Educate the Educators Program

The ETE Program in Brief

The IGS Educate the Educators (ETE) program aims to ensure that every student graduating from an undergraduate engineering program receives some basic exposure to geosynthetics.

The program shows university teaching staff how the core principles of geosynthetics can be incorporated into their existing curricula and provides them with the materials to do so.

The focus is on undergraduate education, with the ability to expand to graduate courses. The workshops place particular emphasis on the single mandatory geosynthetics class that each faculty should teach.

How it Works

Each ETE typically involves around 40 selected participants, who are able to influence curricula at their institution. The program includes accommodation, meals, and educational materials free of charge. Participants must cover their own travel costs.

ETE programs are delivered in partnership between an IGS Chapter and the IGS. The IGS Education Committee helps organize the educational portion, including sponsoring the speakers, while the host Chapter is responsible for event management, attendee selection, fund raising and logistics.

See a Taster of Our ETE Content

For Educators: Click here to see a selection of short videos which make up the introductory lecture from the full ETE program. These short videos provide a context and examples of experiential learning to help you to prepare your own lecture.

For Students: Click here to see a selection of short videos which provide a brief introduction to geosynthetics and their different types and functions.

Request an ETE Workshop

All IGS Chapters, and Professors with the support of an IGS Chapter, are eligible to submit a proposal for an Educate the Educators workshop. Chapters will benefit from increased understanding of geosynthetics and their responsible use within their market, leading to opportunities to raise the Chapter’s profile and grow membership.

Further details are available in the IGS Digital Library.

To apply, please complete the workshop request form.

Past Programs

The ETE program in its current form was developed following the 2010 IGS Council strategy meeting in Guarujá, Brazil. After a pilot program in Argentina in 2013, ETE workshops have taken place all around the world, equipping countless educators to include geosynthetics in their curricula and inspiring a new generation of engineers to use geosynthetics applications. Read about past workshops below.

Events Archive