Cazzuffi

A Message from the New IGS President for 2002 to 2006
by Daniele Cazzuffi, IGS President
November 2002

I am very honoured to have been elected President of the IGS, and I thank everyone for this personal recognition.

Over the next four years, new stimulating challenges will require a great deal of time, energy, and ideas on the part of Officers, Council Members, and all current or potential Members of the IGS, with particular reference to younger individuals.

As President, there are several goals I want the IGS to achieve that will maintain and enhance the overall excellence of the IGS.

Communication
First, we have to improve communication with the present membership to consolidate the relationships among all current IGS Members and those new potential members. This improvement in communication can be accomplished using the Society’s existing methods of communication, primarily the new web site, but also through the newsletter IGS News and the dissemination of the IGS Directory. Communications can also be improved by reinforcing the links between the IGS and the two official IGS journals, namely Geotextiles and Geomembranes and Geosynthetics International.

Education
Education must be continuously addressed. The “mini-lectures” program, finalised in the CDRom circulated this year to all our membership, was a very good example of the educational activities taking place. Moreover, there are more opportunities to further our geosynthetics educational program. For example, in the United States, a successful program called “Educate the Educators” was launched. The IGS may consider developing such a program, but on a world wide scale. This would not be an easy task, particularly due to language barriers; however, this type of program is crucial for developing greater recognition of our profession in academic environments.

Science versus Business
Or “academics versus manufacturers”? It is my impression, that the gap between these two groups, both fundamental for the development of our profession, has unfortunately increased. The IGS will have to address this specific problem and try to establish new fruitful dialogue between university and industry, creating mutual benefits for both.

Links with Other International Associations
We now live in a “global society” where information and communication is only a “click” away. As an international society, the IGS can take greater advantage of this ease in communication and information sharing and develop more links with other international associations around the world. Geosynthetics are used in geotechnical structures (reinforced walls and embankments), transportation engineering (roads and railways), environmental engineering (landfills and lagoons), hydraulic engineering (dams and canals), and erosion control systems. Practically each of these fields of application is represented by a well-established international association. It is critical that the IGS develops and maintains more defined synergies with these associations and, in the meantime, maintain and refine our own traditions and reputation as a respected professional international organisation.

Expansion (Chapters and Structure)
More than 90% of the present IGS membership is formed through local chapters; however, increased presence and the formation of new chapters, particularly in the following areas of the world is required: Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Central and South America. Once this goal has been achieved, the structure of the IGS can change to suit the more specific needs of IGS Members and Chapters in each continent as is done in many other international organisations.

In Conclusion
All of the Society’s future activities will be focused on promoting the correct and most efficient use of geosynthetics worldwide. This will contribute to “sustainable development” for us, our children, and future generations. Having this in mind, I look forward to working with the new IGS Officers and Council Members and all current and potential members of the Society, over the next four years. My main goal is to do the best I can to serve the Society and to do this I require your continuous support. I thank you in advance for your continuing assistance, ideas, and friendship in the coming years.