Cross Canada Lecture Tour
The first Cross Canada Lecture Tour was presented in 1965. The purpose of the lecture tour is to provide all CGS members, and other geotechnical professionals, across Canada an opportunity to attend this high-quality technical presentation by a prominent Canadian and international geotechnical professional. Typically, two lecture tours occur each year: in the Spring and Fall. Each consists of presentations to 10 to 12 of the CGS’s local chapters (Sections) across Canada. Customarily one lecturer is a well-known Canadian CGS member; and the other is one is a well-known international individual in the geotechnical field.
For a complete listing of national and international events for the geotechnical community, please visit the CGS website at www.cgs.ca . Below is a partial list of events at which the Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique will be participating:
Recent Cross Canada Lecturers
Information on the Cross Canada Lecture Tours, and video recordings of select lectures can be found here: https://www.cgs.ca/cross_canada.php
Video recordings of some CCLT lecturers can be accessed by CGS Members at: https://members.cgs.ca/documents.php#cclt
2025
Spring
The Cross Canada Lecture Tour Speaker is:
Dr. Jason Dejong, University of California, Davis
Dr. Jason T. DeJong is a Professor at the University of California, Davis and the Director of the Center for Geotechnical Modeling. He received a B.S.C.E. from UC Davis and an M.S.C.E. and Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After working at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Jason moved back to his hometown of Davis, CA in 2005. Dr. DeJong directs and coordinates research through the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling and NSF ERC Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. Prof. DeJong’s major technical contributions have been in the areas soil and site characterization, bio-mediated and bio-inspired geotechnics, earthquake engineering, and geotechnical sustainability. His work has been funded through grants totaling more than $40M. Results from his research program have been disseminated through 250+ publications. He is currently chair of the ISSMGE TC102 In situ Testing committee and serves as a reviewer or technical advisor on several civil infrastructure projects. Prof. DeJong’s contributions have been recognized through the ASTM International Hogentogler Award (2x), ICE TK Hsieh Prize, ASCE Huber Research Prize, ASCE Casagrande Professional Development Award, Prakash Research Award, ICE Telford Premium Prize, ASCE Prakash Award, and as an ASCE Fellow.
Lecture Topics:
- Evaluating Liquefaction of Gravelly Soils – The Influence of Soil Gradation on Penetration Resistance and the Dynamic Response of Level and Sloping Ground
- Evaluation and Remediation of Embankment Dams – Insights and Advances Enabled by Centrifuge Modeling
- Biogeotechnics as a Catalyst for Innovation – Biocementation Soil Improvement and Its Application to Liquefaction Hazard Mitigation
Sponsored by
Fall
2024
Spring
The Cross Canada Lecture Tour Speaker is:
Dr. Ellen Rathje, Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Ellen M. Rathje is the Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) , and a Senior Research Scientist at the UT Bureau of Economic Geology. She is an acknowledged expert in the areas of seismic site response analysis, seismic slope stability, induced seismicity, and field reconnaissance after earthquakes. Dr. Rathje is a founding member and previous Co – Chair of the Geotechnical Extreme Events Re connaissance (GEER) Association, and currently the Principal Investigator for the DesignSafe – ci.org cyberinfrastructure that supports research in natural hazards engineering. She has been honored with the 2022 Peck Lecture Award from the ASCE Geo – Institute, the 2018 William B. Joyner Lecture Award from the Seismological Society of America and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the 2010 Huber Research Prize from the ASCE. She was elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2016.
Lecture Topics:
- Regional – Scale Seismic Landslide Assessment s for Distributed Infrastructure
- New Approaches for Evaluating the Seismic Performance of Slopes and Earth Dams
- Site Response Analysis: Does it Work?
- Learning from Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards: Past, Present, and Future
Sponsored by
Fall
The Cross Canada Lecture Tour Speaker is:
Jocelyn L. Hayley, PhD, PEng, FEIC, FCAE Professor (Geotechnical), Department of Civil Engineering University of Calgary
Jocelyn is a Professor (Geotechnical) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary. She holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Alberta and a PDF from the Norwegian Geotechnical Insitute. Her research focuses on understanding how to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change in permafrost and offshore sediments, with a focus on soil behaviour. She has been recognized with Fellowship in the Engineering Insitute of Canada and Canadian Academy of Engineering, been awarded the EIC.
Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal, the APEGA Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award, and delivered the 2022 Canadian Geotechnical Society Hardy Address. Jocelyn has also served in academic leadership positions, including Head of Civil Engineering and Senior Associate Dean Research
Lecture Topics:
- Shifting Ground: Permafrost Challenges in a Changing Canadian North
- Shifting Tracks: Permafrost Thaw along the Hudson Bay Railway