Taiwan

IGS Chinese Taipei chapter conducted their first Educate the Educator (EtE) training course to local Civil Engineering professors, graduate students, and engineers at NPUST campus, Pingtung, Taiwan on November 21-22, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international speakers provided virtual lectures and local speakers provided physical lectures to the attendees. Ten technical lectures were provided by international and Taiwanese professors. Three practical application case studies were provided by local manufacturers. The teaching subject contents included Geosynthetics design and applications for highways, railways, retaining walls, slopes, river and coastline erosion protection, landfills, rainwater storage, and Geosynthetics properties assessment and evaluation, and etc.

2020 IGS Chinese Taipei Chapter EtE program group photo

 

IGS President Prof. Chungsik Yoo gave the welcome remarks and the opening lecture: Introductory of the types and applications of Geosynthetic materials. Thereafter, Prof. Takeshi Kasutmi from Japan, Prof. Jie Han from USA, Prof. Chao Xu and Prof. Guangqing Yang from China, and Prof. Chiwan Hsieh, Prof. Jason Wu, Prof. Kuo Shin Yang, Prof. Jia Chen Fang, and Prof. Chia Chun Ho from Taiwan gave various Geosynthetic application lectures to the attendees.

This EtE program was made possible with the generous financial support from National Pingtung University of Science & Technology, the International Geosynthetics Society, and 10 local Geosynthetics related enterprises. Ace Geosynthetics Inc., Seven States Enterprise Co. Inc., and Lynch Co. Inc., representatives were also part of the instructional team.

Topic 10: Fundamental properties and related tests on geosynthetic materials by Prof. Chiwan Hsieh

This training course provided comprehensive design and application of Geosynthetics information to 10 Civil Engineering college professors, 18 Ph.D. students, 20 engineers from government agencies and design consultants, and contractors. All of the training presentation materials and samples were provided to the attendees. It is expected that the attendees will assist with the teaching and promotion of Geosynthetics applications in their organizations.

Chiwan Wayne Hsieh, President, IGS Chinese Taipei Chapter 2/19/2021

Brazil

Educate the Educators on Geosynthetics, Brazil

Brazil’s 2020 ETE program took place online, with a focus on participants from the country’s Midwest region.

Key facts:

  • location: Midwest, online
  • 37 professors received instruction
  • content included nine hours of theoretical classes, five case studies and three practical workshops
  • lecturers: Maria das Graças Gardoni (UFMG), Delma Vidal (ITA), Ennio Palmeira (UnB) and Jorge Zornberg (University of Texas at Austin)
  • gold sponsors: Geo Soluções, Huesker and Maccaferri
  • silver sponsors: Engepol, Ober, TDM and TechGround